Some rivalries are friendly. This one was not. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met three times in the ring between 1971 and 1975, producing some of the most famous fights in boxing history and a feud that lasted for decades. In Part 2 of The Greatest Rivalries in Sport, we tell their story.
Two very different fighters
Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1942, was an Olympic champion who won the world heavyweight title in 1964. He was fast, graceful and outspoken, famous for saying he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
Joe Frazier, born in South Carolina in 1944, grew up working on farms before moving to Philadelphia. Also an Olympic champion, he was a relentless pressure fighter with a devastating left hook, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe."
Ali's exile and Frazier's rise
In 1967 Ali refused to be drafted into the US Army during the Vietnam War, citing his religious beliefs. He was stripped of his title and banned from boxing for over three years. During that time, Frazier became heavyweight champion. Frazier had supported Ali during his exile, but when Ali returned, he mocked Frazier with insults that deeply hurt him. Their relationship turned bitter.
Fight 1: The Fight of the Century (1971)
On 8 March 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York, two unbeaten heavyweight champions met. The event drew celebrities and a huge worldwide audience. In the 15th round, Frazier knocked Ali down with a left hook. Frazier won by unanimous decision, handing Ali his first professional defeat.
Fight 2: The rematch (1974)
By their second fight in January 1974, Frazier had lost his title to George Foreman. This non-title bout, also at Madison Square Garden, went 12 rounds, and Ali won by unanimous decision. Later that year, Ali regained the heavyweight title by beating Foreman in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire.
Fight 3: The Thrilla in Manila (1975)
On 1 October 1975, Ali defended his title against Frazier in Quezon City, near Manila, in the Philippines. The fight took place in the morning to suit international television, and the arena was extremely hot.
The two men fought with savage intensity. Frazier dominated the middle rounds; Ali came back in the later rounds, landing heavy punches as Frazier's eyes swelled almost shut. Before the 15th round, Frazier's trainer, Eddie Futch, stopped the fight to protect him. Ali won, but later said it was the closest he had come to death.
A long-lasting feud
Ali's taunts, which often crossed into personal and painful insults, left Frazier resentful for years. Later in life, Ali expressed regret for some of what he had said, and the two had moments of partial reconciliation. Frazier died in 2011 and Ali in 2016.
Why it matters
Ali and Frazier's three fights are remembered not only for their skill and courage but for what they represented in a turbulent era of American history. They also showed the brutal physical cost of boxing at its highest level.
In Part 3, we move to football and one of the most intense club rivalries on Earth: Real Madrid against Barcelona.
The Greatest Rivalries in Sport: the full series
- Part 1: Federer vs Nadal
- Part 2: Ali vs Frazier (you are here)
- Part 3: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
- Part 4: Senna vs Prost
- Part 5: Magic vs Bird
- Part 6: The Ashes
- Part 7: Borg vs McEnroe
- Part 8: Evert vs Navratilova
- Part 9: Yankees vs Red Sox
- Part 10: Coe vs Ovett
Records, scores and statistics are commonly cited figures and may vary slightly between sources.
