When Mr. Ali went to Munich to fight Richard “The Lionhearted”

It was a different time in boxing, for sure.

No DAZN – where every fight is a pay-per-view bout.

The fighters didn’t fight once a year.

The heavyweight champion of the world, a guy named Muhammad Ali, fought four times in 1976.

Again, unlike today, Ali appeared occasionally on free television. A month earlier, he fought Richard Dunn on Primetime and edged Jimmy Young in a lackluster affair. Young was a stylistically tough opponent who was perennially underrated and famously beat George Foreman. Not many of the fights were memorable, but for a boxing fan, seeing the heavyweight champion for free was exciting.

Exciting was the word when Ali boxed Dunn in Munich. Ali was an overwhelming favorite, but I won’t say it; his popularity was through the roof.  He had regained the heavyweight title by shocking the boxing world and George Foreman in Africa two years before. Ali had boxed six times since his most significant win, a brutal 14th-round stoppage of Joe Frazier.

That win took a lot out of both fighters. Frazier came into the fight, doubly motivated by his dislike of the champion. Ali was co-promoting, but some of his comments were borderline cruel. Also, he believed Frazier had passed his prime.

Perhaps he had, but not on this night. Frazier was smokin’. Ali was crisp as well. But Frazier mounted a comeback until, after closing Frazier’s eye, he won by stoppage.

Ali rallied back from hell to win. Seconds later, he collapsed in his corner. Frazier retired a year later. Ali should have, but being champion again was too intoxicating.

Dunn had been halted eight times before fighting Ali. His chin was suspect, but not his heart. He could punch as well.

In 1974, he lost three of four fights. His career looked over, but his wife told him to continue. She believed in him.

Dunn went back to training. Harder this time. Determined. Dunn, a scaffolder by trade, had turned professional late at 25. He won more than he lost, but his future looked iffy. Dunn fought Bunny Johnson in a final eliminator for the British heavyweight crown. He was stopped, but like the Ever Ready Rabbit, he was up and fighting soon after. Dunn would fight Johnson again two years later, for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. Odds favored Johnson, but after 15 rounds, the superbly conditioned Dunn came out on top.

He knocked out heavily favored Bernd August in three rounds at the Royal Albert Hall. Ali’s people contacted Dunn about a fight. Dunn readily agreed. The bout would go down a little over a month after the August fight.

Dunn was ready.

“I really did believe I could win, said Dunn in an article by Oliver Fennel of Boxingnewsonline.com. It only takes one punch. In my mind, I had nothing in my head except beating him, no matter what it took. Gosh, I wanted to see him demolished. But he were such a great man. I adored him. I adored him from the beginning [of his career] and always wanted to fight him.”

He tried, but Ali was too clever and skilled, jarring Dunn with numerous right hands. Dunn caught Ali with some punches and motored on till round five, surprising the heavyweight champion.

“He was better than I thought,” said Ali after the fight.

Ali floored Dunn four times, stopping him in round five.

“A couple of times I did rattle him, and he told me that, ” said the affable Dunn several years after the fight. “But I got my arse kicked. You don’t think you’d enjoy getting your arse kicked, but I enjoyed every second of it – although I can’t remember anything after the second round!”

The saying he went out on his shield fits the Lion-Heathed Dunn perfectly.