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Philippines, 14 May 2024 |
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REMEMBERING 1975 AND THE THRILLA IN MANILA By Eddie Alinea PhilBoxing.com Sat, 05 Oct 2013  Ali and Frazier at Malaca?an Palace during the pre-fight presscon. Between Ali and the President is beauteous First Lady Imelda Marcos. The top stories in the year 1975 were: President Ford survived two assassination attempts, and Saigon falls, ending the war between the United States and Vietnam. In Manila, Muhammad Ali beat ?Smokin? Jose Frazier over 14 rounds to remain as the world heavyweight champion and a new professional basketball league outside the U.S. National Basketball Association ? the Philippine Basketball Association ? was born. Stories on attempts on President Ford?s life were buried in the archives as years passed by. But the Ali-Frazier fight, christened ?Thrilla In Manila? didn?t. The PBA, of course, continues its existence, celebrating its 38th founding anniversary. Thirty eight years after the fight, held October 1, adjudged the ?Fight of the Year? and the ?Fight of the Century,? with Ali being named ?Fighter of the Year? and round 13 ?Round of the Year,? by all the award-giving bodies and media outfits all around the world, the memory lives on. 
Then Games and Amusements Board Chair Luis Tabuena (C) poses promoters with Don King (L) and Bob Arum (R). The bloody Act III of the Ali-Frazier encounters, ending their historic trilogy has, since that day at the domed Araneta Coliseum, renamed Philippine Coliseum for the purpose, and with no less than President Marcos and his First Lady Imelda Marcos among the celebrities present, is, indeed, still being talked about due to the world-wide madness it brought about. Thanks to the clash of personalities and the combatants? fighting styles and the way the event was organized, the international media feasted on it from the time the matchup was announced. As in the words of boxing writer Mark Kram, when the ?Thrilla? was over, the hype no longer mattered: ?one man was left with a ruin of a life; the other was battered to his soul.? In a news conference announcing Ali and Frazier would fight in Manila held July 17, 1975 in New York, the reigning world heavyweight champion entertained the media by comparing his challenger to a gorilla. He even brought with him a toy gorilla in his pocket and, waving a butterfly net said: "You gotta have a butterfly net to catch me ? It?s gonna be a chilla, and a killa, when I get the Gorilla in Manila.? 
Marcos (L) shakes hands with Don King. 
Writer Eddie Alinea (2nd from left), Frazier?s press liaison, and Philippines News Agency?s Teresa Tunay (L converse with Denise Frenz, ?Smokin? Joe Frazier's secretary. Each round of the total 41 the two fought, including the 30 of their previous three encounters, was filled with drama as in their two previous fight, in 1971 won by Frazier and in 1974 when Ali returned the compliment. Drama, too, marked the days of the three months in between the announcement of the fight to the actual day they were due to trade punches. There was the protagonists? visit to Malacanan Palace, the brief one-day visit of Ali?s wife Belinda due to the presence of the champ?s girlfriend Veronica Porsche, Ali?s going to Frazier?s hotel and pointing a gun at his challenger and sneaking at the Folk Arts Theater during Frazier?s turn to workouts. During their visit to the Palace, Imelda came late after Ali and Frazier?s exchange of banters with the President acting as referee. Upon seeing the First Lady, Ali said: I respect you now more so that I did at first. Looking at your wife, I can say that you are not a dumb man. You know how to pick?em.? To which Marcos answered back: ?I can say you are not far behind, Although I am told that actually, it?s the ladies who make the choice, not the men.? After the fight, an exhausted Ali managed to return to his dressing room still wearing the belt, appearing more battered than Frazier, who fought near-blind most part of the bout that saw both men engaged in two-fisted battle of ultimate savagery, drama, courage and physical qualities. After 10 rounds with Frazier leading and cheered by the some 30,000 underdog-loving crowd, Ali was so spent from the body shots the challenger had thrown at him from the fifth round on, sat on his stool, head bowed, his eyes rolling with exhaustion. He confessed later he almost didn?t make it to the 11th round. Following his corner?s urging to ?Go down to the well once more!? the defending champion rose from the grave in he 12th pumping crispy and powerful lefts and rights to Frazier?s face, producing massive bumps. With both eyes almost closed, and his hands beginning to look heavy, the champ sent Frazier?s mouthpiece flying several rows to the audience, which now changed tune from ?Frazier ? Frazier ?. Frazier? in the early rounds to ?Ali ? Ali ? Ali.? The 14th was the most savage of the previous 41 the duo fought prior to Ali?s two-fisted attacks that totaled 30 or so in all, completely closing Frazier?s eyes that Filipino referee Carlos Padilla Jr. had to guide him to his corner at round?s end. Commotion erupted in Smokin Joe?s corner as trainer Eddie Futch signaled the end of the fight. No, no, no,? Joe shouted. ?you can?t do that to me.? ?Sit down, son,? Futch said. ?It?s over. No one will forget what you did here today.? In his dressing room, Ali told reporters around him: ?Happy there are no more Joe Fraziers around to fight. Joe is real, real great fighter. I don?t think there is anybody in the class who can beat him except me.? He then called Joe?s son Marvis and told the boys, ?Tell your dad I won?t call him a gorilla again.? When told of Ali?s statement, Joe said: Go back to him and tell him to tell that to me.? That same night, Ali was guest in a victory dinner hosted by Imelda at the Palace, while Frazier was host of a dance party at the top of his Hyatt Hotel with his party and most members of local and foreign media men as guests. Surely, hosting the 'Thrilla' proved to be a marketing coup that, up to the present time, is being relived elsewhere in the entire universe. President Marcos and his men, led by then Games and Amusements Board chair Louie Tabuena, exploited everything to show to the whole world the Philippines a a better place to live in contrary to what appeared before it earned the right to stage the bout. All Embassies and Consulate offices on earth were alerted to the country's hosting an were required to do their share in promoting the boxing saga and the name Philippines. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.  |
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