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The Thrilla in Manila was a famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City of the Philippines on October 1, 1975. Image File history File links Wiki_letter_w. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a... For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ... For the Major League Baseball player and manager, see Joe Frazier (baseball) Joseph William Smokin Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. ... The Araneta Coliseum is the largest indoor facility in Southeast Asia, with a dome diameter of 108 meters. ... Quezon City P (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon), is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Pre-fight

Pre-fight poster

Produced by Don King and broadcast to many countries worldwide with HBO's antenna, The Thrilla in Manila had a tremendous media following. Image File history File links Posalifrazier3. ... Image File history File links Posalifrazier3. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ...

Some boxing fans call it the greatest fight ever. Ali and Frazier seemed honestly to dislike each other outside the ring as well as inside, and they had already split two fights between them, with Frazier retaining his World Heavyweight crown on their first meeting, at Madison Square Garden in 1971, but Ali taking a 12 round decision over Frazier in 1974. Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

The city of Cairo had apparently been considered as a possible host to the fight: The August 1975 issue of Ring Magazine had a fictitious fight-poster of Ali-Frazier III on its cover, which listed Nasser Stadium in Cairo as the place the fight was taking place. For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Front cover of the first issue of Ring Magazine Ring Magazine is a boxing magazine that was first published in 1922. ... Cairo International Stadium during the 2006 African Cup of Nations Interior of Cairo International Stadium during the 2006 African Cup of Nations Cairo International Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Cairo, Egypt with a capacity of 74,100. ...

Ali spent his time in Manila taunting Frazier at every opportunity, even taunting him with his poem, "It's gonna be a chilla, and a killa, and a thrilla, when I get the Gorilla in Manila." So, when they got into the ring Frazier was, as in the first bout, an angry warrior. Ali, however, did not train as hard as he usually did for fights because he thought Frazier was washed up.^{[citation needed]}

The Fight

See also: Fight of the Century and Ali-Frazier II

At 10:45 AM, the bell for Round 1 rang. Ali had previously told his trainers that he was going to "put a whoopin'" on Joe Frazier. He came out and walked flat footed to the center of the ring, where Frazier met him. Ali then proceeded to unleash a flurry of combinations to Frazier, who would continue to be hurt under Ali's onslaught in the first few rounds. In the sixth round, however, Frazier came back and threw multiple hooks to Ali's head, which staggered him in turn. At the beginning of the seventh round, Ali reportedly came out and whispered in Frazier's ear, "Why old Joe Frazier, they told me you were washed up;" Frazier replied, "They told you all wrong, pretty boy." The 1971, March 8th edition of Time Magazine Fight of the Century was the promotional nickname given to the first boxing match between champion Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) and challenger Muhammad Ali (31-0, 26 KOs), held on March 8, 1971 at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. ... Ali-Frazier II was a boxing fight that took place at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, on January 28 of 1974. ...

Frazier seemed to dominate the middle rounds. Ali even unsuccessfully tried to use the rope-a-dope technique that had defeated George Foreman nearly a year earlier, but it was negated by Frazier's relentless assault and power. Finally, in the tenth round, Ali turned the tide. He unloaded a rapid firing flurry of fast combinations on Frazier, which severely disfigured his face by the end of the round---his eyes swelling to the point where nothing but a tiny slit appeared. In Round 13, Ali landed another blistering combination on Frazier sending the injured fighter's mouthguard flying into the crowd. Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, wanted to stop the fight at this point. Frazier, however, refused, asking his coach to give him one more round. In round 14, Frazier was almost blind as he stepped in, and was met once more with punishing blows from Ali. It was later revealed that Frazier actually had cataracts in his left eye and so, with the punishment from Ali closing his right eye, Frazier was technically fighting blind in the last rounds of the fight. Rope-a-dope is a boxing fighting style used most famously by Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman. ... A mouthguard is a device that fits into the mouth over one or both arches of teeth to protect against injury during contact sports. ... Trainer may refer to: An aircraft trainer used for training pilots. ...

After 14 brutal rounds, and seeing the condition of Frazier's eyes and his inability to properly see, Eddie Futch had to do something. He told Frazier he was going to stop the fight as they spoke in the corner. "I want him boss," Frazier shouted, to which Futch replied, "It's all over. No one will forget what you did here today." Eddie Futch (August 9, 1911 - October 10, 2001) was one the greatest boxing trainers of all time. ...

Ali was therefore declared the victor and shortly after, fainted on the canvas. He claimed that this was the closest to dying he has ever been.^{[citation needed]}

Trivia

• The Philippines' first multi-level commercial shopping mall was named after Muhammad Ali as a tribute to his victory. [1] The mall is named "Ali Mall" and is located in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City right beside the Araneta Coliseum which the "Thrilla in Manila" took place.
• Despite the name, the bout was not held in the City of Manila, but in adjacent Quezon City. Both cities, however, are within the district of Metro Manila.
• President Ferdinand E. Marcos along with First Lady Imelda Marcos were on hand to watch the event. President Marcos sponsored the fight's purse [2].
• The Philippines was under "Martial Law", being declared by then Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, when the fight occurred.

The Araneta Center is a 35-hectare commercial area in Quezon City, Philippines. ... Quezon City P (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon) is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. ... Quezon City P (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon), is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. ... The City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila), or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines and one of the municipalities that comprise Metro Manila. ... Quezon City P (Filipino: Lungsod Quezon), is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. ... For the article on the capital city of the Philippines, see Manila. ... PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was the tenth President of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Imelda Romuáldez Marcos (born July 2, 1929 in Manila) is a former First Lady and erstwhile powerful political figure in the Philippines. ...

External links

• Thrilla In Manila Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier Fight Review
• The Thrilla in Manila 30th Anniversary Special Site
• "Ali-Frazier fight extracts dreadful price" Reuters UK
• "CENTURY'S BEST: 'Lawdy, Lawdy, He's Great'" Sports Illustrated
• "For Ali, What Price the Thrilla in Manila?" The New York Times
• "Joe's still smoulderin'" The Scotsman
• Best scenes mix on YouTube
• Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on The Thrilla in Manila