Jimmy Ellis vs Floyd Patterson 

Louisville natives and former sparring partners Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis finally face off in the professional ranks after splitting bouts as amateurs. Trainer Angelo Dundee is forced to choose a side and takes the corner of Ellis in order to obtain a bigger purse, but Ali settles the rivalry decisively by hurting Ellis in the twelfth and final round and punishing him on his feet until Referee Jay Edson stops the fight.

The Inevitable Fight: Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis

With Muhammad Ali undefeated but banned from boxing, Joe Frazier wins recognition as the Heavyweight Champion when he stops WBA Champion Jimmy Ellis after four rounds. Ellis has a strong first round, but Frazier starts getting to him in the second and twice rocks him with big left hooks in the third. Frazier continues to rip Ellis with big shots until a left hook sinks Ellis first to his knees and then onto his face for the first knockdown of his career. Ellis gets back to his feet before the count of 10 and slugs it out, but a brutal left hook from Frazier snaps his head up and sends him collapsing onto his back. Although Ellis miraculously gets up yet again and makes it to his stool, trainer Angelo Dundee mercifully stops the fight before the fifth round.

Jimmy Ellis vs Floyd Patterson

The Inevitable Fight: Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis

Joe Frazier vs. Jimmy Ellis

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