Boxing: Ali's mouth goes south

By PETER JESSUP

There is no contest for the heavyweight fight of the century.

I wasn't there to see the last of the bare-knuckle champs John Sullivan, who held the title for 10 years from 1882, Jack Dempsey, who held it from 1919 to 1926, or Joe Louis, 1937-49. Nor Rocky Marciano, 1952-55, and the only champ to retire undefeated, with 49 wins, 43 by KO.

But none of them faced as many hard opponents of similar ability as Muhammad Ali.

I won't ever forget Ali-Frazier 1. I was 13 when the pair fronted at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, and to this day the only fight that comes close by video review is Ali-George Foreman in Zaire three years later, and that is because of the beauty of the When We Were Kings mix of song, social comment and sport.

Ali-Frazier 1 was brutal, but a contest in sport's best terms. An even contest. It's the only time two undefeated champs have met - Ali had 31 wins as a pro and Frazier 26, and they had completed 17 title fights between them, Frazier gaining the former champ's world title when various state authorities refused Ali a licence because he claimed religious exemption from the Vietnam War after conversion to Islam.

Ali was the champ in absentia of the blacks, the white liberals and student protesters who would normally decry boxing's violence. Frazier became the establishment's champ by proxy and Ali's mouth made it so. You don't see Frazier's quotes repeated. Ali's are everywhere.

Never was one great sportsman so overshadowed by another. Ali's taunts that Frazier was "a gorilla" and "white man's hope" have fuelled animosity that carried through an Atlanta Olympic Games appearance in 1996, where Ali lit the flame and Frazier sat in the crowd.

Before an earlier fight against Oscar Bonavena, Gardens boxing promoter and match-maker Teddy Brenner was famously quoted as saying: "I could announce tomorrow that Ali will walk across the Hudson River and charge $20 admission and 20,000 will be down there to see it - 10,000 rooting for him to do it and 10,000 rooting for him to sink".

MSG sold out almost the day the fight was made. Frank Sinatra took ringside pictures for Life magazine. Tens of thousands of fans who couldn't get in waited outside in the days before big screens, listening to radio and waiting for the fighters to emerge afterwards. There was an estimated audience of 300 million viewers in 46 countries for what was then the biggest-ever payday of US$2.5 million each.

March 8, 1971 was 'Smokin' Joe's' night. In a fight where the lead changed hands numerous times Frazier gained an upper hand late, probably because of the three years Ali had spent sidelined by suspension.

He floored Ali in the 15th and that was the decider, the judges tipping the scales Frazier's way as Ali stumbled out the fight in recovery mode.

We play-acted that for days in the schoolyard and couldn't wait for the re-match. Referee Arthur Mercante said it was "a privilege to be associated with the fight".

He was surprised both weren't on the floor in round 15.

"They held onto each other like drowning men. Had I separated them with vigour, both would have collapsed. I never before saw two heavyweights suffer so acutely from severe exhaustion."



Ali won their second contest in 1973 before they clashed in the 'Thrilla' in Manila' in October, 1975, where Frazier's handlers called him to stop after round 14. Ali's power and style were always in control over Frazier's aggression.

At the North Broad Street gym in Philadelphia, where Frazier still maintains a presence as mentor, there is one big picture on the wall. It's of Ali hitting the deck.

That didn't happen often.