"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," said the great Muhammed Ali

He sure had some sting. 

Unfortunately for Brian London, this bee didn't just sting once. 

London was the unfortunate recipient of one the fastest and most brutal combination of punches ever seen by the man many view as the greatest to ever step in a boxing ring.

Old footage of one of Ali's fights recently surfaced online, showing just how powerful and effective he was.

The date was August 6, 1966. London took on Ali in a heavyweight title fight with the latter the overwhelming favourite, coming into the fight at 24-0. 

By all means, London was no mug. Having already defeated Joe Erskine to win the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title in 1958, he came into the fight with more experience, being eight years older than Ali. 

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Ali, however, duly delivered as he put on a masterclass to knock London out in the third round. With his opponent only landing one punch in the whole fight and having been in complete control, Ali decided to finish the contest with a rapid succession of punches, showing remarkable hand speed rarely seen today. 

Twelve punches in 2.8 seconds, the 10th of which being the deciding blow, were delivered in unerring fashion as Ali picked up the win to extend his unbeaten record. 

Of course, he would go on to create further history. His record of defeating 21 different heavyweight boxers for the title remained for 35 years as Ali finished his career as a three-time world champion.

Not to mention the iconic fights such as 'The Rumble in the Jungle' and 'The Thrilla in Manila' he was involved in, the latter against Joe Frazier, who inflicted Ali's first professional defeat in 1971 in a fight dubbed the 'Fight of the Century'. 

Brian London himself has a few regrets about their bout, but is no doubt about Ali's greatness.

Speaking in 2016, the year Ali sadly passed away, London said: "I was asked after my defeat if I wanted a rematch with Ali and I said only if someone ties a 56 pound weight to each of his legs.

“Fighting Ali was the greatest honour. He was one of my two favourites, the other was Rocky Marciano. After I fought Ali I always felt I should have taken him further. I sold myself short.”