Ali vs Frazier: Fight of the Century
Muhammad Ali, resuming his career after being banned from professional boxing because he refused to fight the Vietnam war, took on world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, in the 'Fight of the Century'.
Their rivalry became legendary even before Ali landed the first punch.
The lead-up to the event was frenzied. The two boxers, guaranteed a purse of $2.5 million each, attracted unprecedented media coverage.
On the night of the fight, there were riots in many United States cities, including Chicago, where a whole theatre was almost torn apart by angry attendees who had just learned they would not be able to watch the fight on closed-circuit television.
Ali, an anti-establishment hero, versus the more conservative Frazier, gripped the imagination of people world over.
For once, the match exceeded the hype and went onto become one of greatest sporting moments.
After Ali dominated the first three rounds, Frazier returned, catching Ali with several of his famed left hooks and pinning him against the ropes to deliver tremendous body blows.
In the tenth round, the referee, Arthur Mercante Snr, accidentally caught Frazier in the eye with his little finger while breaking up a clinch, but Frazier continued unfazed.
Both boxers were now becoming exhausted and their faces bore the scars of battle.
Ali had jolted Frazier in the ninth round; Frazier almost dropped Ali with a left hook in the tenth and Ali had to hang on as Frazier intensified his efforts.
Neither boxer would yield and as the 15th round began, the fight was still in the balance.
Ali was totally exhausted -- the days away from the ring had extracted a price on his fitness. Frazier then produced a venomous left hook flush on Ali's jaw that sent him to the canvas.
Miraculously, Ali was back on his feet before Mercante could even begin the count.
Mercante and the two judges awarded the fight to Frazier, handing Ali his first professional defeat. Mercante felt in the last round Frazier had hit Ali as hard as a man can be hit.
Ferdie Pacheco, Ali's doctor, said, 'That night, Ali was the most courageous fighter I have ever seen.'
The two also fought another epic battle -- The Thirlla in Manilla, where Ali was declared the winner after Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch refused to allow Frazier to continue after the 14th round.
Lord of the Ring | Images | Quotes | Rivalries
Advertisement
