By John F. McKenna (McJack): It is hard to believe that it was forty years ago that Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier squared off for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. The fight was held on March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden and was hyped like nothing this author had ever seen. The electricity in the air was contagious, with people who were not into boxing also getting into the act. Muhammad Ali, AKA “The Louisville Lip” and Joe Frazier, AKA “Smokin’ Joe” were both determined to prove to everyone who the best heavyweight in the world was.
Joe Frazier
Ali-Frazier: The Thrilla in Manila
By Sam Gregory: October 1st 1975 Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier for the third time to defend his heavyweight title. Ali was making his fourth title defense since capturing the crowd a year earlier from George Foreman via an eighth round knockout in a highly publicized fight in Zaire.
The fight these two heavyweight gladiators were to embark on would be forever remembered as the most brutal heavyweight fight in boxing history and ranked as one of the greatest fights of the 20th century.
The Thirty Year War: Ali vs. Frazier
By Matt McGrain: When I realised that it was Muhammad Ali up there on the podium about to light the Olympic flame in 1996, my heart sank. The news of Ali’s condition at that time was mostly good – he was described as being “as happy as anyone with each day” amongst other things, but it was the first time in a long time I had seen him, and for an awful moment I thought he was going to fall face first onto the fluttering flame extinguishing both it, and visions of his astonishing boxing genius in one false step. It didn’t work that way of course – Ali didn’t have to climb the steps to the torch, he just had to light a mobile wick, which jetted up to the symbolic torch and whoosh, Ali adds to resume all those years after retiring. He was once more the most famous fighter in the world. The crowds reaction was emotional. Once I got over the relief, mine was too.
Joe Frazier: “It would have been a good thing if he would have lit the torch and fallen in. If I had the chance, I would have pushed him in.”
Joe Frazier: Could He Compete Against Today’s Heavyweights? Klitschko, Ibragimov, Chagaev & Maskaev
A fighter like Joe Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KOs) comes around on once in a great while. Though he was undersized as a heavyweight, standing 5’11” and weighing around 205 lbs, he always seemed to fight much bigger than his limited weight would indicate. With classic battles against Muhammed Ali, Jimmy Ellis and Jerry Quarry, to name just a few, he showed that he had incredible power that made up for his lack of size. He did, however, have problems with certain heavyweights, losing four of five matches to George Foreman and Muhammed Ali.