It Was 40 Years Ago Today Ali Won That Thrilla Over Frazier in Manila

Published

9 years ago

October 1, 2015

On March 8, 1971 the most anticipated sporting event in history took place. It was titled “The Fight of The Century,” between heavyweight champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier 26-0 (23) and former undisputed champ Muhammad Ali 31-0 (26).

What made the fight so compelling was the style clash between Joe and Muhammad. They were polar opposites outside of the ring regarding their personalities. In the ring, Frazier was the ultimate catch ‘n’ kill swarmer who forced the fight from bell-to-bell, opposed to Ali, who was a beautiful boxer who picked his spots sliding and gliding about the ring throwing fast and fluid accurate combinations. One’s strength was the others’ weakness and the others’ weakness was the others’ strength.

When they fought the first time, Frazier was better prepared mentally, physically and stylistically to confront Ali… more-so than any other opponent ever was to face their career nemesis and rival in history.

Frazier understood that Ali was more effective backing up and fighting when he choose to do so than he was when he was forced to back up. Ali was not ready for Frazier stylistically and had no concept how hard Frazier was to hit and keep off. Another problem Ali had was the fact that he was coming off an almost four year layoff and had only fought twice before meeting Frazier. On the other hand Joe was at his peak and always knew his worth and moment of truth would come against Ali.

Frazier won the first fight with Ali due to his unrelenting pressure and forcing Ali to fight off the ropes and out of the ring corners. Ali had his moments of brilliance during the first 10 rounds of the bout, but it was all Frazier from the 11th round on with Ali only winning round 14. Frazier sealed the deal when he dropped Muhammad with a massive left-hook that was heard around the world in the 15th round. Ali got up from the grave at the count of four but lost a unanimous decision.

A little more than two and a half years later, Ali and Frazier met again in another ‘brawler versus boxer’ confrontation when neither was champ. In between the first and second fights Ali fought 13 times as opposed to Frazier, who only fought four times. This time Ali was the fresher fighter with the more lively legs and spring. Frazier tried to force the action but Ali used his legs to dance out of range and pepper Joe from long range. Joe had his moments during the middle rounds, but Ali built a big lead and then rallied down the stretch to seal the unanimous decision in his favor.

And then there’s the third meeting between them, known as “the Thrilla In Manila.” In between the second and third bouts Ali had four fights and Frazier had two. Ali was now the undisputed champ and Frazier was still a top contender behind former champ George Foreman. The thinking by most sophisticated observers before the third meeting was this: Ali would breeze through the bout and Frazier, who was thought to be on the decline, would be target practice for Muhammad’s sharp shooting. And for two and a half, perhaps three rounds, they were right.

The Thrilla In Manila: Muhammad Ali 48-2 (35) vs. Joe Frazier 32-2 (27)

Ali came out fast and tried to jump on Frazier, who was a notorious slow starter. His thoughts were to get rid of Frazier early and not have to suffer through another long and physically taxing fight. However, Ali lacked the needed tools to punctuate the quick execution. Yes, he rocked Joe real good during the first two rounds and had him on his heels. In the third Ali landed some clean flurries, but Joe was starting to smoke and started to crash some solid left hooks and right hands to the champ’s body.

Starting in the fourth round Ali went to the ropes and tried to time Frazier on the way in. He was successful, but he didn’t disrupt Joe’s aggression and by the end of the round Frazier was finding his rhythm. During the middle rounds Ali fought off the ropes almost as if he were willing to let Frazier have his body and would look to score when he felt Frazier was reloading. Only in the seventh round did Ali attempt to use his legs and circle to the left out of Frazier’s range. And even at that Frazier was catching him because it was more natural for Joe to move forward quicker than a tiring Ali could move backwards.

By the eighth round it was apparent that it was taking too much out of Ali trying to avoid Frazier – so he went to the ropes and looked to pick his spots. The only problem was, Frazier was working him over real good to the head and body with thunderous left hooks and right hands. Actually, Ali was tired and content to lie against the ropes like he did against George Foreman a year earlier and endure the body punishment. As the rounds went on, Ali would try to strike quick early in the round but it didn’t take long for Frazier to force him to the ropes or one of the ring corners and start to work him over to the body first and then to the head. Ali’s legs had no spring and he couldn’t get away from Frazier and it looked as if Ali wasn’t going to get a second wind. If Joe could maintain his aggression without taking too many punches on the way in, he’d soon be champ again.

Starting in the 12th round, Ali began to catch Frazier with straight one-twos while waiting for him on the ropes. By this time in the fight Ali was too spent to even attempt to use his legs and fight Joe from long range. So he fought him flat-footed with his back mostly against the ropes. His saving grace turned out to be his seven inch reach advantage along with his straight punches landing on Frazier before Joe could close the distance and force Muhammad to trade hooks and uppercuts on the inside. Early in the 13th Ali knocked Frazier’s mouthpiece out as he burrowed forward. However, Joe kept forcing Muhammad to the ropes, but now Ali’s better condition and quick hands were winning him the exchanges on the inside. Early in the 14th Frazier appeared to be recovered, but he just couldn’t get out of the way of Ali’s straight lefts and rights. His face was badly swollen and he was getting hit with punches he couldn’t see.

Moments before the bell to start the 15th round, Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch told Joe it was over and he was stopping the fight because he was getting hit with too many punches.

After the fight Frazier said, “Lawdy, lawdy, he’s a great and mighty champion. I hit him with punches that would bring down the walls of a city.” And Ali said the fight was the, “Closest thing to dying that I know of.”

When you take into account the perception of Ali and Frazier as fighters, their third fight goes against the grain. The first time they fought, the brawler wouldn’t let the boxer box, and in the rematch, the boxer boxed and didn’t allow the brawler to force the fight effectively. Well, the third bout between them was a brawl. Ali’s boxing ability was a long forgotten thought after the third round. During the “Thrilla In Manila” Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought it out toe-to-toe. And a case could be made that for the only time of the three times they met, it was Ali who actually landed the harder punches during the bout.

The “Thrilla In Manila was three fights in one. Ali owned the early going, Frazier owned the middle rounds up through the 11th and then Ali came on in the 12th, 13th and 14th. But he didn’t do it boxing! No, Joe forced him to fight and brawl in Manila. And once again Ali silenced his critics by out-brawling one of the greatest brawlers in heavyweight history.

Joe Frazier won the biggest fight between he and Ali, but Ali won the biggest brawl between them. Sadly, neither was ever great again and both should’ve retired forever after Manila. But tellingly, the legacy of both men is immense and I will propose, will always endure. And neither man in ensuing decades stated that they regretted their participation in this and other classic tussles. True warriors, with legacies undeniable.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Ramon Cardenas Channels Micky Ward and KOs Eduardo Ramirez on ProBox

Published

23 hours ago

April 24, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Ramon-Cardenas-Channels-Micky-Ward-and-KOs-Eduardo-Ramirez-on-ProBox

The Wednesday night bi-monthly series of fights on the ProBox TV platform is the best deal in boxing; the livestream is free with no strings attached! Tonight’s episode was headlined by a super bantamweight match between San Antonio’s Ramon Cardenas and Eduardo Ramirez who brought a caravan of rooters from his hometown in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico.

Cardenas, coached by Joel Diaz, entered the contest ranked #4 by the WBA. He was expected to handle Ramirez with little difficulty, but this was a close, tactical fight through eight frames when lightning struck in the form of a left hook to the liver from Cardenas. Ramirez went down on one knee and wasn’t able to beat the count. It was as if Cardenas summoned the ghost of Micky Ward who had a penchant for terminating fights with the same punch that arrived out of the blue.

The official time was 1:37 of round nine. Cardenas improved to 25-1 with his14th win inside the distance. Ramirez, who was stopped in the opening round by Nick “Wrecking” Ball in London in his lone previous fight outside Mexico, falls to 23-3-3.

Co-Feature

In an upset, Tijuana super welterweight Damian Sosa won a split decision over previously undefeated Marques Valle, a local area fighter who was stepping up in class in his first 10-round go. Sosa was the aggressor, repeatedly backing his taller opponent into the ropes where Valle was unable to get good leverage behind his punches.

The 25-year-old Valle, managed by the influential David McWater, was the house fighter. This was his 10^th appearance in this building. He brought a 10-0 (7) record and was hoping to emulate the success of his younger brother Dominic Valle who scored a second-round stoppage of his opponent in this ring two weeks ago, improving to 9-0. But Sosa, who brought a 24-2 record, proved to be a bridge too high.

The judges had it 97-93 and 96-94 for the Tijuana invader and a disgraceful 98-92 for the house fighter.

Also

In a fight whose abrupt ending would be echoed by the main event, 34-year-old SoCal featherweight Ronny Rios, now training in Las Vegas, returned to the ring after a 22-month hiatus and scored a fifth-round stoppage over Nicolas Polanco of the Dominican Republic.

A three-punch combo climaxed by a left hook to the liver took the breath out of Polanco who slumped to his knees and was counted out. A two-time world title challenger, Rios advanced to 34-4 (17 KOs). Polanco, 34, declined to 21-6-1. The official time was 0:54 of round five.

—

The next ProBox show (Wednesday, May 8) will have an international cast with fighters from Kazakhstan, Japan, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom. In the main event, Liverpool’s Robbie Davies Jr will make his U.S. debut against the California-based Kazakh Sergey Lipinets.

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Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

3 days ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

5 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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