Inoki, who faced Muhammad Ali in a mixed martial arts match in 1976, was the first in his sport to enter politics.
He rose to global fame in the sport in 1976 when he faced Ali in a mixed martial arts match at Tokyo’s Budokan hall, an exhibition match that Japanese fans remember as “the fight of the century.”
Inoki was upbeat and in good spirits, even as he was fighting the disease. With his trademark red scarf dangling from his neck, Inoki last appeared in public in August on a TV show, in a wheelchair. Inoki made his pro-wrestling debut in 1960 and gave himself a ring name Antonio Inoki two years later. Inoki built a personal connection with North Korea over the years and visited the country repeatedly to help resolve Japan’s longstanding issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals to the North.An outpouring of tributes were posted on social media.
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