In Thrilla In Manila (2008) – a film about the third and last bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975 – Ali’s own biographer and Pulitzer Prize nominee Thomas Hauser said: “In the ring Frazier and Ali were the equal of each other yet today Ali has sold the use of his name and likeness for fifty million dollars.
“Joe is living in a room above his gym in Philadelphia. That’s an interesting look at how America treats its sporting icons. Some are accorded special status. Others are largely forgotten”.
America, awestruck by the charismatic showman and shameless self promoter Ali, forgot all about poor Smokin’ Joe.
They forgot what he did to the World’s Greatest Athlete in Madison Square Garden in March 1971 when he exposed a weakness in Ali’s armoury, opening him up with vicious left hooks. They forgot about it because Ali and his trainer Angelo Dundee claimed Frazier’s points decision victory was a sham – reflecting the white bias towards him.
Some critics claim the film is compromised by its use of this fight to denigrate Ali with its focus on his activism, involvement with the Nation of Islam and treatment of Frazier.
But some of the lines uttered in this doco – a superb depiction of boxing and human nature – are as devastating as the hits dished out by the two immortal heavyweights.
It was during the Thrilla In Manila four years later that Ali felt, for the first time in his career, that he was going to die. That was enough to make it the greatest fight ever. But there was much more to it than that.
Ali’s physician and cornerman Ferdie Pacheco never had cause to be concerned for his client’s welfare until that unbearably hot and humid morning of October 1st, 1975 inside the Araneta Colosseum in the Philippines.
After dominating a “washed up” Joe Frazier in the early rounds Ali suddenly found himself in serious trouble. Frazier started to work over Ali’s brain and other vital organs during six rounds of brutal left and right hooks, and shuddering body blows.
After the fifth round Ali was no longer taunting Frazier with nursery rhymes, and after the tenth – his bright mocking eyes dulled by pain, exhaustion and internal bleeding (he would soon be peeing blood) – he confided ringside: “This is what death must be like”.
Throughout this fight , Ali resurrected himself once, Frazier twice. And then after the fourteenth round when Ali had had enough and was asking his trainer to end it, Frazier’s threw in the towel.
Hauser said “Great fights between great fighters are few and far between”. When those fighters are heavyweights, people who claim not to like boxing come to watch.
Norman Mailer observed that when Ali appeared in public “women would draw an audible breath. Men would look down”. On television the charisma is not as apparent. In fact it was Frazier (the “ugly gorilla” as Ali unforgettably and unforgivably called him) who most resembled cinema’s first black action hero, the ruggedly handsome Shaft
You see, as the documentary makes clear from the opening, the fight was personal. Frazier resented Ali, and rightly so. They had once been close friends. Frazier had lent Ali money when he was banned for boxing for refusing to serve in Vietnam and Frazier actively petitioned for the reinstatement of Ali’s licence.
When the Supreme Court lifted the ban and the Madison Square Garden fight was set up the relationship changed dramatically. Ali was a renowned witty taunter of opponents that served to put them off their game and to increase interest in the fights. He was an invigorating presence in a deadly earnest profession.
He chose to give his one time friend searingly cruel and personal insults, referring to him as a “fat-nosed ugly pug” and absurdly labelling him a black traitor because of his white business interests. Later, ironically, would come the insult usually attributed to racist whites: “Gorilla”.
The narrator explains Ali’s motives: “Of the forty-nine fighters Muhammad Ali fought during his twenty year career Joe Frazier was the one he feared the most. And Ali did everything he could to unsettle him”.
Frazier was clearly shaken by the outbursts. Lacking Ali’s verbal facilities he was unable to counter the insults by pointing out Ali’s hypocritical lifestyle. Instead, his friend’s betrayal burning inside him, he grew to hate Ali.
So much so that during the film – thirty-three years after the Thrilla In Manila – he revels in the possibility that God and the battering he gave Ali between rounds five and ten are responsible for Ali’s degenerative condition.
It seems Ali’s ugly tirades had unearthed something ugly in this once genial giant.
Only Joe Frazier, it seems, knew what was coming in the Philippines. Ali had sensationally knocked out George Foreman the previous year in The Rumble In The Jungle and seemed to be at the top of his game.
Frazier,on the other hand, had been battered senseless by Foreman inside two rounds and was thought by Ali to be finished.
Ali spent the days cavorting with his mistress and making public appearances. Frazier, with a single minder, escaped to the outskirts of Quezon City to train, focus and nurture his hatred.
As early as the fighters’ entrance, things started to get out of kilter for Ali. The Filipinos had tired of Ali’s verbal taunts and began to boo him. Ali showed mock outrage and carried the trophy over to his corner. It’s hard to believe, watching that pantomime now, what was to follow.
Ali believed he could end it inside five rounds. Trying to exploit Frazier’s renowned slow starts Ali spurned his dancing, and walked straight on in. For the first three rounds the world saw the greatest looking fighter at his best – the aesthete of combinations – as he worked on Frazier’s face. Ali’s ferocious pace didn’t allow his opponent to get under and in, like he had in New York.
It went on for three rounds but as his cornerman relates: “Ali, for some reason couldn’t do it, He was hitting him with the best hits he could and it wasn’t hurting… as much as it should”.
Then in the fourth Frazier found Ali with a right, and then another. Someone says: “I didn’t think Joe could tie his shoes with his right hand. Suddenly Ali is thinking there are two hands in this fight. That was very important”.
And so began the assault on Ali’s person as Frazier expressed his hatred upon his opponent’s heart, liver and kidneys. “He wasn’t just beating Ali. He was beating Ali …up! Big difference”, says Hauser.
Even Imelda Marcos, the wife of a dictator and probably no stranger to distressing noises, couldn’t bear to watch “because you could hear the sounds. When the fists would land.”
Ali was unmarked but not unaffected. He was bleeding inside but more importantly the hooks he had absorbed from the shorter more powerful Frazier were caught on the up, striking his chin and jaw – throwing his head back and forcing his brain against the inside of his skull.
Frazier may have had the swollen visage but the damage was more cosmetic. Ali’s jabs and straight rights had hit him flat; his face and pylon-thick neck disseminating the shock.
There are stills from that first bout in New York in 1971 ,”The Fight of the Century”, showing Frazier staggering Ali in the eleventh round and then knocking him down in the fifteenth. Frazier’s left arm and shoulder having completed their brutal task are following through and just as prominent are his muscular thighs: the starting point of the thunderbolt’s power.
Ali was the taller man – more mobile, slimmer, and with a longer reach. But there’s a price to pay for those advantages: a lack of power and a jaw vulnerable to attack. Ali was the most complete heavyweight boxer there had ever been but his power deficit and susceptibility to Frazier’s greatest weapon , the left hook, cost him their first confrontation and should have cost him their third.
But just as Frazier had done in the early rounds, Ali somehow survived the ordeal and began slowly to get back into the contest. By the thirteenth, Frazier, who was nearly blind in the left eye, was having trouble seeing out of his right. He was beginning to absorb Ali’s straight punches again.
Then came the fourteenth.
“If you had to say what’s the attraction of boxing you’d show them round fourteen. Do you want to see what makes people come and scream and holler? Look at round fourteen”, said Pacheco.
A correspondent believed “it was the most brutal of the fourteen rounds. There are five or six times when Ali throws combinations where you expect Joe to fall. And he staggers… but his will keeps him up”.
Pacheco said it was “the closest he’d seen somebody come to killing somebody”.
Before the start of the final round, the swollen face of Frazier can be seen arguing with trainer Eddie Futch. Ali, his face relatively unscathed, looks exhausted and has ordered Angelo Dundee to cut off his gloves. When Futch ends the fight Ali looks in shock. He rises slowly to celebrate but is soon on his back being attended to.
Ali’s doctor said his man should never have boxed again: “He was pissing blood. He can’t walk straight, he can’t talk straight, he can’t see straight … but he wanted to keep going”.
He would go on to fight ten more bouts, winning seven. He would lose his second last against ex sparring partner Larry Holmes. Holmes described it as “like taking candy from a baby”.
Ali viewed himself differently to most of his fellow boxers – poor, uneducated, witless, unimaginative, “victims of circumstance” – because boxing was all they knew, and cared about.
Ali wanted to be more than a boxer. He wanted to be an entertainer, an artist, an intellectual, an entrepreneur, a joker, and most importantly an activist – a man in control of his destiny. He became wealthy, worldly and idolised, and yet continued to box, probably damning himself to Parkinson’s.
Frazier would fight twice more, and then retire to the room in his gym with cans of corn and Campbell’s Chunky soup.
Sylvester Stallone used Frazier’s training methods – running up the stairs of Philadelphia’s Museum of Art and punching sides of beef – as inspiration for Rocky.
So what did the city do? It erected a statue of Rocky Balboa.
Sadly, Frazier passed away just four months ago from liver cancer. America should be judged on how they treat the legacy of this great heavyweight.
Donny
Guest
"Ali spent the days cavorting with his mistress and making public appearances. Frazier, with a single minder, escaped to the outskirts of Quezon City to train, focus and nurture his hatred." I hate to bust your bubble, but Joe wasn't as industrious in his prep for this fight as that shameful "documentary" made him out to be. Although it is true that Ali was spending time with his then mistress Veronica Porshce, Joe wasn't exactly celibate either. While he was staying in Manila for the fight, Joe was shacking up in his hotel with his mistress, Denise Mentz. Of course this heavily biased film doesn't reveal that. When interviewing Denise n this film, they even tried to cover it up by portraying her as Joe's "traveling companion." There wasn't anything "great" about this so-called documentary. It was nothing but a blatant hatchet job on Muhammad Ali.
JoyBoy
Guest
In reading this article, as well as all of the posts in response to it, I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Crip. And like him, I too take umbrage to Mr. Sutherland’s quotes of “America, sucked in by the charismatic showman (Ali),” “reflecting the white bias towards him,” and “Ali wanted to be more than a boxer. He wanted to be an entertainer, an artist, an intellectual, an entrepreneur, an activist, a joker.” The irony of it all is that it is Andrew Sutherland who’s being “sucked in” here, having been conned by this ignominious John Dower propaganda documentary. If America “forgot” Joe Frazier, I think it’s grossly unfair to blame Muhammad Ali, or even Angelo Dundee, as Dower leads us to believe in this ruse of a film that’s supposed to be a “great sports documentary.” Yes, Joe does have the distinction of being the first pro boxer to defeat Ali as he did in ’71. And yes, Joe was one of the few pro fighters to floor Ali (although it should be noted that he did so at a time when Ali’s skills had significantly diminished, coming off of a nearly four-year hiatus from boxing). But Joe’s reign as a world heavyweight champion would be relatively brief, going on to lose the world heavyweight title—in brutal fashion I might add--to George Foremen less than two years after he defeated Ali. Add to that, Frazier also suffered defeats to Ali in their two subsequent rematches (Ali actually came within a hair of knocking Frazier out in the second round of their first rematch in 1974). And after losing to Ali in Manila, Joe would suffer another knockout at the hands of Foreman, the man whom Ali of course knocked out to regain the world heavyweight title in ‘74. After fighting to a draw against Jumbo Cummings during the early 80s, a relative “no-name,” unranked fighter, Frazier involuntarily retired from the fight game. Consequently, if Frazier ‘s legacy as a world heavyweight champ was tarnished in any way, I would say that it stemmed largely from the defeats he suffered during the latter stage of his professional career rather than from disparaging remarks from Muhammad Ali. To scapegoat Ali—or even Angelo Dundee—for Joe’s downfall is beyond absurd. If Ali strived to be an “entertainer, an artist, an intellectual, an entrepreneur, an activist, a joker,” I would say that he was indeed successful in these endeavors. However, it should be noted too that Joe Frazier also endeavored in fields outside of the ring and attempted become an entertainer himself. But unfortunately, and in contrast to Ali, he wasn’t so successful. One thing that this documentary doesn’t address is that Joe aspired to become a singer when he was young. In fact, during his pro boxing career he often moonlighted as a ”performer,” with the plan of becoming a full-time singer after his boxing career ended. Although obviously a great fighter, his singing, however, wasn’t too keen. As a result, he achieved minimal success as an entertainer after he retired from boxing, and having nothing else to fall back on, he retreated to his gym in Philly and spent his remaining days training up-and-coming young area boxers. I personally believe that it was his frustration as failed vocalist that actually made him such a bitter man late in his life, more so than from any banter he received from Muhammad Ali when the two were young men. As with many pro sport legends, Joe Frazier’s saga of going from rags to riches back to rags again is sadly unfortunate. But if Joe, like many multimillionaire star pro athletes, squandered his fortune on imprudent investments, alimony and/or child support payments, as well being generous to a fault, to blame his downfall on Muhammad Ali, or on “mistreatment” from the American public as Dower and Andrew Sutherland does, is just erroneous and utterly ridiculous. Please Andy… don’t get “played” by John Dower propaganda.
JoyBoy
Guest
Well Andrew, since that IMDb review was posted by Rajesh, you've been mighty quiet (crickets!). But the reviewer is right. This doc was just pure propaganda and a no-holds barred hatchet job on Muhammad Ali. It's so slanted and biased to Frazier that it overlooks a lot of facts, and some of it, particularly the analysis of the Manila fight itself, is nothing but complete fabrication. Ali DID NOT want his gloves cut at the end of the 14th round of this fight. Before he died, Angelo Dundee stated that this wasn't true, and who would have been more privy to this than him? HBO should have been ashamed of itself for airing this lousy piece of journallism and revisionist history.
crip
Roar Pro
Or http://www.smh.com.au/tv/show/muhammad-ali--fighting-spirit/muhammad-ali-fighting-spirit-20111128-1o2ss.html
crip
Roar Pro
You may like this article on the Thriller in Manilla: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7208921/ghosts-manila
crip
Roar Pro
Cheers Rajesh. Do we still think that this was a Great Sport Documentary Andrew?
Rajesh
Guest
I would like to point out the following imdb review of this documentary. Hope this clears things up- Several weeks ago, there was a special presentation of this documentary at an event to honor the memory of Smokin' Joe Frazier. Legendary boxing promoter Bob Arum spoke at the function, and although Arum prefaced his remarks by paying homage to the late Joe Frazier, he harshly criticized this documentary, bluntly calling it "disgusting" and an "unfair attack" on Muhammad Ali. Arum, however, hit the nail on the head regarding this film, which, as another reviewer on the Web site accurately characterizes, is just "a piece of revisionist propaganda." There are a slew of inaccuracies, myths, and half-truths presented in this documentary, so much so that if I were to address them all, this review would be the length of a book. However, I would like to dispel several of the most significant myths that this biased documentary perpetuates: Documentary Myth: During Ali's exile, Joe Frazier nobly helped Ali out by giving him money and diligently lobbying to help Ali get his license reinstated. Facts: Yes, during Ali's exile from boxing, Frazier would, on occasion, lend money to Ali and even went to great lengths to help Ali get his license back. But he didn't do so for magnanimous reasons, like it's portrayed in this documentary. Joe wanted a mega million dollar fight and knew that a fight with Ali would result in a huge fight payday, given Ali's high name recognition. He facilitated Ali's return to boxing because he perceived Ali as his ticket to Ft. Knox, which is what Ali became. But Joe's "noble" gestures in helping Ali were for his own personal gain, not Ali's welfare. Documentary Myth: By calling Joe "ugly" or " gorilla," Ali was making racial epithets. Facts: True, Ali did call Frazier "ugly," but he also called Sonny Liston, Leon Spinks and Larry Holmes ugly during prefight stages of his bouts with them as well. (He probably called Liston ugly more times than Frazier. Just view some old footage of everything leading up to the first Liston bout.) In addition to proclaiming to be "The Greatest," Ali would often boast to the press, in a joking manner, that he was "pretty" and most fighters were "ugly." But it has to be understood that in addition to being a master boxer, Ali was also a master showman and a master fight promoter. The name calling wasn't meant to serve as personal attacks, and Ali's boasting of his boxing ability and his appearance wasn't conceit, contrary to popular myth. He just used narcissism to promote bouts, a marketing ploy he learned from watching pro wrestlers. And yes, Ali did call Frazier "The Gorilla" before their third fight. But here again, it was a situation in which Frazier was not singled out. Ali had always created monikers for his opponents as a gimmick to promote fights. He called Frazier "The Gorilla" before their third fight, but he also coined Sonny Liston "The Big Ugly Bear," Floyd Patterson "The Rabbit," George Chuvalo "The Washerwoman," George Foreman "The Mummy," and Ernie Shavers "The Acorn" (a reference to Shaver's bald head). But given this pattern, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Ali was creating monikers as a promotional gimmick, not as racial taunts. He applied it to many fighters, not just Frazier; it was just that Frazier was the only Ali opponent who spent his entire life whining about it. Documentary Myth: The Nation of Islam, of which Ali was a member, and the Klu Klux Klan wanted to form a pact and Muhammad Ali spoke at a Klu Klux Klan Rally. Facts: There's minimal evidence to support this documentary's claim that the KKK and the NOI wanted to collaborate. And as for Ali speaking at a Klan rally, there's also no credible evidence to substantiate this assertion, and it most likely never happened. Being that Ali at the time was nothing more than arguably the world's most famous human being, surely news of this would have inevitably leaked to the press. Add to that, the irony of an Afrocentric Muhammad Ali speaking at a rally of white supremacists would have made for such a sensational and controversial news story that it would been featured as a lead story on every major TV news telecast, a front page headline on most newspapers, and a cover story for a lot of magazines. The long and short of it all is that the media would have had a field day with something like this. Yet there is no film or photographic record of this, nor is there any news report on record of this at all. The documentary shows a film clip of Ali in an interview supposedly admitting to speaking at a KKK rally. However, the film footage has obviously been edited. Ali was most likely making these remarks as part of a gag. He was always one to clown and joke around, even while being interviewed. I could go on and on about the myths, biased assertions, and falsehoods perpetuated in this documentary, such as implausible testimonies, a fabricated analysis of the Ali-Frazier fight trilogy, manipulated film footage, and Larry Holmes lying through his teeth by saying that Ali was "overrated" as a fighter (when, ironically, Holmes had always publicly proclaimed that Ali was his idol), but, unfortunately, IMDb imposes a 1,000-word limit for its reviews. But the bottom line is that the "Thriller in Manila" documentary is, as Bob Arum states, "chock full of inaccuracies and is designed to demean Muhammad Ali" And as he also states, you can watch this documentary if you want, "but don't believe a word that's being said."
amazonfan
Guest
Crip, I love Ali, but the way he treated Frazier was disgusting. Not only did he abuse Frazier, but he did it in spite of Frazier supporting him when he had been banned. Frazier put out a hand, only for it to be slapped away. As for Rocky, a wonderful film, but I agree with Andrew that Frazier should have been honored instead. Andrew, I think you're lessening Ali's non-boxing contributions. His stance on the Vietnam war cost him dearly, and was arguably among the most courageous stances taken by a sportsman in recent times. Also, while he was a member of the Nation of Islam, he converted to mainstream Sunni Islam in the mid 70's.
Andrew Sutherland
Roar Guru
Crip, Oh where to start! Now clearly you're a huge Muhammad Ali fan and that is understandable but let me point a few things out. I didn't "buy into" the film. I came across it, watched it, and thought it was superbly made. Also it was not from Ali's all-consuming perspective. "Everyone who has watched the thriller in Manila knows that both men went beyond the limits of human endurance and then some. Who won the fight was trivial after such a fight". You don't really believe that do you? Google biographies on Joe Frazier and the first thing you get is "Buy Muhammad Ali books" - like the several i'm sure you've read. The fact that I said Ali wanted to be many things doesn't mean he didn't get some way to becoming them. By "entertaining" Parkinson was referring to his wit which he had in spades but also to his attempt to promote 'civil rights' by publicly crucifying his fellow black Frazier (Uncle Tom and Ugly Gorilla). Unfortunately the Nation Of Islam was a black supremacist group not a civil rights movement and they manipulated poor Ali for all he was worth. Ultimately Ali's great persona was hugely responsible for important social change and he showed great courage but he was (sorry about the past tense) a troubled man. But enough of Ali! You can see why there are so many bios of him. The film and my article was on why Frazier didn't receive his due reward. Crip, Rocky was a great film (despite the Academy Award and the boxers' appalling defence) ) but it doesn't say much for Philadelphia when they put up Rocky Balboa (looking like George Michael singing Wake Me Up Before You Go Go) instead of a black boxer who came from nothing to become World Heavyweight Champion.
crip
Roar Pro
I thought the Thriller in Manilla as far as sporting documentaries goes was a giant dud and does a disservice to the champion that Joe Frazier was. I assuming that writer has bought into this documentry based on his opinion or quotes it's not clear to me. If the article claims that America forgot about Smokin Joe that's fine but don't prove your point by denegrating the greatness of Muhammed Ali. Everyone who has watched the thriller in Manilla knows that both men went beyond the limits of human endurance and then some. Who won the fight was trivial after such display. Joe Frazier may have been the fighter that Ali feared the most (not sure) but Ali has said that Joe Frazier also bought out the best in him and he never backed away from fighting him. Ali went on to fight after the Thriller yes but you fail to mention that in one of those fights he regained the world title for a third time. Ali was fighting world title fights before Frazier came on the scene and after he left. In Muhammad Ali's autobiography from 1976 he explains how Heavyweight fighters can never be friends. Wisdom that he picked up while a young fighter who made it his mission in life to learn everything he knows about the science of boxing. I take umbridge to these quotes "America, sucked in by the charismatic showman", "reflecting the white bias towards him" and "Ali wanted to be more than a boxer. He wanted to be an entertainer, an artist, an intellectual, an entrepreneur, an activist, a joker". Ali was more than a boxer. He was front and centre of the civil rights campaign and the anti war campaign both massive parts of recent history. He didn't do it for self promotion. He did it because it was the right thing to do and he was hated by White America for it. Ali was entertaining to. Michael Parkinson describes Ali as the most entertaining person he has ever interviewed (check it out on you tube). Also Rocky is based on Chuck Wepner which has been recognised by Sylvester Stalone. It won the Academy award for best picture and is still putting Philadelphia on the map to this day.
Hoy
Roar Guru
I think it was towards the end of the great fights. There was a period late 90s, early 2000s that heavy weight fights lasted two rounds or less, because they were all only interested in money. That was when I stopped following heavy weights. The fights lost all meaning. Can someone confirm what heavy weight fights are like now?
Jock
Guest
Great article- those were the days! Being roughly the same age as Ali, i saw most of his legendary fights live. As far as i am concerned the finest athlete of the 20th century. A lot of people forget just how good he was before his enforced layoff[ nearly four years] for refusing the draft. Bottom line, he was not allowed to fight in the years when he would have been in his prime. To come back after four years and straightaway fight the top heavyweights of the day culminating in the 1971 first fight against Frazier was a fantastic feat, particularly as the second Ali was , in my opinion, not as good as Cassius Clay/Ali of 1964/67 era. Pacheco is correct, both Ali and Frazier[ also a terrific fighter], should have retired after Manila. The Heavyweight division today is a sad spectacle
Mickyt
Guest
I have a client who was live at the fight sitting behind Marcos. His shirt was spattered with blood and saliva. The most amazing thing that is not really depicted in the documentary is the fight was at 10am Manilla time so it would be live on the East Coast US market at night. The sheer humidity, heat, stillness at that time of the morning was so uncomfortable for a spectator sitting in the crowd let alone what Ali and Frazier did to each other in the ring. Fantastic article. Sad to see what happened to Frazier in later in life. A great follow up documentary is FACING ALI.
BigAl
Guest
Brilliant Andrew ! - the Roar is lucky to have you. As gruesome as it may sound - Frazier's claims to have caused Ali's current degenerative state - with the battering he gave him over those 5 rounds, I think is dead right.