The fight that was never had, but if it had, it would have taken a piece of history. NBA player Wilt Chamberlain against the greatest, Muhammad Ali. That was the year 1967 when the possibility of this meeting first emerged. Fans, however, were never able to see it over time for a variety of reasons.
During that year, the two amazing stars decided on a possible ring clash on Howard Cosell’s ABC show. Wilt Chamberlain had broken multiple basketball records and was nearing the end of his NBA career at the time. He aspired to vanquish the greatest beast in sports history in order to establish his value.
Madison Square Garden was to host the major confrontation. Ali was new to boxing, but Wilt had already won two NBA championships. He was just getting started in his illustrious career.
Ali resisted signing the contract in 1967, and this continued until 1970. Since Ali had declined to enlist in the military at the time, his boxing license was not granted until 1971. As soon as he entered the ring again, discussions over the Wilt-Ali match resumed.
Wilt Chamberlain was done with his NBA career by the time he didn’t show up for the big battle. He had reached new heights in his field and finished his 13-year NBA career. However, Muhammad Ali was at the height of his powers at that point in his career, having gone 31-0 with 25 knockouts. However, he had lost a heavyweight championship match against Joe Frazier at that same period.
Jim Brown ultimately put the two up against one another. Alright, the big day has come. Ali was waiting for Chamberlain to come at the news conference. But hey, what do you know? That was never the case. When Wilt failed to show up, it was widely reported throughout the sports world.
The NBA player’s absence from the game at the last minute gave rise to rumors. A statement had been released by Chamberlain’s legal team in response to each of these inquiries. They explained that it wasn’t worth the time and effort because the after-tax money would only be $500,000.
This was the subject of a lot of rumor for a while. In a subsequent interview, Wilt explained his thinking. “I recall saying to my father, who loves fighting, ‘Dad, I got a couple of days off and I’m getting ready to go to Houston to sign to fight Muhammad Ali,'” after I left my apartment in Los Angeles. It was his father who suggested that he go play his game. “And I said, ‘Well, Dad, you’re probably right,'” as I turned to face my father.
There have been a number of theories regarding Witt’s possible exit from this massive battle between these two stars. However, those are our only remaining rumors. If this had really happened, can you imagine what would have transpired in Madison?
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