The “Fight of the Century”, between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was signed for March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It would be the first time that two undefeated heavyweight champions would meet in the ring, and was historical in many regards. Both men received $2,500,000 a piece, an incredible amount at the time. The live bout was on closed circuit venues around the globe, and witnessed by countless millions.
Joe Frazier fought the fight of his life, and won a unanimous decision over Ali that night. Muhammad fought with courage and tenacity, and hurt Joe on many occasions, but Frazier would not be denied. He hurt Ali badly in the 11th round, and knocked him down in the 15th, sealing an impressive victory. Both men were applauded for their effort, and their first fight together is the greatest ever in boxing history, in my opinion.
After the loss, Ali took a few months off, and was bolstered emotionally on June 28, 1971 when the Supreme Court overturned his conviction for draft evasion, ruling 8-0 in his favor. This good news came as he trained for his bout, vs. Jimmy Ellis on July 26 at the Houston Astrodome. The ex-champion felt vindicated, and the albatross around his neck was finally removed, and he could finally focus solely on his boxing career.
Ali defeated Ellis with a 12th round TKO, and for the first time in four years, didn’t have to worry about the possibility of going to jail. He would not fight again until November, when he traveled back to the Astrodome to face Buster Mathis. Weighing in at 227 lbs., Ali knocked the chubby Mathis down twice in the 11th round, and twice again in the 12th and final round. With his second comeback win under his belt, Ali left the country for his last bout of 1971.
On December 27, Ali met Juergen Blin in Zurich, and stopped him in seven rounds. Joe Frazier showed no intentions of giving him a rematch, so his plan for 1972 was to fight often to stay sharp, and in shape. Boxing is a funny business, and Ali hoped that if he kept winning, and Frazier was offered enough money, a rematch still might happen.
FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON SPOTIFY AT kensoldtimeboxingchat
