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

Published

10 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

History has Shortchanged Freddie Dawson, One of the Best Boxers of his Era

Published

1 day ago

April 2, 2025

Arne K. Lang

History has Shortchanged Freddie Dawson, One of the Best Boxers of his Era

This reporter was rummaging around the internet last week when he stumbled on a story in the May 1950 issue of Ebony under the byline of Mike Jacobs. Boxing was then in the doldrums (isn’t it always?) and Jacobs, the most powerful promoter in boxing during the era of Joe Louis, was lassoed by the editors of the magazine to address the question of whether the over-representation of black boxers was killing the sport at the box office.

This hoary premise had been kicking around even before the heyday of Jack Johnson, bubbling forth whenever an important black-on-black fight played to a sea of empty seats as had happened the previous year when Chicago’s Comiskey Park hosted the world heavyweight title fight between Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott.

Jacobs ridiculed the hypothesis – as one could have expected considering the publication in which the story ran – and singled out three “colored” boxers as the best of the current crop of active pugilists: Sugar Ray Robinson, Ike Williams, and Freddie Dawson.

Sugar Ray Robinson? A no-brainer. Skill-wise the greatest of the great. Even those that didn’t follow boxing, would have recognized his name. Ike Williams? Nowhere near as well-known as Robinson, but he was then the reigning lightweight champion, a man destined to go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the inaugural class of 1990.

And Freddie Dawson? If the name doesn’t ring a bell, dear reader, you are not alone. I confess that I too drew a blank. And that triggered a search to learn more about him.

Freddie Dawson had four fights with Ike Williams. All four were staged on Ike’s turf in Philadelphia. Were this not the case, the history books would likely show the series knotted 2-2. Late in his career, Dawson became greatly admired in Australia. But we are jumping ahead of ourselves.

Dawson was born in 1924 in Thomasville, Arkansas, an unincorporated town in the Arkansas Delta. Likely a descendent of slaves who worked in the cotton plantations, he grew up in the so-called Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, the heart of Chicago’s Black Belt.

The first mention of him in the newspapers came in 1941 when he won Chicago’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) featherweight title. In those days, amateur boxing was big in the Windy City, the birthplace of the Golden Gloves. The Catholic Archdiocese, which ran gyms in every parish, and the Chicago Parks Department, were the major incubators.

In his amateur days, he was known as simply Fred Dawson. As a pro, his name often appeared as Freddy Dawson, although Freddie gradually became the more common spelling.

Dawson, who stood five-foot-six and was often described as stocky, made his pro debut on Feb. 1, 1943, at Marigold Gardens. Before the year was out, he had 16 fights under his belt, all in Chicago and all but two at Marigold. (Currently the site of an interdenominational Christian church, Marigold Gardens, on the city’s north side, was Chicago’s most active boxing and wrestling arena from the mid-1930s through the early-1950s. Joe Louis had three of his early fights there and Tony Zale was a fixture there as he climbed the ladder to the world middleweight title.)

The last of these 16 fights was fatal for Dawson’s opponent who collapsed heading back to his corner after the fight was stopped in the 10^th round and died that night at a local hospital from the effects of a brain injury.

Dawson left town after this incident and spent most of the next year in New Orleans where energetic promoter Louis Messina ran twice-weekly shows (Mondays for whites and Fridays for blacks) at the Coliseum, a major stop on boxing’s so-called Chitlin’ Circuit.

That same year, on Sept. 19, 1944, Dawson had his first encounter with Ike Williams. He was winning the fight when Ike knocked him out with a body punch in the fourth round.

The first and last meetings between Dawson and Ike Williams were spaced five years apart. In the interim, Freddie scored his two best wins, stopping Vic Patrick in the twelfth round at Sydney, NSW, and Bernard Docusen in the sixth round in Chicago.

The long-reigning lightweight champion of Australia, Patrick (49-3, 43 KOs) gave the crowd a thrill when he knocked Dawson down for a count of “six” in the penultimate 11^th round, but Dawson returned the favor twice in the final stanza, ending the contest with a punch so harsh that the poor Aussie needed five minutes before he was fit to leave the ring and would spend the night in the hospital as a precaution.

Dawson fought Bernard Docusen before 10,000-plus at Chicago Stadium on Feb. 4, 1949. An 8/5 favorite, Docusen lacked a hard punch, but the New Orleans cutie had suffered only three losses in 66 fights, had never been stopped, and had extended Sugar Ray Robinson the 15-round distance the previous year.

Dawson dismantled him. Docusen managed to get back on his feet after Dawson knocked him down in the sixth, but he was in no condition to continue and the referee waived the fight off. Dawson was then vacillating between the lightweight and welterweight divisions and reporters wondered whether it would be Robinson or Ike Williams when Dawson finally got his well-earned title shot.

Sugar Ray wasn’t in his future. Here are the results of his other matches with Ike Williams:

Dawson-Williams II (Jan. 28, 1946) – The consensus on press row was 7-2-1 or 7-3 for Dawson, but the match was ruled a draw. “[The judges and referee] evidently saw [Williams] land punches that nobody else did,” said the ringside reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Dawson-Williams III (Jan. 26, 1948) – Dawson lost a majority decision. The scores were 6-4, 5-4-1, and 4-4-2. The decision was booed. Ike Williams then held the lightweight title, but this was a non-title fight. (It was tough for an outsider to get a fair shake in Philadelphia, home to Ike Williams’ co-manager Frank “Blinky” Palermo who would go to prison for his duplicitous dealings as a fight facilitator.)

Dawson-Williams IV (Dec. 5, 1949) – This would be Freddie Dawson’s only crack at a world title and he came up short. Ike Williams retained the belt, winning a unanimous decision. The fight was close – 8-7, 8-7, 9-6 – but there was no controversy.

Dawson made three more trips to Australia before his career was finished. On the first of these trips, he knocked out Jack Hassen, successor to Vic Patrick as the lightweight champion of Australia. A 1953 article in the Sydney Sunday Herald bore witness to the esteem in which Dawson was held by boxing fans in Australia: “None of our boxers could withstand his devastating attacks which not only knocked them out but also knocked years off their careers,” said the author. “It is doubtful whether any Australian boxer in any division could have beaten Dawson.”

Dawson had his final fights in the Land Down Under, finishing his career with a record of 103-14-4 while answering the bell for 962 rounds. Following what became his final fight, he had an eye operation in Sydney that was reportedly so intricate that it required a two-week hospital stay. He injured the eye again in Manila while sparring in preparation for a match with the welterweight champion of the Philippines, a match that had to be aborted because of the injury. Dawson then disappeared, by which we mean that he disappeared from the pages of the newspaper archives that allow us to construct these kinds of stories.

What about Freddie Dawson the man? A 1944 story about him said he was an outstanding all-around athlete, “a champion in all athletic undertakings – basketball, baseball, track and even jitterbugging.” A story in a Sydney paper as he was preparing to meet Vic Patrick informs us that he had two young children, ages 2 and 1, owned his own home in Chicago, and drove a two-year-old Cadillac. But beyond these flimsy snippets, Dawson the man remains elusive.

What we learned, however, is that he was one of the most underrated boxers to come down the pike in any era, a borderline Hall of Famer who ought not have fallen through the cracks. Inside the ring, this guy was one tough hombre.

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Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan

Published

5 days ago

March 30, 2025

Arne K. Lang

Ringside-at-the-Fontainebleau-where-Mikaela-Mayer-won-her-Rematch-with-Sandy-Ryan

LAS VEGAS, NV — The first meeting between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan last September at Madison Square Garden was punctuated with drama before the first punch was thrown. When the smoke cleared, Mayer had become a world-title-holder in a second weight class, taking away Ryan’s WBO welterweight belt via a majority decision in a fan-friendly fight.

The rematch tonight at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas was another fan-friendly fight. There were furious exchanges in several rounds and the crowd awarded both gladiators a standing ovation at the finish.

Mayer dominated the first half of the fight and held on to win by a unanimous decision. But Sandy Ryan came on strong beginning in round seven, and although Mayer was the deserving winner, the scores favoring her (98-92 and 97-93 twice) fail to reflect the competitiveness of the match-up. This is the best rivalry in women’s boxing aside from Taylor-Serrano.

Mayer, 34, improved to 21-2 (5). Up next, she hopes, in a unification fight with Lauren Price who outclassed Natasha Jonas earlier this month and currently holds the other meaningful pieces of the 147-pound puzzle. Sandy Ryan, 31, the pride of Derby, England, falls to 7-3-1.

Co-Feature

In his first defense of his WBO world welterweight title (acquired with a brutal knockout of Giovani Santillan after the title was vacated by Terence Crawford), Atlanta’s Brian Norman Jr knocked out Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas in the third round. A three-punch combination climaxed by a short left hook sent Cuevas staggering into a corner post. He got to his feet before referee Thomas Taylor started the count, but Taylor looked in Cuevas’s eyes and didn’t like what he saw and brought the bout to a halt.

The stoppage, which struck some as premature, came with one second remaining in the third stanza.

A second-generation prizefighter (his father was a fringe contender at super middleweight), the 24-year-old Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) is currently boxing’s youngest male title-holder. It was only the second pro loss for Cuevas (27-2-1) whose lone previous defeat had come early in his career in a 6-rounder he lost by split decision.

Other Bouts

In a career-best performance, 27-year-old Brooklyn featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs) blasted out Jose Enrique Vivas (23-4) in the third round.

Carrington, who was named the Most Outstanding Boxer at the 2019 U.S. Olympic Trials despite being the lowest-seeded boxer in his weight class, decked Vivas with a right-left combination near the end of the second round. Vivas barely survived the round and was on a short leash when the third stanza began. After 53 seconds of round three, referee Raul Caiz Jr had seen enough and waived it off. Vivas hadn’t previously been stopped.

Cleveland welterweight Tiger Johnson, a Tokyo Olympian, scored a fifth-round stoppage over San Antonio’s Kendo Castaneda. Johnson assumed control in the fourth round and sent Castaneda to his knees twice with body punches in the next frame. The second knockdown terminated the match. The official time was 2:00 of round five.

Johnson advanced to 15-0 (7 KOs). Castenada declined to 21-9.

Las Vegas junior welterweight Emiliano Vargas (13-0, 11 KOs) blasted out Stockton, California’s Giovanni Gonzalez in the second round. Vargas brought the bout to a sudden conclusion with a sweeping left hook that knocked Gonzalez out cold. The end came at the 2:00 minute mark of round two.

Gonzalez brought a 20-7-2 record which was misleading as 18 of his fights were in Tijuana where fights are frequently prearranged. However, he wasn’t afraid to trade with Vargas and paid the price.

Emiliano Vargas, with his matinee idol good looks and his boxing pedigree – he is the son of former U.S. Olympian and two-weight world title-holder “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas – is highly marketable and has the potential to be a cross-over star.

Eighteen-year-old Newark bantamweight Emmanuel “Manny” Chance, one of Top Rank’s newest signees, won his pro debut with a four-round decision over So Cal’s Miguel Guzman. Chance won all four rounds on all three cards, but this was no runaway. He left a lot of room for improvement.

There was a long intermission before the co-main and again before the main event, but the tedium was assuaged by a moving video tribute to George Foreman.

Photos credit: Al Applerose

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William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

Published

5 days ago

March 29, 2025

David A. Avila

William Zepeda Edges Past Tevin Farmer in Cancun; Improves to 34-0

No surprise, once again William Zepeda eked out a win over the clever and resilient Tevin Farmer to remain undefeated and retain a regional lightweight title on Saturday.

There were no knockdowns in this rematch.

The Mexican punching machine Zepeda (33-0, 17 KOs) once more sought to overwhelm Farmer (33-8-1, 9 KOs) with a deluge of blows. This rematch by Golden Boy Promotions took place in the famous beach resort area of Cancun, Mexico.

It was a mere four months ago that both first clashed in Saudi Arabia with their vastly difference styles. This time the tropical setting served as the background which suited Zepeda and his lawnmower assaults. The Mexican fans were pleased.

Nothing changed in their second meeting.

Zepeda revved up the body assault and Farmer moved around casually to his right while fending off the Mexican fighter’s attacks. By the fourth round Zepeda was able to cut off Farmer’s escape routes and targeted the body with punishing shots.

The blows came in bunches.

In the fifth round Zepeda blasted away at Farmer who looked frantic for an escape. The body assault continued with the Mexican fighter pouring it on and Farmer seeming to look ready to quit. When the round ended, he waved off his corner’s appeals to stop.

Zepeda continued to dominate the next few rounds and then Farmer began rallying. At first, he cleverly smothered Zepeda’s body attacks and then began moving and hitting sporadically. It forced the Mexican fighter to pause and figure out the strategy.

Farmer, a Philadelphia fighter, showed resiliency especially when it was revealed he had suffered a hand injury.

During the last three rounds Farmer dug down deep and found ways to score and not get hit. It was Boxing 101 and the Philly fighter made it work.

But too many rounds had been put in the bank by Zepeda. Despite the late rally by Farmer one judge saw it 114-114, but two others scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Zepeda who retains his interim lightweight title and place at the top of the WBC rankings.

“I knew he was a difficult fighter. This time he was even more difficult,” said Zepeda.

Farmer was downtrodden about another loss but realistic about the outcome and starting slow.

“But I dominated the last rounds,” said Farmer.

Zepeda shrugged at the similar outcome as their first encounter.

“I’m glad we both put on a great show,” said Zepeda.

Female Flyweight Battle

Costa Rica’s Yokasta Valle edged past Texas fighter Marlen Esparza to win their showdown at flyweight by split decision after 10 rounds.

Valle moved up two weight divisions to meet Esparza who was slightly above the weight limit. Both showed off their contrasting styles and world class talent.

Esparza, a former unified flyweight world titlist, stayed in the pocket and was largely successful with well-placed jabs and left hooks. She repeatedly caught Valle in-between her flurries.

The current minimumweight world titlist changed tactics and found more success in the second half of the fight. She forced Esparza to make the first moves and that forced changes that benefited her style.

Neither fighter could take over the fight.

After 10 rounds one judge saw Esparza the winner 96-94, but two others saw Valle the winner 97-93 twice.

Will Valle move up and challenge the current undisputed flyweight world champion Gabriela Fundora? That’s the question.

Valle currently holds the WBC minimumweight world title.

Puerto Rico vs Mexico

Oscar Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs), the WBO, WBA minimumweight titlist, knocked out Mexico’s Edwin Cano (13-3-1, 4 KOs) with a flurry of body shots at 1:12 of the fifth round.

Collazo dominated with a relentless body attack the Mexican fighter could not defend. It was the Puerto Rican fighter’s fifth consecutive title defense.

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