Fight of the Century - wikipedia Fight of the Century This article is about the Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. For other Fights of the Century, see Fight of the Century ( disambiguation ). This article 's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( March 2015 ) The Fight of the Century Date March 8, 1971 Venue Madison Square Garden New York City Title ( s ) on the line Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship WBC / WBA Heavyweight Championship Tale of the tape Boxer Joe Frazier Muhammad Ali Nickname Smokin ' Joe The Greatest Hometown Beaufort, South Carolina Louisville, Kentucky Pre-fight record 26 -- 0 ( 23 KOs ) 31 -- 0 ( 25 KOs ) Height 5 ft 11.5 in ( 1.82 m ) 6 ft 3 in ( 1.91 m ) Weight 205 lb ( 93 kg ) 215 lb ( 98 kg ) Recognition WBC / WBA Heavyweight Champion Lineal Champion Result Frazier won in 15 rounds via unanimous decision The Fight of the Century ( also known as The Fight ) is the title boxing writers and historians have given to the boxing match between WBC / WBA heavyweight champion Joe Frazier ( 26 -- 0, 23 KOs ) and Ring magazine / lineal heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali ( 31 -- 0, 25 KOs ), held on Monday, March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Frazier won in 15 rounds via unanimous decision. It was the first time that two undefeated boxers fought each other for the heavyweight title. Contents 1 Background and cultural significance 2 Fight 2.1 Scorecard 3 Aftermath 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Background and cultural significance In 1971, both Ali and Frazier had legitimate claims to the title of World Heavyweight Champion. An undefeated Ali had won the title from Sonny Liston in Miami Beach in 1964, and successfully defended his belt up until he had it stripped by boxing authorities for refusing induction into the armed forces in 1967. In Ali 's absence, the undefeated Frazier garnered two championship belts through knockouts of Buster Mathis and Jimmy Ellis. He was recognized by boxing authorities as the World Champion. Unlike Mathis and Ellis, Frazier was plausibly Ali 's superior, which created a tremendous amount of hype and anticipation for a match pitting the two undefeated fighters against one another to decide who was the true heavyweight champ. Ringside seats were $150 ( equivalent to $887 in 2016 ) and each man was guaranteed 2.5 million dollars. In addition to the millions who watched on closed - circuit broadcast screens around the world, the Garden was packed with a sellout crowd of 20,455 that provided a gate of $1.5 million. Prior to his enforced layoff, Ali had displayed uncommon speed and dexterity for a man of his size. He had dominated most of his opponents to the point that he had often predicted the round in which he would knock them out. However, in the fight preceding the Frazier fight, Ali struggled at times during his 15th - round TKO of Oscar Bonavena, an unorthodox Argentinian fighter who was prepared by Hall of Fame trainer Gil Clancy. Frazier had an outstanding left hook, and was a tenacious competitor who attacked the body of his opponent ferociously. Despite suffering from a serious bout of hypertension in the lead - up to the fight, he appeared to be in top form as the face - off between the two undefeated champions approached. The fight held broader meaning for many Americans, as Ali had become a symbol of the left - wing anti-establishment movement during his government - imposed exile from the ring, while Frazier had been adopted by the conservative, pro-war movement. According to the 2009 documentary Thriller in Manila, the match, which had been dubbed `` The Fight '', `` gripped the nation. `` Just listen to the roar of this crowd ! '' thundered Burt Lancaster, the color man. `` The tension, and the excitement here, is monumental ! '' The bout is widely recognized as the first athletic event to transcend sports with many non-boxing and non-sport fans holding an impassioned rooting interest in one of the fighters. Mark Kram wrote in Sports Illustrated : The thrust of this fight on the public consciousness is incalculable. It has been a ceaseless whir that seems to have grown in decibel with each new soliloquy by Ali, with each dead calm promise by Frazier. It has magnetized the imagination of ring theorists, and flushed out polemicists of every persuasion. It has cut deep into the thicket of our national attitudes, and it is a conversational imperative everywhere -- from the gabble of big - city salons and factory lunch breaks rife with unreasoning labels, to ghetto saloons with their own false labels. Fight On the evening of the match, Madison Square Garden had a circus - like atmosphere, with scores of policemen to control the crowd, outrageously dressed fans, and countless celebrities, from Norman Mailer and Woody Allen to Frank Sinatra, who, after being unable to procure a ringside seat, took photographs for Life magazine instead. Artist LeRoy Neiman painted Ali and Frazier as they fought. Burt Lancaster served as a color commentator for the closed - circuit broadcast. Though Lancaster had never performed as a sports commentator before, he was hired by the fight 's promoter, Jerry Perenchio, who was also a friend. The other commentators were play - by - play announcer Don Dunphy and boxing champion Archie Moore. The fight was sold to, and broadcast by closed circuit, to 50 countries in 12 languages via ringside reporters to an audience estimated at 300 million, a record viewership for a television event at that time. Riots broke out at several venues as unresolvable technical issues interrupted the broadcast in several cities in the third round. The referee for the fight was Arthur Mercante, Sr. After the fight, Mercante, a veteran referee of hundreds of fights, said `` They both threw some of the best punches I 've ever seen. '' The fight itself exceeded even its promotional hype and went the full 15 - round championship distance. Ali dominated the first three rounds, peppering the shorter Frazier with rapier - like jabs that raised welts on the champion 's face. In the closing seconds of round three, Frazier connected with a tremendous hook to Ali 's jaw, snapping his head back. Frazier began to dominate in the fourth round, catching Ali with several of his famed left hooks and pinning him against the ropes to deliver tremendous body blows. Ali was visibly tired after the sixth round, and though he put together some flurries of punches after that round, he was unable to keep the pace he had set in the first third of the fight. At 1 minute and 59 seconds into round eight, following his clean left hook to Ali 's right jaw, Frazier grabbed Ali 's wrists and swung Ali into the center of the ring ; however, Ali immediately grabbed Frazier again until they were once again separated by Mercante. Frazier caught Ali with a left hook at nine seconds into round 11. A fraction of a second later, Ali fell with both gloves and his right knee on the canvas. Mercante stepped between Ali and Frazier, separating them as Ali rose from the canvas. Mercante wiped Ali 's gloves but failed to call the knockdown. At 18 seconds into round 11, Mercante signaled the fighters to engage once again. Round 11 wound down with Frazier staggering Ali with a left hook. Ali stumbled and grabbed at Frazier to keep his balance and finally stumbled back first to the ropes before bouncing forward again to Frazier and grabbing on to Frazier until the fighters were separated by Mercante at 2 : 55 into the round. Ali spent the remaining 5 seconds of round 11 clowning his way back to his corner. At the end of round 14 Frazier held a lead on all three scorecards ( by scores of 8 -- 6 -- 0, 10 -- 4 -- 0, and 8 -- 6 -- 0 ). Early in round 15, Frazier landed a left hook that put Ali on his back. Ali, his jaw swollen grotesquely, got up from the blow quickly, and managed to stay on his feet for the rest of the round despite several terrific blows from Frazier. A few minutes later the judges made it official : Frazier had retained the title with a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. Scorecard Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Total Artie Aidala ( judge ) Frazier, 9 -- 6 -- 0 Bill Recht ( judge ) Frazier, 11 -- 4 -- 0 Art Mercante ( referee ) Frazier, 9 -- 6 -- 0 22 of the 25 sports writers gave the fight to Frazier. Aftermath Frazier surrendered his title 22 months later, when on January 22, 1973, he was knocked out by George Foreman in the second round of their brief but devastating title bout in Kingston, Jamaica. Ali, for his part, refused to publicly admit defeat and sought to define the outcome in the public 's mind as a `` White Man 's Decision ''. He split two bouts with Ken Norton in 1973, and was viewed by many as on a downward slide before a win in a rematch with Frazier in January 1974. Ali later went on to defeat Frazier in their third and final bout, The Thrilla in Manila. By the time of the rematches the social climate in America had settled down, with the Vietnam War coming to an end. Many dismissed the notion that Ali was a traitor and he was once again accepted as an American hero. Without either fighter representing the social divide in the country, neither their second nor third fight lived up to the hype of the first. Ali shocked the world for a second time with a victory in October 1974 over the heavily favored Foreman to regain the heavyweight title in The Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire. Ali biographer Wilfrid Sheed wrote of the fight : Both men left the ring changed men that night. For Frazier, his greatness was gone, that unquantifiable combination of youth, ability and desire. For Ali, the public hatred he had so carefully nursed to his advantage came to a head and burst that night and has never been the same. To his supporters he became a cultural hero. His detractors finally gave him grudging respect. At least they had seen him beaten and seen that smug look wiped off his face. See also Boxing portal Ali -- Frazier II -- second bout, January 1974 Thrilla in Manila -- third bout, October 1975 References Jump up ^ `` Weigh - ins held ''. Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. March 8, 1971. p. 10. Jump up ^ `` The Great Fights : Ali vs. Frazier I ''. Life. Retrieved January 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Kram, Mark ( March 15, 1971 ). `` The battered face of a winner ''. Sports Illustrated : 16. ^ Jump up to : Zavoral, Nolan ( March 9, 1971 ). `` Frazier bores in and Ali is kaput ''. Milwaukee Journal. p. 11. ^ Jump up to : Ali - Frazier I : One Nation... Divisible. HBO Sports. 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Mee, Bob ( 2006 ). The Heavyweights ; The Definition of the Heavyweight Fighters. Stroud, Gloucestershire : Tempus. pp. 107, 108. Jump up ^ Anderson, Dave ( 1992 ). In the Corner : Great Boxing Trainers Talk About Their Art. William Morrow & Co. ISBN 978 - 0688119041. Jump up ^ George, Thomas ( February 24, 2011 ). `` Fight of the Century : Muhammad Ali 's legacy grows in defeat ''. AOL News. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Thriller in Manila ''. Top Documentary Films. 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2013. Jump up ^ Rosen, James. `` The Fight of The Century ''. nyp.com. Retrieved 4 December 2014. Jump up ^ Kevin Iole ( 2013 - 03 - 08 ). `` Fight of the Century ? Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier put on the event of all - time on March 8, 1971 ''. Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali ( 1st meeting ) ''. BoxRec. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Referee Mercante Calls. Punches Best He 's Seen ''. The New York Times. March 9, 1971. Retrieved May 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Orlando, Joe. Collecting Sports Legends : The Ultimate Hobby Guide. Zyrus Press, 2009. ISBN 9781933990217. Page 361. Jump up ^ `` From the Vault : Joe Frazier v Muhammad Ali, part one ''. The Guardian. London. November 8, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Foreman beats Frazier to win heavyweight title in Jamaica '', `` This Day in History -- 1 / 22 / 1973 ''. History.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Foreman stops Frazier in 2nd ''. Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 23, 1973. p. 1 - part 2. Jump up ^ Hudson Jr, David ( 2006 ). Combat Sports ; An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, And Mixed Martial Arts. Westport CT : Greenwood Press. pp. 6, 7. Jump up ^ Sheed, Wilfrid ( 1975 ). Muhammad Ali : A Portrait in Words and Photographs. Crowell Publishing. ISBN 9780690009583. Retrieved May 12, 2017. External links Round 15 on YouTube Muhammad Ali Fights Boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics Clay vs. Hunsaker Clay vs. Siler Clay vs. Esperti Clay vs. Robinson Clay vs. Fleeman Clay vs. Clark Clay vs. Sabedong Clay vs. Johnson Clay vs. Miteff Clay vs. Besmanoff Clay vs. Banks Clay vs. Warner Clay vs. Logan Clay vs. Daniels Clay vs. Lavorante Clay vs. Moore Clay vs. Powell Clay vs. Jones Ali vs. Cooper Liston vs. Ali Ali vs. Patterson Ali vs. Chuvalo Ali vs. London Ali vs. Mildenberger Ali vs. Terrell Ali vs. Williams Ali vs. Folley Ali vs. Quarry Ali vs. Bonavena Fight of the Century ( Ali vs. Frazier I ) Ali vs. Ellis Ali vs. Mathis Ali vs. Blin Ali vs. M. Foster Ali vs. Lewis Ali vs. B. Foster Ali vs. Bugner Ali vs. Norton Ali vs. Lubbers Ali vs. Frazier II The Rumble in the Jungle ( Ali vs. Foreman ) Ali vs. Wepner Ali vs. Lyle Thrilla in Manila ( Ali vs. Frazier III ) Ali vs. Coopman Ali vs. Young Ali vs. Dunn Ali vs. Evangelista Ali vs. Shavers Ali vs. Spinks Spinks vs. Ali II Holmes vs. Ali Drama in Bahama ( Ali vs. Berbick ) Media Requiem for a Heavyweight ( 1962 film ) The Super Fight ( film ) a.k.a. Cassius Clay ( film ) `` Black Superman '' ( song ) I Am the Greatest ( album ) The Adventures of Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay ( album ) I Am the Greatest : The Adventures of Muhammad Ali ( animated series ) Superman vs. Muhammad Ali ( comic book ) The Greatest ( film ) Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing ( video game ) Foes of Ali ( video game ) When We Were Kings ( film ) King of the World ( TV film ) Ali : An American Hero ( TV film ) `` Muhammad Ali '' ( song ) Ali ( film ) `` The World 's Greatest '' ( song ) Facing Ali ( film ) When Ali Came to Ireland ( documentary ) The Trials of Muhammad Ali ( documentary ) Muhammad Ali 's Greatest Fight ( TV film ) I Am Ali ( documentary ) People Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. ( father ) Odessa Grady Clay ( mother ) Rahman Ali ( brother ) Khalilah Ali ( first wife ) Veronica Porché Ali ( second wife ) Laila Ali ( daughter ) Chuck Bodak ( trainer and cutman ) Angelo Dundee ( cornerman ) Drew Bundini Brown ( trainer and cornerman ) Ferdie Pacheco ( personal physician and cornerman ) Joe E. Martin ( first trainer ) Archie Moore ( trainer ) George Dillman ( instructor ) Jabir Herbert Muhammad ( manager ) Luis Sarria ( trainer, cutman, and masseur ) Joe Frazier ( opponent and friend ) Books The Greatest : My Own Story ( 1975 autobiography ) The Fight ( 1975 ) Muhammad Ali : His Life and Times ( 1991 biography ) King of the World ( 1998 biography ) Facing Ali ( 2002 ) Muhammad Ali : The Glory Years ( 2003 biography ) The Soul of a Butterfly ( 2004 autobiography ) Twelve Rounds to Glory ( 2007 biography ) Other Religious views of Muhammad Ali Rope - a-dope Ali Mall Clay v. United States Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki Muhammad Ali Center Muhammad Ali in India Muhammad Ali in China Coordinates : 40 ° 45 ′ 01 '' N 73 ° 59 ′ 37 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 40.7504 ° N 73.9935 ° W ﻿ / 40.7504 ; - 73.9935 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fight_of_the_Century&oldid=806548333 '' Categories : Boxing matches involving Muhammad Ali 1971 in boxing Boxing in New York City 1971 in sports in New York City Madison Square Garden History of boxing World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches World Boxing Council heavyweight championship matches March 1971 sports events Hidden categories : Wikipedia introduction cleanup from March 2015 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from March 2015 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from January 2013 Coordinates on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Français Norsk Suomi Edit links This page was last edited on 22 October 2017, at 19 : 03. 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Question: who won the fights between ali and frazier
Answer: Frazier