“Inoki vs Ali” (2)
(Series 1: Inoki vs. Ali’s real feelings reflected by the live announcer >>)
Antonio Inoki passed away on October 1, 2018 at the age of 79. The match against Muhammad Ali on June 26th, 1976 was the match that shook the history of martial arts in the world with his “burning fighting spirit” that carved many famous matches in the ring.
Former TV Asahi announcer Keiichi Funahashi, who commented on the “World’s Best Martial Arts Match”, looks back on that time in a short series. In the second installment, I recalled the match against judoka Willem Ruska (February 6, 1976, Nippon Budokan), which was held as a preliminary match against Ali.
Inoki putting a Cobra Twist on judo gold medalist Ruska (right) See photos related to this article
[“The strongest” that I wanted to prove in professional wrestling vs judo]
Ruska, a Dutchman, was the strongest judoka at the time, winning both the heavyweight and open weight divisions in judo at the 1972 Munich Olympics. However, Inoki’s side never put Ruska in the ring as a professional wrestler.
The match is just a step to the Ali match, which he said, “Prove that professional wrestling is the strongest in the world.” In order to show the world that professional wrestling overwhelms other martial arts, “pro-wrestling vs judo” was fully pushed out.
The signboard of the box office is “the world’s best martial arts match” or “mixed martial arts match”. By having fighters with different rules fight under the same rules, they planted a composition that shows “who” and “which martial art” is the strongest in the world.
Funahashi, who commented on the Ruska match, understood this concept.
“If Ruska is drawn into professional wrestling, she will be fighting in the same arena as Mr. Inoki, and it will be impossible to prove that “pro wrestling is the strongest of all martial arts”. Pro-wrestling is stronger than judo.” I think Mr. Inoki thought that there was no other way to regain the citizenship of pro-wrestling. I watched this match live
A mixed martial arts battle of “pro-wrestling vs judo” that became a one-on-one match with no time limit. Ruska entered the ring in her judo uniform.
Funahashi reveals, “It must have been Mr. Inoki’s request for Ruska to wear a judo uniform.”
“What I emphasized in my commentary was the point of contention between professional wrestling and judo. I focused on the meaning of fighting between athletes of different martial arts. Judo is a martial art that was born in Japan. I think that the commentary was conscious of conveying the history and characteristics of the competition to the viewers in an easy-to-understand manner.”
2023-06-26 22:19:35
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