IV Champion Again
Ali faced Frazier again in January 1974 at Madison Square Garden in New York
City. Frazier had lost the heavyweight title to George Foreman in 1973, and
therefore both boxers were mounting major comebacks(organizando
regresos a bombo y platillo). After the former champions
battled for 12 rounds, Ali won by unanimous decision and gained the right(derecho)
to challenge Foreman for the heavyweight title.
Ali and Foreman agreed(acordaron)
to a bout to be held(celebrado)
in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC). The
match was dubbed(apodada)
by many “The Rumble(ruido
sordo, retumbo) in the Jungle,” and it attracted worldwide
attention. It was originally scheduled(programada)
for early September 1974, but after Foreman suffered a serious cut above his
right eye during training the fight was delayed until late October. Ali used
the extra time to train in Kinshasa. He savored(saboreó)
the media limelight(la
prensa que le hacía estar en el candelero), made friends with
locals, and challenged and taunted(insultó,
se mofó) Foreman at press conferences and meetings. Despite(a
pesar de) Ali’s confidence, many believed that he was past
his prime(había
pasado la mejor etapa de su carrera) and would fall to the
younger opponent.
When the fight began, observers were surprised by Ali’s strategy. In the
weeks leading up to the bout, he had loudly predicted that he would beat
Foreman with graceful footwork, taking advantage(aprovechándose,
sacando ventaja) of his quickness to dance around Foreman. But
his performance in the ring was much different. Ali hugged the ropes(abrazó
las cuerdas) and opened himself up(se
abrió a) to a barrage of Foreman punches(una
lluvia de golpes) during the early rounds. Foreman became weary(agotado)
as the fight progressed, however, and Ali fought back(contraatacó)
with well-placed(bien
colocados), powerful punches. This successful technique was
later dubbed “rope-a-dope.” A knockout(golpe
con fuera de combate) in the eighth round secured(aseguró)
Ali’s victory and gained him his second world heavyweight title. The fight
and the weeks leading up to it were captured in the film When We Were
Kings, which was released in 1996 and won an Academy Award for best
documentary.
After defending his title against three different challengers early in 1975,
Ali agreed to fight Frazier in Manila, Philippines, in October of that same
year. Once again, Ali predicted victory. Before 28,000 boxing fans and 700
million television viewers, Ali outlasted(sobrevivió
a) Frazier and defended his title in a brutal 15-round battle
Ali called “The Thrilla(=thriller,
película de suspense) in Manila.” The fight cemented(cimentó)
Ali and Frazier’s places as two of the most durable, enduring(duraderos,
resistentes) boxers in the sport’s history.
V Another Title and Retirement
Ali defended his title six more times between 1976 and 1978. In February
1978, however, he lost the title to Leon Spinks in Las Vegas, Nevada. In
September 1978 the two boxers fought a rematch and Ali regained(volvió
a ganar) the title, beating Spinks in 15 rounds in New Orleans,
Louisiana. Ali retired in 1979, but he came out of retirement in 1980 to
challenge Larry Holmes, who had taken the title. He lost to Holmes and then
lost to Trevor Berbick in 1981 before retiring for good(para
siempre).
At the height(en
la cúspide) of his fame, Ali was one of the most famous
athletes in the world, and even after his retirement he was recognizable(reconocido)
wherever he went(allá
donde iba). He retired with a professional record of 56 wins
(37 by knockout) and 5 losses. After his boxing career ended, Ali donated
much of his time to various charities(empresas
benéficas) and humanitarian missions around the world. He was
inducted(elegido)
into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 1996 he was
awarded(premiado)
the honor of lighting the Olympic torch(llevar
la antorcha olímpica) in Atlanta, Georgia, to begin the Summer
Olympic Games. At the end of the century, many publications listed him as
one of the 20th century’s greatest and most influential athletes.
In 1984 Ali was first diagnosed(diagnosticado)
with Parkinson syndrome, a medical condition closely related to Parkinson
disease. Symptoms include body tremors(temblores),
slurred or difficult speech, rigid limbs(miembros
rígidos), facial immobilization(inmovilización
facial), and other neurological problems. The disorder
sometimes develops in boxers, because of the repeated blows to the head they
suffer over a long career. As the former champion coped with(enfrentarse
con, arreglárselas) the condition, he became a strong advocate
for more research money for Parkinson disease and related conditions(condiciones
similares). |
Inglés
|
Francés |
Alemán
|
Italiano |
Otros
1 (A-E)
| 2 (F-L) |
3 (N-S)
| 4 (T-U)
Árabe |
Chino |
Esperanto
|
Griego
|
Japonés
|
Portugués
|
Rumano
|
Ruso
|
Catalán
|
Euskera