Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 1 | Newsday Click here to read or post comments (Credit: AP) Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, left, has challenged Muhammad Ali, right, on the ropes during the fourth round of their heavyweight title bout, Monday, March 8, 1971, New York. Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 1 Updated June 3, 2016 1:38 PM Newsday.com Advertise here When Joe Frazier met Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, the storyline went much deeper than two undefeated heavyweights clashing for the belt. Ali had refused induction in the U.S. Army, was considered radical chic and seemed to embody the culture of the 1960s. Frazier was cast as a champion fighting for the establishment. Frank Sinatra was a ring-side photographer for Life magazine. Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Hugh Hefner, Dustin Hoffman and Diana Ross were ringside. Burt Lancaster was part of the closed circuit broadcast team.

All that, and the fight actually lived up to its billing as the "Fight of the Century." After 15 rounds of thrilling toe-to-toe action, Frazier won a unanimous decision. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ Anonymous) Muhammad Ali and his assistant trainer and friend Bundini Brown sing a song in the ring after Ali weighed in at 215 pounds for his bout at Madison Square Garden in New York with heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, March 8, 1971. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Title holder Joe Frazier extends his right army during physical examination in New York on March 8, 1971 before the "Fight of the Century" against Muhammad Ali. (Credit: AP) Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, left, has challenged Muhammad Ali, right, on the ropes during the fourth round of their heavyweight title bout, Monday, March 8, 1971, New York. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE HERE (Credit: AP/ John Lindsay) Muhammad Ali, red trunks, and Joe Frazier, green trunks, are shown during of their bout in New York's Madison Square Garden, March 8, 1971.

(Credit: AP/ John Lindsay) Muhammad Ali, red trunks, and Joe Frazier, green trunks, are shown during of their bout in New York's Madison Square Garden, March 8, 1971. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) How big was Ali vs. Frazier 1 at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971? Frank Sinatra was a ringside photographer for Life Magazine at the "Fight of the Century." (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ Anonymous) Boxer Muhammad Ali crouches on the canvas after Ali slipped during the 11th round of the "Fight of the Century" against Joe Frazier on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden. (Credit: Getty Images/ AFP) Muhammad Ali gets knocked down by Joe Frazier in the "Fight of the Century" at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE HERE (Credit: AP/ Anonymous) Muhammad Ali takes a left from Joe Frazier during the 15th round of their heavyweight title boxing bout in New York on March 8, 1971. Frazier won a unanimous decision.

(Credit: AP) Joe Frazier, left, hits Muhammad Ali during the 15th round of their heavyweight title fight at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. (Credit: Getty Images/ AFP) American heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, left, against Muhammad Ali in the "Fight of the Century" at the Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ Anonymous) Joe Frazier lands a left to the jaw of Muhammad Ali during their title bout at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. Frazier won on a unanimous decision and retained his heavyweight title. (Credit: Getty Images/ -) Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier kept his title at the end of the "Fight of the Century" against Muhammad Ali at the Madison Square Garden, in New York on March 8, 1971. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE HERE (Credit: Getty Images/ AFP) Heavyweight champion Joe Frazier (L) kept his title at the end of the "Fight of the Century" against Muhammad Ali, at the Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

(Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Joe Frazier stands over Muhammad Ali in the 15th round of their heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. (Credit: AP/ Anonymous) Joe Frazier stands near the fallen Muhammad Ali as referee Art Mercante gestures at left during a boxing match at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 8, 1971. It was Frazier's heavyweight title that was on the line in the bout, but a lot of boxing fans still considered Ali the champion because he was stripped of the title and sent into boxing exile for refusing to be drafted. (Credit: AP/ Anonymous) Boxer Joe Frazier being directed to the ropes by referee Arthur Marcante after knocking down Muhammad Ali during the 15th round of the title bout at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 8, 1971 (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Muhammad Ali is down on the canvas after being floored by Joe Frazier in the 15th round of their heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. Frazier won on a decision.

(Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) A battered Muhammad Ali walks back to his corner as a triumphant Joe Frazier, background, celebrates his title defense after the 15th round of their title bout at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS) Joe Frazier, right, is hugged by his manager, Yancey Durham, after Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali to retain his heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 8, 1971. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ Anonymous) A beaten Muhammad Ali is worked over by his handlers following his unsuccessful attempt to take the heavyweight title from Joe Frazier on March, 8, 1971. Frazier retained his title with a uninous decision. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ Anonymous) Joe Frazier, a little battered after his title defense against Muhammed Ali, talks with reporters after the fight in New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

Ali's gloves, Frazier's jockstrap from famed 1971 fight go on sale Ali's gloves, Frazier's jockstrap from famed 1971 fight go on sale By David DeKok Share View photos Boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali during his March 8, 1971 “Fight of the Century” in Madison Square Garden against Joe Frazier are pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters July 11, 2016. Goldin Auctions/Handout via REUTERS More By David DeKok (Reuters) - A jockstrap worn by boxer Joe Frazier when he defeated Muhammad Ali for the combined heavyweight title hit the auction block on Monday, along with the gloves Ali wore in that 1971 bout dubbed the "Fight of the Century." The jockstrap - expected to sell for $10,000 - already met its minimum bid of $5,000 bid by mid-morning, said Ken Goldin, owner of Goldin Auctions of Runnemede, New Jersey. No bids had yet been received for the gloves, which are expected to sell for more than $1 million, Goldin said.

The auction concludes with live bidding on Aug. 4. "People used to make jokes about auctioning off jockstraps as an example of something outrageous," Goldin told Reuters. "Here we got one consigned for sale." The memorabilia went on sale just over a month after Ali's death at an Arizona hospital at age 74. Frazier died in 2011. Both fighters were undefeated when they met up in the match on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Frazier defeated Ali in a unanimous, 15-round decision. After the fight, Frazier gave the jockstrap to corner-man David Wolf, according to Goldin. Wolf, who was in the Frazier corner for all three of his fights with Ali, later became a manager for Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini and other boxers. The jockstrap was found in Wolf's apartment in New York after his death in 2009. Minimum bids were set at $5,000 for the jockstrap and $250,000 for the gloves. "Similar (Ali) gloves have sold in the millions,” Goldin said.

"And that was before he died." (Reporting by David DeKok in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; editing by Barbara Goldberg and G Crosse) Reblog Ali's gloves, Frazier's jockstrap from famed 1971 fight go on sale | Reuters Mon Jul 11, 2016 | 4:21 PM EDT Ali's gloves, Frazier's jockstrap from famed 1971 fight go on sale 1/3 Boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali during his March 8, 1971 “Fight of the Century” in Madison Square Garden against Joe Frazier are pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters July 11, 2016. Goldin Auctions/Handout via Reuters + 2/3 The jockstrap worn by Philadelphia boxer Joe Frazier during his March 8, 1971 “Fight of the Century” in Madison Square Garden against Muhammad Ali is pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters July 11, 2016.

Goldin Auctions/Handout via Reuters + 3/3 Boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali during his March 8, 1971 “Fight of the Century” in Madison Square Garden against Joe Frazier are pictured in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters July 11, 2016. Goldin Auctions/Handout via Reuters + By David DeKok A jockstrap worn by boxer Joe Frazier when he defeated Muhammad Ali for the combined heavyweight title hit the auction block on Monday, along with the gloves Ali wore in that 1971 bout dubbed the "Fight of the Century." The jockstrap - expected to sell for $10,000 - already met its minimum bid of $5,000 bid by mid-morning, said Ken Goldin, owner of Goldin Auctions of Runnemede, New Jersey. No bids had yet been received for the gloves, which are expected to sell for more than $1 million, Goldin said. The auction concludes with live bidding on Aug. 4. "People used to make jokes about auctioning off jockstraps as an example of something outrageous," Goldin told Reuters.

"Here we got one consigned for sale." The memorabilia went on sale just over a month after Ali's death at an Arizona hospital at age 74. Frazier died in 2011. Both fighters were undefeated when they met up in the match on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Frazier defeated Ali in a unanimous, 15-round decision. After the fight, Frazier gave the jockstrap to corner-man David Wolf, according to Goldin. Wolf, who was in the Frazier corner for all three of his fights with Ali, later became a manager for Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini and other boxers. The jockstrap was found in Wolf's apartment in New York after his death in 2009. Minimum bids were set at $5,000 for the jockstrap and $250,000 for the gloves. "Similar (Ali) gloves have sold in the millions,” Goldin said. "And that was before he died." (Reporting by David DeKok in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; editing by Barbara Goldberg and G Crosse) ADVERTISEMENT Fight of the Century?

Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier put on the event of all-time on March 8, 1971 Fight of the Century? Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier put on the event of all-time on March 8, 1971 Kevin Iole Tweet Share It's been 42 years and still, there is not a bout that even comes remotely close to being as massive as was the March 8, 1971, heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. As significant as a Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight would have been, it would have paled in comparison to the intense worldwide interest that there was in the Ali-Frazier bout. It remains one of the signature events in not only boxing history, but in sports history. They were both undefeated men in the primes of their careers with a claim to the heavyweight title. It doesn't get much bigger than that. Millions upon millions of words have been written about that event and dozens of books. In the prologue of his 2006 autobiography, "Inside the Ropes," the late referee Arthur Mercante Sr.

recounts the story of how excited he was to find out on the morning of the event that he'd been chosen to officiate it. At four o'clock the phone rang, ending the suspense I pretended not to feel. It was Commissioner Edwin Dooley of the New York State Athletic Commission. He was short and to the point: "Mr. Mercante, it's yours. Report for assignment at the Garden at 6 p.m. "Yes, sir," I replied with what I thought, under the circumstances, was commendable brevity. "It's yours," meant I was the one. I had landed right in the middle of the fight of the century. I could hardly believe it. When I hurried out of the office that late afternoon I felt I was floating on air. The great British sports writer, Hugh McIvanney, wrote on March 8, 1971, about how significant Ali was viewed in the world even then. He's grown to epic stature now, but even at the time, Ali was far more than just a great boxer. For more than a decade now, whether calling himself Cassius Clay or Muhammad Ali, the man has sought the whole world as an audience.

The heavyweight champion has always exerted a fascination that transcends sport, but no previous holder of the title has been able to invade so many lives at so many levels. Compared with him, the most vivid of his predecessors are blurred figures dancing behind frosted glass. When he speaks, he assumes no less than that he is addressing mankind. Mark Kram, in the March 8, 1971, Sports Illustrated preview of the bout, also took a crack at assessing its significance. 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.

In the late Dick Schaap's excellent 1971 profile of Ali in the now-defunct Sport magazine that is reprinted in the book, "The Best American Sports Writing of the Century," he tells of a call he received from Ali. Eight weeks before the night of the Frazier fight, the telephone rang in my bedroom late one night. I picked it up. "Hello," I said. "The champion of the world," said the caller. "I'm back from the dead." I hope so. The man-child should be the heavyweight champion of the world. It is the only role he was born to play. The fight, of course, lived up to its billing. It was a fast-paced, high-action fight with great skill shown on both sides. The outcome hung in the balance as the bout went into the championship rounds. Read More Frazier floored Ali with a tremendous left hook that is remembered as perhaps the best ever thrown. Mercante wrote that he was "astonished" by how quickly Ali had gotten up. In those days, two judges and the referee scored the fight. Arthur Aidala had it nine rounds to six for Frazier.

Bill Recht saw it 11 rounds to four for Frazier, a total that shocked Mercante. My scorecard read eight rounds for Frazier, six rounds to Ali and one even. The fight was close, sure, but there is no doubt that Frazier won even if Ali managed to convince legions of his supporters that he was the true victor that night, a claim he would later recant. Mercante noted the brutal punishment the men took and said that he felt neither were ever the same. The referee, though, probably put the historic event in the best perspective in his book. New York City has been called the city that never sleeps. It was never more so that night. Celebrations and talk of the fight echoed throughout Manhattan. Two spectators in the Garden had actually suffered fatal heart attacks from the excitement. On his way back from the fight, Jack Dempsey, seventy-six years old, knocked out two muggers outside his restaurant on Broadway. Clenching his big-knuckled right fist he told me later: "I can't go long, Arthur, but I can still punch a little." But the closeness of the fight had more to do with the tremendous toll the match took on both fighters.

Frazier had to be hospitalized, and although only 27 years old, his best days as a fighter were behind him. Though some of Ali's greatest victories still lay ahead, he would never again approach what he once had in his prime, as he did that night. Boxing never had a bigger night, and, in all likelihood, probably never will. Boxing video from Yahoo! Sports: Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports: ESPN Classic - Where Were You on March 8, 1971? Where Were You on March 8, 1971? By Michael Silver Special to ESPN Classic It was advertised simply as "THE FIGHT." No other words were necessary. The stupendous Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier showdown of March 8, 1971 was perhaps the most anticipated event in all of sports history. It was a match between two great undefeated heavyweight champions that by itself would have been enough to capture the attention of millions of fans. But it was the added dimensions of politics, religion, race, and ego Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali were both undefeated when they met March 8, 1971.

whipped to a frenzy by the most charismatic and controversial athlete of the 20th Century that would capture the attention of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world, most of whom had never even seen a professional boxing match. It was an event that transcended sport. Boxing, in its naked violently simplistic mano á mano way, was the perfect metaphor. To the masses Frazier and Ali had come to represent more than themselves. It all began innocently enough. Ali, fighting under his given name of Cassius Clay, had won the Olympic light heavyweight title in 1960 and the heavyweight championship of the world at the age of 22 by defeating the seemingly invincible brute Sonny Liston in 1964. Spouting poetry and predicting the round in which his opponents would fall, the brash youngster was colorful, engaging, quick witted, and a master showman. The self-proclaimed "Greatest" was a boxing phenomenon. He had incredibly fast hands and cat-like reflexes. His handsome face was rarely hit. Clay personified his motto to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." The boxing world, indeed the sports world, had never seen anything like him.

But everything changed the day after he won the title. He announced to the world he was a member of the Black Muslims, a hitherto little known black separatist movement that practiced the religion of Islam, espoused self help for the Negro race, and preached that the white man was the devil. The new champion said that he would no longer be known by his slave name Cassius Clay. “ I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be who I want. ” — Muhammad Ali He would now be known as Cassius X. He spoke to the assembled reporters but his words were aimed at the white establishment when he stated that "I don't have to be what you want me to be. I am free to be who I want." Three weeks later the leader of the sect, Elijah Mohammed, conferred upon Cassius X his new Muslim name -- Muhammad Ali. Ali, backed by the Black Muslims, was announcing to the world that he was breaking free of the role that had traditionally been assigned to Black heavyweight champions. Yet, in many ways, Ali never really stopped being Cassius Clay. He could still be funny and creative when promoting his fights just as he was before he won the title.

Then again, when preaching Black Muslim dogma, he could be humorless and truculent even to the point of taunting and cruelly punishing black opponents (Floyd Patterson and Ernie Terrell) who refused to call him by his Muslim name. Boxing's established old guard felt betrayed and angry and hoped that he would soon be dethroned. No such luck. Ali was just too good a fighter. From 1965 to 1967 he defended his title nine times. No challenger ever came close to defeating him. He was proud of his defensive skill, often boasting that no one would ever know if he could take a punch because he did not intend to ever have to prove that he could. Muhammad Ali, boxer and public figure, had his detractors and his supporters but whatever criticism and controversy he had encountered in the past was nothing compared to what was to come. He was about to be thrust onto a stage much larger than a boxing ring. The turbulent, crazy decade of the 1960s was about to shift into high gear.

In 1967, with the United States fighting a war in Vietnam, Muhammad Ali, the heavyweight champion of the world, refused to step forward and accept induction into the Army. Ali, stating that he was a Muslim minister, claimed conscientious objector status on the grounds that his religion forbade him to participate in a war. It should be understood that there were already hundreds of thousands of Americans doing service in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. Almost 30,000 had already been killed. Ali was denounced as a draft dodger. Several congressmen took the opportunity to vilify him and questioned his patriotism and motives. ESPN Classic events SportsCentury: Muhammad Ali Boxing commissions throughout the country were quick to strip him of his title and suspend his license to box. Two months later, on June 20, 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison. While Ali was free on bail, pending the appeals process, his lawyers tried to restore his boxing license. It was to no avail; Ali was a pariah. But not to everyone. The controversial war in Vietnam had created an active anti-war movement comprised mostly of college students.

Ali, running low on funds, accepted invitations to speak on college campuses. The defrocked champion may have been barley literate but he certainly was not verbally challenged. His lively lectures were well received. He spoke about his views on race, religious philosophy, and the war. Since the boxing establishment had already started the process of crowning a new heavyweight champion Ali always ended his speeches by asking the audience to tell him who the real heavyweight champion was. He was obviously pleased to hear the familiar chant of "Ali, Ali." The counter culture had a new hero. The country was split between those supporting our efforts in Vietnam and those opposed to the war. Hawks, doves, hard hats, flower children, black power, Woodstock, Kent State and the silent majority were bywords for the most divisive American decade since the American Civil War some 100 years earlier. This was also a time of activism and militancy for many black Americans involved in the civil rights movement, especially after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy in 1968. While all this was going on the boxing promoters were conducting a series of tournaments to find a successor to Muhammad Ali.

Rising to the top of the heavyweight heap like some unstoppable force of nature was a human wrecking ball named Joe Frazier. He was one of 13 children born dirt-poor on a farm in rural South Carolina. He had come to Philadelphia as a married 16-year-old and was working in a kosher slaughterhouse when he first took up boxing. As an amateur Joe won three Golden Gloves titles and, in 1964, the Olympic heavyweight championship. Over the next five years, using his feared left hook like a meat cleaver, he knocked out 23 of 26 opponents. Frazier was vilified by Ali and many members of the media. In many ways he was the exact opposite of Ali both in style and personality. Frazier was a pure puncher. He constantly pressured opponents, hands always in motion, head down, moving ever forward out of a low crouch and throwing his destructive left hook out of a bob and weave. He never stopped throwing punches until his opponent dropped. It was a style that was meant to vex a stand-up boxer like Ali.

Frazier was a decent, hardworking, law abiding, church going family man, who was too busy trying to support his growing family to get involved in any causes. The anti-Ali crowd had found their man, although Joe did not care to be looked upon as a symbol of anything other than who he was. So impressive was Frazier in victory that many fans thought he had a good chance to defeat Ali on the best day the ex-champion ever saw. Ali instinctively sensed that this was the perfect opponent for him physically and psychologically. And even though he now had been out of the ring over three years he was as confident of victory as was Frazier. Ali never lost an opportunity to demean and belittle Frazier's ability and insist that he and not some pretender was the real heavyweight champion. Of course it was meant to hype the gate for a possible fight. But try as he might Ali was never able to ruffle Joe's feathers. Smokin' Joe was a cool customer who was happiest and most comfortable beating up opponents. He would silence this braggart in the ring. The stage was being set for an epic confrontation. It was now the summer of 1970.

Ali had not fought in almost 3½ years. Even if he was allowed to come back how much had the layoff affected his magnificent skills? The world was about to find out. Through a quirky set of circumstances, helped by a changing political climate and a friendly black state senator, Ali was granted a boxing license in Atlanta, Georgia, of all places. Not wanting to go in against Frazier without some tune-up fights, Ali chose to meet the No. 1 contender, Jerry Quarry, on October 26, 1970 in the 6,000-seat municipal auditorium. What irony! A controversial black activist and war resister meeting a white opponent in Atlanta, Georgia. It was the biggest night Atlanta had seen since the opening of "Gone With The Wind" some 30 years earlier. The 28-year-old Ali dominated Quarry for the three rounds the fight lasted until a bad cut over Quarry's left eye forced a stoppage. Although an impressive victory it was too short a fight to evaluate Ali's true condition. Ali's situation was steadily improving. A New York State Judge ruled that his boxing license had been revoked unfairly and ordered it reinstated.

This opened the way for another tune-up fight in New York against top-rated contender Oscar Bonavena. On December 7th, 1970 in New York's Madison Square Garden, Muhammad Ali knocked out the awkward and very strong Argentinean in the 15th and final round for his 30th straight victory. Up until the spectacular knockout it had been a tough and grueling fight. Boxing people saw that Ali's legs had slowed down and he did not move with the same fluid speed and accuracy that he had before his long layoff. But he did win, was still undefeated, and had three months to prepare for his showdown with Joe Frazier. The countdown had begun. The Fight The match was set for March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden. Each man was guaranteed $2.5 million dollars, the largest single payday for any entertainer or athlete at the time. Tickets to the Garden would be made available to the general public by mail on a first come first served basis. Prices in the arena ranged from $20 for a balcony seat to $150 for ringside. Hundreds of other locations throughout the U.S.

and Canada would screen the fight via closed circuit television to fans paying $5 to $15. Interest in the event was incredible. Radio, television, and the print media were filled with stories discussing the upcoming fight. Tension and anticipation were building by the hour. Few athletic events, be it World Series, Super Bowl or World Cup, had come even close to generating the type of excitement and attention that this prizefight was getting. Fifty countries had purchased rights to the telecast. Frank Sinatra photographed the fight for Life Magazine. The fight was broadcast from ringside in 12 different languages. When the final tallies were added up it was estimated that 300 million people around the globe had watched the fight. It was the largest audience ever for a television broadcast up to that time. More people had tuned into the fight than had watched the moon landing two years before. In the end the fight grossed between 18 and 20 million dollars word wide of which less than $1,500,000 came from television money outside the United States and Canada. But the United States and Canada provided only 1,500,000 viewers.

Although oddsmakers made Frazier a slight 6 to 5 favorite Ali's supporters were not perturbed. Their belief in him was total. It went beyond his skill as a boxer. To them he was more than just a boxer-he was a symbol. He could not lose. Ali agreed and predicted that Frazier "will fall in six." Ali had an 8½-inch advantage in reach, 4-inches in height (6'3" to 5'11") and weighed 215 lbs. to Joe's 205½. The night of the fight was electric. As the fighters made their way towards the ring hearts pounded and pulses raced. Everyone was on their feet. The Garden, filled to capacity with 20,455 spectators, was brimming with celebrities. But not everyone of note was able to get choice seating. Hubert Humphrey, the ex-vice president of the United States, was sitting in the mezzanine! Frank Sinatra had one of the best seats in the house. He was hired by Life Magazine (although he would gladly have paid them for the privilege) to photograph the fight from the ring apron.

The overflow of stars who couldn't get into the Garden, like Bing Crosby, were to be found at Radio City Music Hall whose 6,500 seats had sold out three weeks earlier. Virtually every other closed circuit television location was also filled to capacity. While both fighters waited for the introductions Ali, gliding around the ring, twice brushed Frazier's shoulder as he moved past him. The crowd reacted with a roar. Frazier glared at Ali contemptuously. Then the house lights dimmed. The tension was almost unbearable. The fans were still on their feet when the bell rang. The fight was on! Joe came out bobbing and weaving, edging in towards Ali, trying to get under his jab and land the hook to his body or head. Ali was using his footwork to keep Joe at a distance. But most of his jabs were missing the target as Frazier's head moved quickly to avoid them. Ali seemed surprised by Frazier's speed. By the third round Ali had come off his toes and was fighting uncharacteristically flatfooted perhaps to save energy. Frazier was setting an incredible pace.

He seemed almost maniacal, throwing more punches in one round than most heavyweights throw in an entire fight. But Ali was picking his spots and landing hard counter punches and powerful jabs. The sixth round came and went and with it Ali's predicted knockout. Frazier laughed derisively at him at the end of the round. The fight was being fought with a brutal intensity rarely seen in any prizefight. Each man was fighting as if he had a point to prove. This was a genuine grudge match and it was being fought like one. Ali could not keep up the torrid pace. He was allowing Frazier to pin him against the ropes, something he would never have done in previous fights. It appeared that Ali could no longer move with the old speed and lightness of foot. Even so, as the bell rang for the start of the 11th round, it was still anybody's fight. Joe Frazier lands one of his trademark left hooks. Suddenly, with a minute to go in the round, Frazier caught Ali with a tremendous left hook to the jaw that caused his knees to sag. He tried to fool Frazier into thinking he was just playing possum but he was genuinely hurt.

He barley made it to the end of the round. The pace slowed a bit in the next two rounds as both men seemed to be conserving what energy they had left for the homestretch. In the 14th round Ali, drawing on some mysterious inner resource, staged a miraculous comeback and pounded Frazier with some of his best punches of the fight. Now entering the final round both men were exhausted but still punching. And then it happened. Frazier lashed out with another of his countless left hooks only this one landed flush on Ali's exposed jaw. He went down hard, flat on his back, legs in the air. Incredibly Ali bounced up at the count of three and made it to the final bell. If anyone still had any doubts as to who deserved to win the fight it was settled with that one left hook that dropped Ali for only the third time in his career. The unanimous decision went to Frazier. He deserved it. But Ali too deserved the accolades due him for a tremendous effort. No one would ever again question his ability to take a punch. The fight ranks as one of boxing's all-time classics.

EPILOGUE: On June 27, 1971, by a vote of 8-0 (Justice Thurgood Marshall abstaining) the United States Supreme Court cleared Muhammad Ali of the charge that he refused induction into the Armed Forces. Michael Silver is a boxing historian, media consultant, and journalist whose articles on boxing have appeared in numerous publications including Ring Magazine, Boxing Monthly and the New York Times. Joe Frazier, former heavyweight champion, dead at 67 PHILADELPHIA -- He beat Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century, battled him nearly to the death in the Thrilla in Manila. Then Joe Frazier spent the rest of his life trying to fight his way out of Ali's shadow. That was one fight Frazier never could win. He once was a heavyweight champion, and a great one at that. Ali would say as much after Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971. But he bore the burden of being Ali's foil, and he paid the price.

Bitter for years about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Frazier only in recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had forgiven Ali for everything he said. Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, forever will be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as "The Greatest" unless he, too, was linked to Smokin' Joe. "I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration," Ali said in a statement. "My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones." They fought three times, twice in the heart of New York City and once in the morning in a steamy arena in the Philippines. They went 41 rounds together, with neither giving an inch and both giving it their all. In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights. Frazier gave almost as good as he got for 14 rounds, then had to be held back by trainer Eddie Futch as he tried to go out for the final round, unable to see.

"Closest thing to dying that I know of," Ali said afterward. Ali was as merciless with Frazier out of the ring as he was inside it. He called him a gorilla, and mocked him as an Uncle Tom. But he respected him as a fighter, especially after Frazier won a decision to defend his heavyweight title against the then-unbeaten Ali, in a fight that was so big Frank Sinatra was shooting pictures at ringside and both fighters earned a then-astonishing $2.5 million. The night at the Garden 40 years ago remained fresh in Frazier's mind as he talked about his life, career and relationship with Ali a few months before he died. "I can't go nowhere where it's not mentioned," he told The Associated Press. "That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life." Bob Arum, who once promoted Ali, said he was saddened by Frazier's passing. "He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word," Arum said. "I'm torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age.

I can't say enough about Joe." Frazier's death was announced in a statement by his family, who asked to be able to grieve privately and said they would announce "our father's homecoming celebration" as soon as possible. Manny Pacquiao learned of it shortly after he arrived in Las Vegas for his fight Saturday night with Juan Manuel Marquez. Like Frazier in his prime, Pacquiao has a powerful left hook that he has used in his remarkable run to stardom. "Boxing lost a great champion, and the sport lost a great ambassador," Pacquiao said. Don King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila, said in a statement issued Tuesday that Frazier was "the embodiment of what a great heavyweight champion and person should be." "Not only was he a great fighter but also a great man. He lived as he fought with courage and commitment at a time when African-Americans in all spheres of life were engaged in a struggle for emancipation and respect," King said of Frazier.

"Smokin' Joe brought honor, dignity and pride for his people, the AMERICAN people, and brought the nation together as only sports can do." Though slowed in his later years and his speech slurred by the toll of punches taken in the ring, Frazier still was active on the autograph circuit in the months before he died. In September he went to Las Vegas, where he signed autographs in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel-casino shortly before Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fight against Victor Ortiz. An old friend, Gene Kilroy, visited with him and watched Frazier work the crowd. "He was so nice to everybody," Kilroy said. "He would say to each of them, 'Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor, what's your name?' " Frazier was small for a heavyweight, weighing just 205 pounds when he won the title by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their 1970 fight at Madison Square Garden. But he fought every minute of every round going forward behind a vicious left hook, and there were few fighters who could withstand his constant pressure. Joe Frazier's decision victory over Muhammad Ali in 1971 was the first in a trio of legendary fights.

AP Photo His reign as heavyweight champion lasted only four fights -- including the win over Ali -- before he ran into an even more fearsome slugger than himself. George Foreman responded to Frazier's constant attack by dropping him three times in the first round (the first giving birth to Howard Cosell's iconic "Down goes Frazier!" call) and three more in the second before their 1973 fight in Jamaica was waved to a close and the world had a new heavyweight champion. "Good night Joe Frazier. I love you dear friend. George Foreman" read Foreman's Twitter page. "He would not back up from King Kong," Foreman said later Tuesday. "I know, I knocked Joe down six times. When our fight was over, Joe was on his feet looking for me." Two fights later, Frazier met Ali in a rematch of their first fight, only this time the outcome was different. Ali won a 12-round decision, and later that year stopped Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire. There had to be a third fight, though, and what a fight it was.

With Ali's heavyweight title at stake, the two met in Manila in a bout that long will be seared in boxing history. Frazier went after Ali round after round, landing his left hook with regularity as he made Ali backpedal around the ring. But Ali responded with left jabs and right hands that found their mark again and again. Even the intense heat inside the arena couldn't stop the two as they fought every minute of every round, with neither willing to concede the other one second of the round. "They told me Joe Frazier was through," Ali told Frazier at one point during the fight. "They lied," Frazier said, before hitting Ali with a left hook. Finally, though, Frazier simply couldn't see and Futch would not let him go out for the 15th round. Ali won the fight while on his stool, exhausted and contemplating himself whether to go on. It was one of the greatest fights ever, but it took a toll. Frazier would fight only two more times, getting knocked out in a rematch with Foreman eight months later before coming back in 1981 for an ill-advised fight with Jumbo Cummings.

"They should have both retired after the Manila fight," former AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. said. "They left every bit of talent they had in the ring that day." "The courage Smokin' Joe showed in The Thrilla in Manila -- answering every Ali onslaught with an equally withering response -- will remain in the hearts and minds of boxing fans around the globe forever," King said of the third fight in the trilogy. "One cannot underestimate the contribution Smokin' Joe and Ali made to progress and change by creating the space, through their talent, for black men to be seen, visible and relevant. The Thrilla in Manila helped make America better," King said. Born in Beaufort, S.C., on Jan. 12, 1944, Frazier took up boxing early after watching weekly fights on the black-and-white television on his family's small farm. He was a top amateur for several years, and became the only American fighter to win a gold medal in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo despite fighting in the final bout with an injured left thumb. "Joe Frazier should be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time and a real man," Arum told the AP in a telephone interview Monday night.

"He's a guy that stood up for himself. He didn't compromise and always gave 100 percent in the ring. There was never a fight in the ring where Joe didn't give 100 percent." After turning pro in 1965, Frazier quickly became known for his punching power, stopping his first 11 opponents. Within three years he was fighting world-class opposition and, in 1970, beat Ellis to win the heavyweight title that he would hold for more than two years. A woman who answered Ellis' phone in Kentucky said the former champion suffers from Alzheimer's disease, but she wanted to pass along the family's condolences. In Frazier's adopted hometown of Philadelphia, a fellow Philly fighter, longtime middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins, said Frazier was so big in the city that he should have his own shadow, like the fictional Rocky character. "I saw him at one of my car washes a few weeks ago. He was in a car, just hollering at us, 'They're trying to get me!' That was his, hi," Hopkins said. "I'm glad I got to see him in the last couple of months. At the end of the day, I respect the man.

I believe at the end of his life, he was fighting to get that respect." HBO broadcaster Larry Merchant, who became close with Frazier after covering him as a reporter in Philadelphia, was crushed by the news. "This is a body blow to me because I knew him personally as well as professionally," Merchant told ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "I thought he was as honest and as real a fighter as there ever was. He followed in a tradition of (Jack) Dempsey and (Rocky) Marciano as the 'Warrior King.' " It was his fights with Ali that would define Frazier. Though Ali was gracious in defeat in the first fight, he was as vicious with his words as he was with his punches in promoting all three fights -- and he never missed a chance to get a jab in at Frazier. Frazier, who in his later years would have financial trouble and end up running a gym in Philadelphia, took the jabs personally. He felt Ali made fun of him by calling him names and said things that were not true just to get under his skin. Those feelings were only magnified as Ali went from being an icon in the ring to one of the most beloved people in the world.

After a trembling Ali lit the Olympic torch in 1996 in Atlanta, Frazier was asked by a reporter what he thought about it. "They should have thrown him in," Frazier responded. He mellowed, though, in recent years, preferring to remember the good from his fights with Ali rather than the bad. Just before the 40th anniversary of his win over Ali earlier this year -- a day Frazier celebrated with parties in New York -- he said he no longer felt any bitterness toward Ali, who suffers from Parkinson's disease and is mostly mute. "I forgive him," Frazier. "He's in a bad way." Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Question: Which boxer defeated Muhammed Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971?
Answer: Joe Frazier