Sports Fans Predict Muhammad Ali Will Make Comeback Bid for Title

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The Harris Survey - -

For Release: Thursday, May 24, 1973

SPORTS FANS PREDICT MUHAMMAD ALI WILL MAKE COMEBACK BID FOR TITLE

BY LOUIS HARRIS

By a narrow 39-37 percent, sports fans across the country agree with the statement that "Muhammad Ali will come back to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world." Ali recently lost a 12-round decision to Ken Norton, a virtual unknown, and is scheduled to have a rematch this September.

Opinions about Ali's chances split along highly partisan lines. By 47-38 percent, young people under 30 think he will make a successful coneback, but people 50 and over feel by 37-29 percent that "he is all washed up." Whites agree that the former champ has "lost it," but blacks reaffirm Ali's popularity among his own race when they say, by a thumping 54-21 percent, that he will come back another day to fight for the heavyweight crown.

A cross section of 1,214 sports fans recently was asked:

"Do you think Muhamad Ali will come back to fight for the heavyweight championship or do you think he's all washed up?"

ALI: COME BACK OR ALL WASHED UP?

Will Come All Washed Not Back - up -Sure X X X All Sports Fans -39 -37 -24 By Age 18-29 47 30-49 42 50 and over 29 By Race Black 54 White 37

In other questioning in the same Harris' Sports Survey, fight fans indicated a wait-and-see attitude about George Foreman, the new heavyweight champ, who stopped Joe Frazier last January in Jamaica, in a major upset. Only in comparison to Frazier do fans feel that Foreman ranks with other champs of the past.

Using Foreman as a comparative measure, fans rated Joe Louis as the most formidable of great champions. By 2 to 1, most fans with opinions felt that Foreman was not as good as Louis. Ali, "in his prime," is rated a better fighter than the current champ. Jack Dempsey emerges as the second-best champ out of the past, measured against Foreman.

The cross sectionof fans was asked:

"Would you rank heavyweight champion George Foreman as better than, not as good as, or as good as (READ LIST)?"

GEORGE FOREMAN CO!QARED WITH HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPS OF PAST

Better Not as As Good Not ----than Good as as Sure X X % % Joe Frazier before Ali fight 19 19 17 45 Muhamad Aliin his prime 15 32 12 4 1 Rocky Marciano 9 27 11 53 JG- Louis 9 3 5 8 48 Jack Dcxpsc!!~ 8 28 6 5 8 Gene Tunney 6 2 1 7 66 Jack Johnson 6 16 6 72 The strong implication of these results is that the Joe Frazier who fought Foreman was not the same man who defeated Al$ in their title go. Thus, the fans feel that they want to see Foreman take on other opponents before rendering a final judgment about how good he is, despite the apparent lethal power of his punches in the Frazier fight.

The faith of black fans in Ali is illustrated not only in the confidence of a majority that he will make a comeback and fight Foreman for the championship, but also in the comparative rating they gave Ali "in his prime" against the current champ. Although whites are more complimentary, only 9 percent of blacks believe Foreman is better than Ali was before his long layoff, compared with a much higher 41 percent who think Ali was a better fighter. However, a substantial 28 percent of blacks think the two men would have been about an even match.

In the Harris Sports Survey, boxing again appears to be on the upbeat. Twenty-nine percent of all the sports fans say they "follow" boxing. Last year, no nore than 22 percent said they followed boxing. The high point in recent times, of course, was the 31 percent who in 1971, the year of the Ali-Frazier bout, said they paid attention to the sport.

The cross section was asked:

"Which of these sports do you follow? (WTRESPONDENT CARD)"

TREND ON FOLLOWING SPORTS

Football Baseball Basketball Boxing Golf Bowling Auto racing Hockey Track and field Skiing Horse racing Tennis

Boxing is once again above its levels at the start of the decade, and most of the reason can be found in the person of Pfuhammad Ali, one of the most colorful and controversial sports figures to come along in a long time. Even after he has obviously lost much of the speed and agility he once had, the fans talk and argue about him. Whether George Foreman can sustain interest in boxing after Ali has retired, remains to be seen.