Japanese Pro Wrestling Icon Antonio Inoki Who Fought Ali Dead At 79

Trailblazing expert wrestler Antonio Inoki, who notoriously combated Muhammad Ali in a mixed-rules match, apparently passed away Saturday at his house in his native Japan.

Inoki passed away of obvious cardiac arrest after fighting health problems for many years and being restricted to a wheelchair. No main cause of death has actually been launched.

Inoki — a legend in Japan — shot to popularity in 1976 when he entered the ring with Ali at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. The sold-out battle was revealed on a Jumbotron to 32,897 viewers at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. Inoki terribly hurt Ali throughout the 15-round bout, getting in more than 100 kicks to the legendary fighter’s legs. Their battle ended in a draw.

Capitalizing on his newly found appeal, Inoki would end up being the most prominent professional wrestler in Japan’s history. In 1972, he released the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Company, promoting a few of the greatest matches including Hulk Hogan, Dory Funk Jr., Big Van Vader and Bruiser Brody. Inoki likewise pinned Ric Flair in a 1995 match and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010.

What’s more … Inoki was a storied political leader who effectively worked out with Saddam Hussein for the release of Japanese captives prior to the 1990 Gulf War in Iraq. And, he dealt with North Korea to stop the kidnappings of Japanese people in Pyongyang throughout the Cold War.

Inoki was 79.