The Super Fight
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| The Super Fight | |
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| Directed by | Murray Woroner |
| Produced by | Murray Woroner |
| Starring | Rocky Marciano Muhammad Ali Angelo Dundee Ferdie Pacheco Jim Braddock Joe Louis Max Schmeling Jack Sharkey Jersey Joe Walcott Murray Woroner Guy Le Bow |
| Distributed by | Woroner Productions |
| Release date(s) | January 20, 1970 (USA) |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Super Fight was a unique type of boxing match. Since Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano fought at different times, boxing fans often debated over who would have won in a fight between the two heavyweight champions. In 1970, a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano, staged using probability formulas entered into a computer, was released as a feature film.
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[edit] Concept
In 1967, radio producer Murray Woroner had the idea of determining the all-time great heavyweight champion of the world in a series of fantasy fights between boxing champions of different eras. Woroner sent out a survey to 250 boxing experts and writers to help determine which boxers would be used in the imaginary fights. Woroner picked the first round of fantasy matches to be:
- Jack Dempsey vs. Gentleman Jim Corbett
- John L. Sullivan vs. Jim Braddock
- Bob Fitzsimmons vs. Jack Sharkey
- Jim Jeffries vs. Jersey Joe Walcott
- Joe Louis vs. Jess Willard
- Max Baer vs. Jack Johnson
- Rocky Marciano vs. Gene Tunney
- Muhammad Ali vs. Max Schmeling
Punch-by-punch details of the boxer's records during their prime were entered into an NCR 315 computer. Also their strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles and patterns and other factors and scenarios that the boxers could go through were converted into formulas and entered. It took over 18 months for the computer to determine the outcome of every round of each fight. The NCR 315 was a state-of-the-art computer at the time.
The outcomes were then staged as radio plays with Woroner and radio announcer Guy LeBow as the commentators. The fantasy fights were broadcast worldwide. Even the boxers who were still alive at the time listened to the programs and some of them participated as commentators. After the series of elimination rounds, the final fight was between Dempsey and Marciano. Marciano defeated Dempsey and was considered to be the all-time greatest heavyweight champion by the computer. Woroner awarded the real Marciano a gold and diamond championship belt worth $10,000.
[edit] The film
Ali was angered over his loss to Jim Jeffries in the fantasy fights and sued Woroner for $1 million for defamation of character. The lawsuit was settled when Woroner offered to pay Ali $10,000 to participate in a filmed version of his radio fantasy fights in which Ali would fight Marciano. Ali, who had been stripped of his heavyweight title and American boxing license three years prior, agreed on the condition that he would also receive a cut of the film's profits. Marciano also agreed to participate with a similar deal. The same formulas were used again and entered into the NCR 315. In 1969, filming began in a Miami studio.
Marciano, who had been retired for almost 13 years, lost over 50 pounds and wore a toupee in order to look as he did in his prime. Even if it was for a "fake" fight, Marciano and Ali really looked forward to meeting each other and getting back in the ring.
The two fighters sparred for about 70 to 75 rounds, which were later spliced together according to the computer's findings which had not yet been determined. Although they agreed to pull their punches, Ali tempted Rocky by repeatedly knocking off his wig. Rocky responded with a punch to the gut that knocked Ali down and Ali instinctively responded with a punch to Marciano's head. But they apologized and gained enormous respect for each other over the course of filming. Every probable scenario was filmed. The final outcome would not be revealed to anyone until the release of the film. Braddock, Louis, Schmeling, Sharkey and Walcott also recorded commentary to be used in the film. Marciano died in a plane crash three weeks after filming wrapped.
On January 20, 1970, the fight was shown only once in 1500 theaters over closed-circuit television in the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe. It grossed $5 million. The computer had determined that Marciano would knock Ali out in the 13th round and the film was edited to present that outcome. All prints of the fight except one were supposed to be immediately destroyed, per Woroner's stipulation. However, many theaters played the show long after January 20th. Several boxing fans also recall a late night showing on CBS showing in the late 1970s. [1]
After watching the film, Ali reportedly said "That computer was made in Alabama," joking that Marciano was favored because he was white.
[edit] The DVD
On December 27, 2005, The Superfight: Marciano vs. Ali was released on DVD. Besides one airing on ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1970, the film had not been released in any form since. The DVD also includes a documentary about the film, audio of the original radio fantasy fights, archival interviews with the fighters that were chosen and other features.
[edit] Trivia
- The Super Fight was referenced in and inspired a major plot point in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa, in which a computer simulation that pits an in-his-prime Rocky against the current world champion inspires both men to agree to a real match.
