On this day, the 24 May,1976, former heavyweight boxer, Richard Dunn, was TKO’d by Muhammad Ali in 2.05 minutes of round five of their world heavyweight title fight in Munich, Germany. The last knockout Ali ever achieved in his professional career.

Just ahead of the fight against Ali, Dunn was surprised by Eamonn Andrews as the subject of ‘This is your life’.

Richard Dunn won the European Heavyweight title with a third-round TKO of Bernd August in 1976, which earned him the opportunity of fighting for the WBC and WBA titles against Ali.

 Seriously overmatched, the 6 foot 4 inch tall Dunn, was floored five times in five rounds, in what fight fans have described as one of the most courageous fights against Ali by any British fighter.

The only Yorkshireman ever to fight Ali, Dunn earned £52,000 for his trouble, worth approximately £700,000 today.

Dunn surrendered all his titles when he lost his next fight to Joe Bugner, to a stunning first-round knockout.

With a total of 33 wins from 45 professional fights, 16 by KO, Dunn retired from the ring after his next fight, a fifth round defeat against big hitting Kallie Knoetze in Johannesburg.

Born in Halifax, West Riding, in January, 1945, Richard Dunn now lives in Scarborough.

24 May, 2019