It remains one of sport’s most celebrated chapters. Alan Hubbard revisits boxing’s Thrilla in Manila
Imelda Marcos had put on her dancing shoes. She had selected them carefully from her infamously large collection of footwear, hoping to entice Muhammad Ali into tripping the light fantastic with her on the eve of his world heavyweight title fight against Joe Frazier in her native Manila. Both combatants had been invited to a ball at the palatial residence of her and her husband, Ferdinand, president of the Philippines. But there was one thing Imelda – and most of the world – did not know. Ali couldn’t dance.
The master of the Ali shuffle, possessor of heavyweight boxing’s fastest feet, had rapturous rhythm in the ring but he couldn’t quickstep out of it. Imelda’s invitation was politely declined.
