Muhammad Ali defended his undisputed world heavyweight title against Joe Bugner

Date: July 1, 1975

Venue: Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Ali stance: orthodox

Bugner stance: orthodox

Muhammad Ali regained the undisputed heavyweight crown when he beat George Foreman in The Rumble in the Jungle. His first defence was a tougher-than-expected 15th round stoppage of Chuck Wepner. Next, Ali defended his title against boxer-puncher Ron Lyle, and put him away in 11 rounds.

Joe Bugner used to spar Muhammad Ali, and had his first fight with Ali in 1973. Bugner lost on points, but showed he belonged in the same ring as Ali. His next fight was a close battle with Joe Frazier, which Bugner lost on points. In the process, he became the only boxer to go the distance with Ali and Frazier. Bugner then won his next eight bouts, with the most impressive results being points wins over former champion Jimmy Ellis and leading contender Mac foster.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Muhammad Ali - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000180

Joe Bugner - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000924