Final match Ali and Frazier
REMEMBERING MUHAMMAD ALI
Died June 3, 2016, at the age of 74.
The third and final match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was the 1975 battle for the heavyweight championship of the world that was watched by a global audience of one billion people.
The ‘Thrilla in Manilla’ was fought in the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines on Wednesday, October 1.
One of the most bruising battles in boxing history ended in an anticlimax when Ali won by TKO at the end of the 14th round after Frazier’s chief second Eddie Futch asked the referee to stop the fight.
The historic event — the culmination of a three-bout rivalry between the two champions that Ali won 2–1 — shows the courage and stamina of two of the greatest gladiators the world has ever seen.
“If God ever calls me to a holy war,” Muhammad Ali said afterwards, “I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me.”
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, Ali said, “I conquered the world and it did not bring me satisfaction. God gave me this illness to remind me that I’m not number one, He is.”
Man I miss the heydays of boxing, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Sugar Ray. Mano-a’ mano 15 rounds pounding on each other using speed, skill, courage and guts to determine a winner. Not the everything goes, fights over in a couple of minutes or less that is the UFC bullshit today. One kick or elbow to the jaw and a flurry of unprotected punches when he’s down and the fights over before it even began.
Boxing in my day, was a true test of want and endurance, fought within gentlemen boundaries of the Queensbury rules. Your opponent got 10 seconds to get back up on his feet and fight on if you knocked him down making the contest long and enduring. A true test of skill and courage. And if, you became the heavyweight champion of the world, you were seen as the toughest man in the world and your fists were declared by law, as lethal weapons.
Boxing in its heyday was the ultimate fighting sport and Ali arguably the greatest that ever put on the gloves. A UFC match is simply an over-rated streetfight and I’ve seen better and without paying, in the seedy bars and back-alley’s when I first started playing.
Absolutely, Wayne. Them were the days. The true sport of pugilism. I can’t even watch that kickboxing “street fight” crap as your call it. If I want to watch a good fight these days I turn on the hockey — no, I don’t mean that, I like hockey but the fighting is not good — except in that classic movie “Slap-shot!” In addition to missing the glory days of boxing I miss the good ole days of Hockey Night in Canada with Red Cap on tap!