The Thrilla in Manila

The Thrilla in Manila. At first glance you might think it’s the title of a second rate foreign comedy tv show, or maybe a roller coaster ride at Corney Island, but really it was possibly one of the best heavyweight boxing matches in history between two legends, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.

Born Jan. 12, 1944, Joe Frazier was the son of Rubin Frazier, a share cropper in Beaufort Country, South Carolina. Joe grew up watching boxing legends after his father purchased a black and white TV. Eventually Frazier found his way to Philadelphia where he soon became a bona-fide boxer. In 1961 he joined the Police Athletic League gym where he would meet the trainer that would turn him into one of the best boxers in all time, Yank Durham.

Frazier landing his signature left hook in
"The Fight of the Century."

Frazier would soon become an international boxing super star. He won the gold medal at the 1964 Olympics, which would bring him enough attention to be funded by a small group of boxing fans. In 1965 he made his pro debut, and by 1970, he beat the heavyweight champion, Jimmy Ellis, in a mere five rounds, making Frazier the undisputed heavy weight champion of the world. But in 1971 he would finally meet a match for his skill, Muhammad Ali. On March 8th, the two fought in “The Fight of the Century”, at Madison Square Garden in New York, and after 15 grueling rounds, Frazier landed his signature left hook to end the match.

In 1974 the two met again at Madison Square Garden to decide who would get the chance to fight the current champ at the time, George Foreman. “Ali won the decision in Madison Square Garden, though Frazier and several sportswriters, including The New York Times' Red Smith and Dave Anderson, thought he had won.” Ali would go on to retire for a year before coming out victorious against Joe Bugner. Joe Frazier was at the fight taunting Ali throughout and Ali learned that “People want to see me fight Joe Frazier.” Ali agreed. “When I retire I don’t want anybody around who people think could beat me.” Thus the date was set on October 1st, 1975, the two greatest boxing champs in the world would fight for one last time.

The weeks up to the event were very interesting. Ali declared that the fight would be “A killa and a thrilla and a chilla when he got the gorilla in Manila,” referring to the slurs that he said to Frazier before their very first fight. Both Frazier and Ali trained long and hard before the fight, but Ali had some bad practices just a week before the big fight. “I didn’t look good but I knew what I was doing, I don’t train like other men.” Ali had been paid $4.5 million, more than twice what Frazier received.

The Thrilla in Manilla. Frasier left, Ali Right.

At 10:45 the fight would begin. The start was similar to many of the previous fights between the two legends. Ali opened up with a series of quick sharp punches to Frazier who just stood there and absorbed them, trying to tire Ali. In the fifth round the climate changed. Frazier began to back Ali into a corner pummeling him with punches to the body and the head, and Ali felt the pain. Ali wanted to quit after the pummeling he received in the earlier round, but his coach pushed him back in. “Angelo Dundee sent him out saying that this is the thing that separates the men from the boys.” Dundee was right, during the next three rounds Ali would punish Frazier, puffing up his cheeks and eyes, exhausting both men. Eddie Futch, much to Frazier’s dismay, prevented him from entering the final round, for fear of fatality. Thus Muhammad Ali became the undisputed victor, but instead of the usual taunting that would follow, Ali said that the fight was, "the closest thing to dying," he ever experienced.

Soon after the fight Ali would announce his retirement. “It’s too much work. Too painful. I might have a heart attack. I want everyone to know that I’m the greatest fighter of all time.” He retired with a 56-5-0 record and 37 knockouts. Frazier would go for one final fight before retiring after being knocked out during the fifth round to George Foreman. Five years later Frazier would come out of retirement, for one last fight against Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings, a draw, finishing his career with a 32-4-1 record and 27 knockouts, and passed away late last year from liver cancer on November 7th. "The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration," Ali said in a short statement. "My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones."

The rivalry that will never be forgotten

The rivalry between legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier started long before their first fight, and its impact still lasts today. As soon as Frazier won his first Olympic gold medal in 1964, four years after Ali’s first medal, they were destined to fight each other.


Ali was first to arrive on the scene. In 1964, before Frazier had started his career, Ali became the heavyweight champion of the world. In 1967, he risked his career, title, and undefeated record because he refused to accept the draft under the reason that it offended his Muslim beliefs. He was then stripped of his title and lost his career. After three years, Ali was finally readmitted into the boxing world, winning three consecutive matches and anticipating his debut with Joe Frazier.

Joe Frazier started his career later than Ali, but he wasn’t any worse. He started his career in 1965 after winning a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics. He won 14 straight matches and was ready to fight Ali when Ali was stripped of his title. After that, Frazier won nine more matches to remain undefeated and become the new heavyweight champion. When Ali reentered the boxing world, Frazier focused all of his time preparing for the upcoming fight with Ali.


As the big fight between Ali and Frazier was approaching, Ali had been publicly insulting Frazier, repeatedly calling him an “Uncle Tom." This was one of Ali’s classic moves, verbally wearing down his opponent before the fight and playing with their confidence. Frazier couldn’t understand this strategy. It confused him because they were already promised $2.5 million and the fight was already a guaranteed sellout, so they did not have to do anything extra to promote their fight. As a result, Frazier did not retaliate with insults of his own.


The fight that would later be dubbed as “The Fight of the Century,” was the most anticipated battle of its time. Riots broke out across the country over who would win the fight. The day that Ali and Frazier were supposed to fight each other, Madison Square Garden was sold out and it was to be televised across the world. Ali and Frazier were evenly matched, and no one could have predicted the outcome. One of Ali’s most famous sayings was, “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee,” and during the match he did exactly that. But even Ali was not immune to Frazier’s left hook, the punch that led Ali sprawling to the floor in the 15th round. Ali was able to recover, and stayed up for the rest of the match. The unanimous decision was made at the end of the round. Frazier had won the fight and kept the title.


After Frazier’s victory, Ali and Frazier had two more matches, both of which Muhammad Ali had won. The “Thrilla in Manila,” was their most devastating fight. Before the fight, Ali had said, “It’s gonna be a killa, a chilla, a thrilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila.” The fighting started at the first bell and continued for 14 brutal rounds. Frazier didn’t come out of the corner at the end of the 14th round, giving Ali the win by technical knockout. After the fight, Ali said, “It was like death. Closest thing to dyin' that I know of.”


Ali and Frazier did not just leave a few good fights for everyone to talk about. Their rivalry changed the face of boxing by setting new standards for other boxers. They are role models for people who grew up in harsh conditions. They showed that it didn't matter what your beliefs are, where you come from, and what your background is because these tings aren’t barriers to achievement. Together, Ali and Frazier left a mark on society that will never be forgotten.

Women Boxers might wear miniskirts in 2012 Olympics

Women’s Boxing is finally making its entry into the 2012 Olympics. This step forward in gender equality in sports is facing an immediate problem; the women competitors are being forced to abide by a different dress code than their male counterparts.

The Amateur International Boxing Association, the group behind this dress code, is calling for the women to wear miniskirts instead of shorts. All of their reasons for their decision revolve around the appearance of the match. President of AIBA, Ching-Kuo Wu, said to Albany, N.Y.’s Times Union, “I have heard many times people say, 'We can't tell the difference between the men and the women.’”

The Polish women’s boxing coach, Leszek Piotrowski, has already made his boxers wear the skirts in a previous tournament. Piotrowski tried explaining to BBC Sport his reason for supporting the rule. "By wearing skirts, in my opinion, it gives a good impression, a womanly impression."

Many people consider Piotrowski’s argument humorous. Whether or not the competitors are wearing miniskirts, they will still be trying to knock each other out. Conspiracies also are arising due to the dress code specifying miniskirts. This creates an idea that the dress code is being used to please male viewers and increase ratings.

Badminton suggested a similar dress code a while before the AIBA started an attempt at creating the miniskirt dress code. The Badminton dress code was quickly given up after it was made fun of by much of the general public.

With the Olympics coming up soon, talks on the dress code aren’t finished. There is still a bit of hope that a miniskirt dress code may not happen, but only time will tell if the AIBA will drop their idea and not face angered athletes.

Moreno takes his talent to America

Anselmo Moreno, 26 years old, might just seem like a foreign boxer to you, but he is a widely recognized athlete in Panama. He currently has a record of 31-1-1 and now he will take his talent around the world. On Saturday December 3, 2011 Moreno will have his first match in America.

Recently he joined with the World Boxing Association and he will be fighting against Vic 'The Raging Bull' Darchinyan in the Bantamweight class to prove he is a strong fighter to the audience outside of Panama. In an interview with punch.ocregister.com he said, “He (Mariano Rivera) worked hard to get where he is in America and now I am beginning my journey to hopefully get there too.”

The reason Moreno is going to start boxing worldwide is because not only does he want to become famous, he hopes to prove that he is not just an average boxer from Panama. To do this his first opponent is going to be Darchinyan, but he is not scared. In an interview with badlefthook.com Moreno said, "This is my first fight in the U.S. and I'm ready to get in the ring and show my skills. I'm not nervous about my first fight in the U.S. … I just want to show why I'm the world champion."

Stepping into the ring

Boxing is played with one goal in mind and that is to knock the opponent down for a ten count. The ring is a battlefield where it takes strategy, power and skills to survive. The fights take place on a canvas where blood and sweat paints the picture. Even if a boxer gets knock down, if they get up before the ten count then they are ready to head into battle once again. All boxers chase for victory because at the moment of victory, the lights are so bright and the cheers are so loud that one is entranced in a state of happiness. When the audiences flinch, cheer and scream then it truly becomes a fight to remember.

Boxers must revolve their whole life around boxing. Boxing is not only about battling your opponent but also with your own weakness. Confidence is essential for victory as it differentiates a full weighted punch from a light punch. Boxers must box with a strong mentality so that they can endure the pressure of being stared down and every punch that pierce through their defense. For those who do not have talent, they have hope in how much they practice. When boxers enter the ring, there is no one else to rely on except on yourself and the huge amount of training before the match.