1.
SV INT World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali in ring shadow boxing.(3 shots)
0.13

2.
SV Spectators
0.14

3.
SV Ali continues shadow boxing. (2 shots)
0.27

4.
CU Ali at punch bag. (8 shots)
0.46

5.
CU Ali continues at punch bag. (3 shots)
0.54

6.
SV Spectators
0.56

7.
CU Ali speaking. (3 shots)
1.31


DILLON: "With less than a week to go and aiming to weigh in at 220 pounds for his championship fight with Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali has stepped up the pace of his final training preparations. The champion is a constant source of amazement to the fight mob, with his occasional and unorthodox approach to training and conditioning. Ali varies his daily routine as the mood strikes him -- shadow boxing today and not tomorrow. And at times completely skipping contact work with his sparring partner. A superb boxer, but seven months past his 34th birthday, Ali no longer has the stamina nor the legs to dance and box for 15 rounds. Instead the champion has concentrated on developing extra punching power by working on the heavy bag.



Ali's bag is filled with rags and assorted material, instead of the usual sand, which can be hard on the hands. Ali has 37 knockouts in 52 fights and has announced he will stand and fight the challenger and will, in fact, knock Norton out."



ALI: "I always like pressure, like Frazier, like Foreman, Liston, I like pressure. Gerry (indistinct) the first come-back after three years, came back pretty......anything.....I like pressure."



ALI: "My position is this. I will knock Norton out. My power is back now, my hands used to be hurt, I couldn't hit him hard the first two times. I was hitting heavy bags too hard I found out, I got it headed back to a (indistinct). I got my punching power back. I destroyed George Foreman with my new style. (indistinct) and tagging him. I destroyed Joe Frazier and I will destroy Ken Norton."



The first time Ali and Norton fought Norton won, breaking Ali's jaw in the process. The second fight ended with Ali winning on points.




Initials VS 17.10


SPORT - BOXING
LEN DILLON

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali is training hard for the defence of his title against fellow American Ken Norton on the 28th of September. The fight will take place at New York's Yankee Stadium and the two boxers will be facing each other in the ring for the third time. Here's NBC newsman Len Dillon with a report on one of Ali's unconventional training sessions.