05/10/2022
On this day...
'With all of the residue of anger that Joe had from what had happened before the first fight, what had happened before and during the second fight and after these fights, Joe was ready to lay his life on the line, and ... he did.' - Dave Wolf
1st October 1975 - Areneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Bitter rivals, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier lock horns for the 3rd and final time in the 'Thrilla in Manila' - The most memorable battle in their epic trilogy and easily one of the greatest spectacles in sporting history.
Such was the magnitude of the event, an incredible one billion viewers tuned in to watch two of the greatest in an era of greats battle it out for the WBC, WBA, Ring Magazine and Lineal Heavyweight World Titles.
The build up to the fight was fortified with the typical trash talking and showmanship one had come to expect from Ali over the years, referring to Frazier as an 'Uncle Tom', a 'White Man's Champion, 'ugly' and a 'gorilla'. Hence why the fight was billed as the 'Thrilla in Manila', which was in reference to Ali's rhyme;
'It will be a killer and a thriller and a chiller, when I get that gorilla in Manila.'
When questioned on why he opted to trash talk to the extent that he did, Ali simply said, 'I like to get a man mad, because when a man's mad, he wants ya so bad, he can't think, so I like to get a man mad.' Say what you want about Ali, but he knew how to sell a fight.
Unlike Foreman and many other previous opponents whose temper Ali managed to trigger, thus forcing them to abandon their gameplans, he didn't succeed with Frazier. But Frazier was hurt. Frazier felt his one time friend, whom he'd helped back into the sport had gone too far with his insults and jibes. Having already fought twice before and with all the pre-fight back and forth, Ali had touched a nerve and Frazier wasn't playing anymore.
In preparation for the fight, Frazier and his Head Coach, the legendary Eddie Futch took themselves away from the crowds and up into the mountains on the outskirts of Manila, living an almost monk-like existence where Frazier could fully focus on his training as well as dedicating time to mentally preparing himself for the challenge ahead.
Ali on the other hand seemed to thrive in the hustle and bustle and was comfortable training in front of hordes of people. Ali's training did stall at one point however, when Khalilah, Ali's wife at the time flew to the Philippines to confront Ali after seeing him on TV with his new mistress, Veronica Porche, whom Ali went on to marry.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes the choice of referee for the fight was of great concern to both camps. Tony Perez, who had been the referee for the second meeting between the two fighters, along with Zach Clayton, who had refereed the fight between Ali and Foreman, were out of the question as far as Futch was concerned
After watching the fight footage back, Futch had counted that Ali had illegally held Frazier behind the neck precisely 133 times without any warning or penalizing. Ali had used the tactic to successfully prevent Frazier from getting inside where he could cause damage.
Ali had also used the same tactic against Foreman and Futch knew only too well that Ali would look to utilise the method once again, so Futch went to work on putting in to place a referee who wouldn't allow that sort of activity.
Although Ali would have most likely had no complaints where Clayton was concerned, Perez would have been highly doubtful as his first choice due to several low blows from Frazier going unnoticed in the fight that Perez had overseen.
As it happened, Clayton was out of the picture immediately after Frank Rizzo, Mayor of Philadelphia at the time, would not allow Clayton a break from his duties as an employee of Philadelphia to go and referee the fight.
Futch decided to take matters into his own hands and contacted the Filipino authorities and warned them that Ali intended to use the illegal tactic, which would potentially ruin a great event and suggested that the best course of action would be to assign a Filipino referee to the fight, which would reflect well on the Phillipines as a nation.
And with that, Carlos Padilla Jr was assigned to referee what turned out to be one of the greatest fights in boxing history. Promoter, Don King was less than pleased, and complained that a Filipino referee would be too small to be able to handle two Heavyweights - his complaint was ignored.
Due to the 12-15 hour time zone difference between the Philippines and the United States the fight took place at 10:45am local time, much to the discomfort of the thousands crammed into the aluminium-roofed Coliseum. The ring temperature was recorded as high as 120°F (49°C) and was unbearable for the 27,000 in attendance, never mind the two fighters expected to trade blows under the scorching ring lights for 15 rounds.
As both men stood in the ring with their respective entourages, their demeanours couldn't have been any more different. Ali appeared jovial, calm and busied himself by entertaining the crowd. Frazier on the other hand looked mean, his eyes burned into Ali as the pre-fight pomp was dealt out by the dignitaries inside the ring. Soon enough, they all cleared out and just the referee and the two fighters remained.
When the bell rang, both men rushed out from their corners and met in the centre of the ring. With Frazier typically being a slow starter, Ali took the initiative and went on the offensive, looking to inflict damage on Frazier early on.
Ali and his team had made the mistake of assuming Frazier was all but finished, using his lop-sided defeat to Foreman and Ali's previous defeat of both men as a yardstick to predict the outcome of their 3rd and final contest.
Ali successfully landed multiple combinations as he chopped away at the bobbing head of Frazier, but seemingly unaffected the challenger continued to stalk, crouching and swinging spiteful hooks to the body whenever he could, with the words of his cornerman, George Benton ringing between his ears;
'What you've got to do is stay on top of him, and hit the son of a bitch anywhere, hit him on the hips, hit him on the legs. You hit him anywhere!'
As the rounds ticked away Ali was beginning to slow, the effects of the sweltering heat and the relentless chase from Frazier began to take their toll. Ali's guard gradually crept down to protect his midsection, leaving himself vulnerable up top and the 6th round saw Ali staggered by a trademark left hook and as the fight progressed to the midway point Frazier appeared to take control of the contest.
As the two men squared off in the early stages of the 7th round, Ali, now aware that he'd underestimated his foe, said; 'Joe, they told me you was all washed up.' Frazier, without breaking his canter snapped back; 'They lied.' And with that, the battle continued.
The middle rounds belonged to Smokin' Joe, whose relentless onslaught began to take its toll on the champ, who seemed to be running out of steam as well as ideas. Even Ali's famous rope-a-dope tactic failed to slow down Frazier, who saw it as nothing more than an opportunity to inflict further punishment.
At the end of a very gruelling 9th round, Ali told Angelo Dundee, 'Man, this is the closest I've ever been to dying.' But even a fighter blessed with ferocity that Smokin' Joe possessed couldn't keep their foot on the gas forever, and in the 10th round the punishment gradually began to subside, allowing Ali to fire back while making full use of every square inch of the ring to evade the danger that still remained.
Ali danced, slipped and fired vicious and accurate combinations at the crouched head of the challenger, and by the end of the 11th round Frazier's face bore the signs of an epic battle, with swellings around both eyes expanding rapidly. The issue with the swellings was compounded by the cataract in Frazier's left eye as well as the sweltering heat melting the icebag, providing Frazier with little relief between rounds.
Ali, sensing Frazier was struggling to see properly, continued to whip out fast combinations while the brave and defiant former champion stalked, looking for the opportunity to strike. In the 13th round, with just the slightest slit remaining around each eye in which to see out of, Frazier ate another sickening combination that sent his mouthpiece to the canvas. But Frazier refused to join it. If any other man had been in that burning furnace of a ring with Ali that morning, they would've surely succumbed already. But not Frazier.
Indeed, Frazier was suffering and to the untrained eye Ali was in complete control, but he was going through hell too. Both men were exhausted. The 14th round saw Frazier emerge from his corner with his face grotesquely swollen but nonetheless his hands remained up, Ali was going to have to kill him to retain his title.
Frazier, practically blind, was fighting on pure instinct as a desperately fatigued Ali swatted away at his opponent, utilising every fibre of his being to keep Frazier at bay. Frazier continued to stalk, Ali continued to strike; two warriors inter locked in a battle nothing short of biblical.
Both men felt their way back to their respective corners with sweat lashing down their bodies, exhausted beyond comprehension. What happened next will be spoken of for centuries to come.
As Frazier sat on his stool, now unable to see and breathing heavily, sucking the steamy air into his lungs, Eddie Futch had a decision to make. He knew Frazier would be devastated but he couldn't allow him to endure another 3 minutes of hell. Lesser men would be dead by now and with a decision victory beyond reach, it was too much of a risk to take.
Futch told Frazier he was going to stop the fight. Like the true warrior he was, Frazier protested, grunting 'I want him, boss!' But Futch couldn't allow it, and replied, 'It's all over. No one will forget what you did today.' He was right.
Little did anyone know but in the opposite corner Ali was in desperate trouble, even instructing Dundee to cut his gloves off, which Dundee ignored. Had Futch not signalled to end the fight when he did, Ali may well have quit himself moments later. Ali would later go on to say, 'Frazier quit just before I did. I didn't think I could fight anymore.' Never has there been a more perfect illustration of the fine line between glory and heartbreak.
With the news of Frazier's retirement travelling from one corner to the other, a relieved Ali rose from his stool and raised his arms in victory before collapsing on the canvas, too exhausted to stand any longer. Ali was indeed the winner, the Champion of Champions. The Greatest. But one cannot be considered the greatest without proving himself against a worthy adversary and Ali knew this better than anybody.
Despite the animosity, despite the pain inflicted on one another, there was a mutual respect between the two foes. Ali would go on to say after the fight, 'Joe Frazier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, that's one helluva man, and God bless him.' While Frazier would go on to say, 'Man, I hit him with punches that'd bring down the walls of a city.'
When it comes to 'The Thrilla in Manila', there simply aren't enough superlatives to do it justice. A truly historic encounter between two of the finest athletes the sport has ever known.
