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93. The Thrilla in Manila

93. The Thrilla in Manila

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 Four words. That’s all you need to take you back in time to a fight that to this day resonates with a generation of boxing fans. Ali and Frazier for a 3rd and final time. I’m talking about… The Thrilla in Manila. The two great heavyweights despised each other. Muhammad Ali famously said “It will be a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila.” His constant verbal abuse of Joe Frazier made Joe’s blood boil, to the point where he didn’t want to knock Ali out in their 3rd clash. He made it clear, “ I want to hurt Ali”. And he did. Ali said this fight was the "closest thing to dyin' that I know of”. By the end of the 14th round both men had been brutally punished. Frazier could no longer see, both his eyes swollen shut by the constant barrage of jabs to the face by his counterpart. When the bell rang for the 15th, neither man wanted to give in or give up… but Frazier’s trainer Eddie Fuchs knew his man couldn’t defend himself any longer… and much to the chagrin of Frazier, threw in the towel, ending one of the most brutal fights in boxing history. The fight was covered by senior writer Mark Kram, Sr. of Sports Illustrated who writes of it in the October 13, 1975 issue of SI. It’s one of the best pieces of sports writing you will ever come across, beautifully combined with the photos from Neil Leifer. It is Sports Illustrated at its absolute best and 50 years later, it is a lesson in sports journalism that holds up to this day. When it comes to Joe Frazier, Mark Kram, Jr. wrote the book on him… literally. Smokin’ Joe: The Life of Joe Frazier is a biography that goes into depth on the life of the former heavyweight champion and the three fights against his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, culminating in the ‘Thrilla’. Kram, Jr. tells us how Frazier tried fighting Ali in the later rounds by listening to him breathe since he could no longer see. He tells of the incredible heat that day in Manila with the arena reaching temps over 115 degrees. Kram also tells us that both Ali and Frazier wanted to go one more time — ‘Ali-Frazier IV!’— before their handlers put that idea to bed. And he tells us how they both grew to respect each other later in life despite the animosity that surrounded them during their fighting days. It’s a great conversation about possibly the last truly great heavyweight fight. Two warriors fighting for a championship… fighting for respect… fighting for their lives. The Thrilla in Manila… 50 years later… on the Past Our Prime podcast. Download and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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