The ‘Fight of the Century’ between heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and ex-champ Muhammad Ali, was set for March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. At just 10 years old, even I was excited about this one, and read every article printed in Sports Illustrated previewing the bout. I was flabbergasted when they showed a pictured of the $2.5 million checks each man would receive for the fight, especially since I got 50 cents a week for my allowance.
Ali had been out of the ring for 3 and 1/2 years because of his refusal to accept induction into the United States Army in April of 1967. He finally got a license to box in Georgia in October of 1970 against Jerry Quarry, and stopped him on cuts in three rounds. Two months later he knocked out tough Oscar Bonavena in fifteen rounds at the Garden, and his super-fight with Frazier was on.
The only way to watch the fight was on closed-circuit tv in theatres and arenas around the country, so I settled on getting the news from my older brother the next morning, since I hit at the sack at 9 p.m. I was rooting for Ali to win, and was disappointed to learn he lost when I woke up to go to school the following morning. He had laid on the floor on our living room, and listened to a round by round description of the action on the radio, by a reporter who was watching it on closed circuit. It was all the talk in school the next day, since it was the biggest fight in boxing history.
I didn’t see the fight for years, but have seen it countless times since. Frazier fought the fight of his life, and Ali was tremendous as well. The action was brisk and brutal, with both men hurting each other. Muhammad was rocked hard in the eleventh, knocked down with a whistling Frazier left hook in the fifteenth, but got up as soon as he hit the canvas. The unanimous decision rightly went to Frazier, in what to me was not only the ‘Fight of the Century’ but the ‘Greatest of all Time’.
Joe didn’t box again for ten months, when he knocked out Terry Daniels in New Orleans on January 15, 1972. His legacy was complete no matter what else he accomplished, and was now champion for 4 years, a feat in itself. Ali went on the comeback trail, and would fight Frazier twice more in his career, in January of 1974, and October of 1975.
Joe Frazier got as much out his body as any fighter that ever lived. He rarely took a backward step, and the tremendous energy he put forth in his bouts, is why he retired so young. While he was active however, he was one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, and that is still true today.
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