Ali vs Teo: The Greatest Fight Ever Imagined

By Steve A. Hayes

Life and its daily events as we know them are all etched in reality based colors of black and white. But when the shades of imagination are creatively expanded, we can then see a broader pigment of possibilities known as the world of "What if?"

During the 70's the two greatest heavyweight fighters on the planet were never allow

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stratton Press
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781648959332

Steve A. Hayes

Author Steve Hayes spent a weekend in 1990 with Muhammad Ali winning his friendship and some noteworthy insight into the champ's intricate thoughts. One was on a particular fight that was sensed to have maybe been the missing link in his celebrated career.

Book preview

Preface

Life with all of its ambiguities and complexities is a hard commodity to harness. It’s with human inventiveness along with our imaginations that allow us to step from the realm of what is into the mystical world of what could have been. This story is a totally fictional account taken from my years of love, study, and the verve of two bigger-than-life personalities that were in the pop cultural headlines and the sport of boxing.

Muhammad Ali will go down in history as perhaps the greatest and most captivating sports champion that we have ever seen. As a professional heavyweight boxer, it was his skill, style, and flair that became an unstoppable force in fan alliance as well as social controversy.

In another universe where visibility was bleak and total proprietary belonged to the country of Cuba, Teofilo Stevenson was also a boxing legend where myth and mystic ran deep. As an amateur fighter, he would emerge every four years to appear in the Olympics, dominate to win his gold medals, and then disappear from our sight and conscience.

During the ’70s when both fighters were at their peak of performance, you couldn’t be a fan of boxing without stumbling into the always present sports-world conversation of What if? Knowing that a match between the two best heavyweight fighters on the planet could never actually happen was simply more fuel for the argument in bars, parties, or anywhere boxing was debated.

In 1990, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Muhammad Ali and actually asked him the question about the thought of fighting Teofilo Stevenson. His answer was somewhat meandering and ponderous to the fact that he would have liked to have had the opportunity, but went on to say that you can’t outfight two governments that are bigger than you. I never forgot that quote which prompted me to do what writers and storytellers do.

As a fan of the sport as well as once being an amateur boxer myself, I decided to peel back the layers of possibility had these two ring-warriors ever had the chance to compete. No computers are involved in any way on the analysis when it comes to what might have occurred between the ropes. After studying hours on end of styles, speed, and personal statistics of both, each and every round was illusory and then written in real time with my gut just as if you were there and watching the greatest fight that never was.

I dedicate this story to the legacy, family, and the fans of both Muhammad Ali and Teofilo Stevenson for making such a difference in the sport and the people they loved. This is also written for all boxing fans worldwide whoever lost a friend or a massive drink tab in their overzealous evaluation of what the outcome might have been.

Thankfully in this scenario of reimagined events that could have been a true story, you can now just blame it on me.

Chapter 1

"Where’s the kid? Where’s the kid?" bellowed Angelo Dundee as he burst through the door and ran through the log cabin training home in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania, with an obvious high concern attached to his pitch.

Slow down, my man! Rahman Clay shouted. You’ll wake the champ! He’s just catching a few Zs before we all head out to dinner. Hell, you had him running eight miles this morning. I think maybe a quick nap would be in order.

Stopping in his tracks, Angelo had to catch his breath to address the brother of Muhammad Ali. The handler and trainer of the greatest heavyweight boxer in history was in no mood to play word tag as his next admission was another world shocker.

Rahman, do you know who I’ve been on the fucking phone with for the last hour? I’ll tell you, and if you leak this to anybody, I’ll kill you! I’ve been on the phone with Fidel Castro’s people! I think this thing just might happen!

You been on the phone with whom? Fidel Castro! Since when did you ever learn how to speak Cuban and why in the hell does that weird beard want to talk to you? Rahman laughed.

Well, he had an interpreter or some guy, anyway…he was on the phone too, and they want to make this fight happen! Dundee exhaled. I’m telling you, this could be the greatest sporting event in the whole damn history of the world, and they called us!

It was late Spring in 1976 following one of the greatest heavyweight showdowns in modern boxing history between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The fight had been held the year prior on October 1, 1975, in the Philippines, and it was called the Thrilla in Manila. It was to be the third and last installment of a rivalry in sport that was unparalleled for its robust intrigue, drama, and showmanship. During the fourteenth round, Joe Frazier’s Chief Second Eddie Futch threw in the towel that would be the sign that Muhammad Ali would win again by a technical knockout and still retain the crown of heavyweight champion of the world. Since then, Ali had fought three more times with a fourth opponent on the horizon.

In another sporting universe that had been shut down since 1959 from the free world, a ring warrior who had gained dominant industry recognition was preparing to head out to Montreal, Canada, to compete in the only arena that he was allowed to participate. Amateur heavyweight boxing sensation Teofilo Stevenson would represent his country of Cuba for the second time at the Olympic Games since winning the gold medal at Munich in 1972.

Professional sports had been outlawed in Cuba since 1962 just about two years to the date from when a twenty-two-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay scored a seventh round technical knockout over Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight crown and catapult his status into a global commodity. On this exceptionally warm and sunny day in early June of 1976, Angelo Dundee needed to apportion the news with the only other soul who he knew could share his genuine animation.

How long has he been down? Dundee asked.

I don’t know, maybe an hour, his brother responded.

Go get him! This is too important to wait! Angelo barked. He’ll forgive me after he hears what I have to tell him.

Slowly getting up from the couch, Rahman Clay looked at Dundee while shaking his head as he slipped through the door and headed down the hall of the rustic building that was Ali’s official training headquarters.

Several minutes later, a six-foot-three bleary-eyed figure entered the room and plopped down on the sofa. Looking up at his long-time mentor, Ali quietly asked, I was in the middle of a dream and I pounding Norton again, this better be important.

Kid…that dream might be kind of prophetic after what I have to tell you. I’ve just been on the phone with Castro’s people, including Fidel himself; they want to do the deal!

Saying nothing at first, that famed Ali stare was aimed eye to eye with a man who knew exactly what that statement meant.

Stevenson…they want us to fight Stevenson? I thought that was impossible and no way because the governments don’t want no competition when it comes to fighting between themselves. You tell me now how’s that gonna happen? Muhammad quietly asked.

Look, kid, they called us and are proposing a late fall fight, maybe in Miami sometime after the Olympics, Angelo Dundee explained. Stevenson will be done by the end of July, and according to their people, he will be ready for a late November fight. I’m telling you that they really want to do this.

What about Norton? Ali asked. I thought we were going after Norton in Yankee Stadium.

Nothing has been signed, not even the rental agreement. Hell, kid, you’ve already fought him twice. This is the fight you’ve been waiting for. You’ve talked about it yourself for years!

Indeed he had. In an athlete’s world when you are the best, you recognize the best. The name Teofilo Stevenson and Muhammad Ali had been linked together since the establishment of their careers and had been looked upon by boxing aficionados as mirror images of each other. While almost ten years younger than Ali, Stevenson had launched his competitive career in 1966 fighting in national tournaments like the Pan American Games as well as the Olympics. Standing 6'5", he had amassed a reputation of being a ruthless puncher with an arm span unlike any other fighter in the heavyweight division. He actually had a four-inch reach advantage over Ali.

Throughout the late ’60s and into the ’70s, Stevenson’s world stage would only be that in the window of amateur boxing, but everybody knew that was only a political ruse when it came down to the actual talent this Cuban-born fighter possessed.

He’s pretty…like me. Can you imagine both of us in the same ring together, Ange? Ali once boasted. It might start out as a fight that suddenly breaks out into a beauty contest and…I’ll win that one too!

It was always considered the fight that could never be, but with the conversation that Angelo Dundee had just had, the Cubans now seemed ready to do whatever needed to be done to make it a reality.

What about the purse? Ali asked Dundee. I thought one of the big problems was we can’t give money to the Russians.

That’s right, but according to them, their government will take care of it on their own dime, Angelo answered. I seriously think it’s a publicity stunt because according to what I hear…the Russians are getting tired of fooling with them and will be gone soon. This gives Cuba a chance to establish something on their own and get the whole worldwide attention that this thing will bring.

Yea, but our damn government would never let that happen, the champ countered. After what they did to me for three years for just refusing to kill people, do you think they would ever allow me to fight a damn Cuban in our country? Nah, we better take the Norton fight.

Now wait a minute, kid, according to Castro, they have already paved some kind of a deal with Ford to allow this thing to happen. Gerald Ford is trying to soften relations with Castro and Cuba, and according to the conversation I just had…he feels this might be a great tool to do it, and don’t forget it’s is an election year!

Sitting silent for a moment, the world heavyweight champ’s mind was spinning at the abrupt change of philosophy.

I’m not saying yes…but I’m not saying no. There’s too much we need to get together on this, Angelo. He finally spoke. "I do know this, if you’re gonna be the greatest, you gotta fight the greatest. I’m knocking out all bums and Teo Stevenson needs