Antonio Inoki, a well-known Japanese wrestler and politician, passed away at the age of 79.
A heart attack the cause of death.
A multifaceted character, who also adds Brazilian citizenship to his rich biography, he is known for having challenged Mohamed Ali in the mid-70s, against whom he played a memorable match in Tokyo that remained over the years due to the media echo.
He ended up, between the two, in a tie, with a long trail of health problems for the Japanese and a solid friendship with his antagonist.
In the long list of matches in the ring, it is worth remembering those against Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair.
(ApPhoto)
Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki wrestles Muhammad Ali at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, June 26, 1976
One meter and ninety of strength, muscles and dialectical skills, Inoki was among the pioneers of mixed martial arts in his country.
The approach to these particular disciplines began when he was a boy in Brazil, a country where the family moved after the death of his father, which occurred when he was just five years old.
(ApPhoto)
Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki wrestles Muhammad Ali at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, June 26, 1976
In his homeland he also devoted himself to politics, holding the role of senator from 1989 to 1995. A passion that led him to re-nominate himself, and win, in 2013 and then try to pursue a role of negotiator with North Korea, a country where he had visited dozens of times in an attempt to help resolve the issue of Pyongyang's kidnappings of Japanese citizens during the Cold War.
However, upon returning from a trip to Pyongyang, he was suspended for a month for traveling to North Korea without parliamentary authorization.
(GettyImages)
Professional wrestler Antonio Inoki speaks at an event on October 31, 2020 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
In the last few years of his life, most recently in a wheelchair, Inoki had increasingly suffered from numerous health problems also due to blows to the spine, diabetes and amyloidosis.