Fight Of The Century

 

In 1967 the then heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused enlistment into the U.S. Army siting it to be against the teachings if Islam. This led to Ali being expelled from professional boxing and also facing the threat of actual prison time.

While this was occurring, Joe Frazier cemented his position as the consensus heavyweight champion of the world, like Ali before him he was also an Olympic Gold medalist, and his sledgehammer of a left hook left little room for doubt of his credentials to hold onto the title.

Finally, in 1970 the path back into boxing opened up for Ali when he was granted a license to fight in Georgia. Following that Ali beat top contenders Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena and earned a title fight with Frazier.

The date was March 8th 1971, and the venue Madison Square Garden, the crowd of 20,000 spectators erupted when Ali took to the ring followed by another for his opponent Joe Frazier.

The fight started with a fast, almost frantic pace with both fighters throwing some wild punches and being the same showman he had always been Ali shook his head whenever Frazier connected with a big body shot, dismissing any notion he was hurt.

However, it wasn't long before the crowed realized that Ali couldn't dance around the ring the way he had done in the past, and Frazier began picking up steam.

In the fourth, Frazier bloodied Ali's nose  and Ali's hopes of a sixth round knockout as he had predicted, faded by the minute.

In the ninth round, momentum swung back Ali's way by hitting Frazier with a barrage of multiple combinations, but the tide soon turned back to Frazier when he connected with a massive left hook to the head. Ali stumbled around the ring, seemingly at the end of his rope, but he held on, pulling out all his reserves and giving the crowd a show in round 14.

Heading into the 15th and final round, Frazier was winning on all the judges' cards, Though the fight could still go Ali's way with one big knockdown.

Then at 2:34 it came, as Ali loaded up an uppercut, Frazier caught him flush to the head with a left hook that would have knocked out any man, and down Ali went for just the third time in his career to date.

Miraculously, Ali bounced up as if he had only slipped, but the fight was over, and after the final bell, Frazier was proclaimed the winner by unanimous decision.