Cassius Clay vs. Tunney Hunsaker

Cassius Clay vs. Tunney Hunsaker

Date	October 29, 1960
Venue	Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Tale of the tape
Boxer Cassius Clay Tunney Hunsaker Nickname "The Louisville Lip" Hometown Louisville, Kentucky Fayetteville, West Virginia Pre-fight record 0–0 (0 KO) 15–9–1 (8 KO) Age 18 years, 9 months 30 years, 1 month Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) Weight 192 lb (87 kg) 186 lb (84 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition 1960 Olympic light heavyweight Gold Medallist
Result
Clay won in 6 rounds by unanimous decision

Cassius Clay vs. Tunney Hunsaker was a professional boxing match contested on October 29, 1960. It was the first professional bought contested by Muhammad Ali(who was then known as Cassius Clay).[1][2]

Background

In his professional debut, 1960 Olympic light heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay fought Tunney Hunsaker in a six-round match.

The fight

Clay won the bout through a unanimous decision on points.[3]

Aftermath

Hunsaker was a part-time boxer who was for many years a respected police officer in Fayetteville, West Virginia. He also helped to train young fighters, and he and Ali were friends for many years afterwards. In a 1980 Sports Illustrated article, Hunsaker said he didn't agree with Ali's refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam War, but that he still respected him greatly as a fighter and as a man.[4][5][6]

Undercard

Confirmed bouts:[7]

References

1. "Muhammad Ali vs. Tunney Hunsaker". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
2. "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
3. "Muhammad Ali vs. Tunney Hunsaker: The first fight of the Greatest". ESPN. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
4. Stephen Brunt (2002). Facing Ali. The Lyons Press. pp. 15–6, 18–22.
5. Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali:His Life and Times. Simon & Schuster. pp. 31.
6. "The archive: Cassius Clay". Herald Scotland. 28 October 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
7. "BoxRec - event".

Debut	Cassius Clay's bouts 29 October 1960	Succeeded by vs. Herb Siler
Preceded by vs. Tom McNeeley	Tunney Hunsaker's bouts 29 October 1960	Succeeded by vs. Alejandro Lavorante