Mar 8 2011
The Fight Of The Century
"Smokin" Joe Frazier vs Cassius Clay "Muhammad Ali" March 8, 1971
Today, March 8th, 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the Most Anticipated Sporting Events of All Time and one of the Greatest Boxing Matches in History. The “Fight of the Century” was a meeting between champion Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) and challenger Muhammad Ali (31-0, 25 KOs) held on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.
Here at FloppingOut we have obtained EXCLUSIVE footage of the fight in color. You can’t find this in color anywhere else so you’re welcome floppers.
This is a 5-Part Video due to YouTube’s ridiculous 10 minute rule. Click *READ POST BELOW, TO SEE THE OTHER 4 VIDEOS*
The fight (which many people say was the BEST SPORTING EVENT in history) exceeded its promotional hype and went the full 15-rounds. Ali dominated the first three rounds, 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. His speed and combinations kept him on roughly even terms with Frazier, however, and the fight was very close until late in round 11. During that round Frazier caught Ali, backed into a corner, with a crushing left hook that almost floored Ali, sending him falling into the ropes. Ali managed to survive the round, but from then on Frazier seemed to come back in the next three rounds. At the end of round 14 Frazier held a lead on the three scorecards. Early in round 15, Frazier landed a spectacular left hook that put Ali on his back (for only the third time in his career). Ali, his right 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 [wikipedia].
LIFE.com has a great set of photo’s from the fight, check it out here.