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The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier March 8, 1971

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Any boxing fan or true sports fan who was of a cognitive age on March 8, 1971 knows where they were on that fateful day. That was the day of the unchallenged "FIGHT OF THE CENTURY" BETWEEN "SMOKING JOE" FRAZIER AND MUHAMMAD ALI! Never before in the history of boxing had two undefeated, untied, Heavyweight Champions faced each other in the ring. Ali was undefeated in 31 fights, 25 of them knockouts. "Smoking Joe" was undefeated in 26 bouts, 23 of them knockouts, a .885 percentage. No top heavyweight fighter in the history of boxing had ever recorded a higher knockout rate, not even Rocky Marciano, the only Heavyweight Champion in history to retire undefeated. Of Frazier's 23 victims, 18 were knocked out in the first 5 rounds.

Not even the historic Joe Louis and Max Schmeling bout on June 22, 1938 which had worldwide implications with Hitler rising to power and his persecution of the Jews which led to the Holocaust, put into motion an event of this magnitude. And an event is definitely what it became. It transcended what a mere Heavyweight Championship bout was capable of becoming. During the last few weeks prior to the fight Ali and Frazier "were everywhere: On the cover of "Life" and "Time" magazine, on a television commercial for Vitalis hair products. On the minds of those who knew everything about the sport, and those who knew nothing." As current HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant so aptly said: "I don't know how you could have been in America and not have cared about that fight!"


What was the ingredient in this matchup that propelled this fight into such rarefied air? Was it simply the combatants' records? If not, what was the catalyst that triggered a tsunami-like reverberation throughout the world? The answer to this question is "The Viet Nam War"! There were two wars going on that effected America, the one in Viet Nam and the one on our streets and in our homes "about" Viet Nam.

On April 28th 1967 Muhammad Ali, formerly known as Cassius Clay, despite being drafted, refused induction into the Army and was stripped of his Heavyweight Title. That's where this intricately researched story finds its nexus, and elegantly educates the reader of everything before, during, and after, what was undeniably the "FIGHT OF THE CENTURY!" From that point forward the author provides exacting historical narratives of how Ali and Frazier though starting on two separate roads wound up together at this turbulent historical crossroad.

As a lifelong boxing fan, some of the information provided in this book regarding the lesser known fighters that the two champions had to beat to keep this upcoming event worthy of its title, was meticulously delightful. Thirty five years after the fact, I learned things about fighters such as Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, George Chuvalo, Buster Mathis, Scrap Iron Johnson, and others, that I didn't know, and I actually had seen some of them fight in person. But the "EYES OF THE STORM" that made the world stop and watch (Madison Square Garden sold out all 20,455 seats immediately and there were over 1,000,000 closed circuit viewers.) had more tentacles than an octopus. Ali, to many people was a draft dodger and a coward. To others he was a man of the people who was standing up for what he believed in. Despite both men being African-American, it became about race. Ali made cutting derogatory remarks about Frazier being an Uncle Tom and Frazier wouldn't call Ali anything but Clay, which Ali said was his slave name. To this day Frazier holds deep animosity towards Ali, and Ali finally in the late 1980's told his biographer Thomas Hauser he was sorry for the things he said about Frazier. He said: "Joe Frazier is a good man. I couldn't have done what I did without him, and he couldn't have done what he did without me. And if G-d ever calls me to a holy war I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me."

Where was I on March 8, 1971? I was on active duty in the United State Military. In my barracks there were white men, black men, brown men, yellow men. Some had been to Viet Nam, some might be going. What went on in that barracks between America's military melting pot, in March of 1971, history and this book shows, that we were an absolute microcosm of the chasm that existed in the entire United States. But despite all the fury and passionate fervor regarding Ali's military draft status; after all, we were all active duty military... the day of the fight it came down to the most basic, essential argument.. A "slugger" or a "boxer", who would prevail? That's the question... that's the argument that almost (or did) brought Uncle Sam's finest boys to blows! And that's why this was... "THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY!"

This is a very good book about "The Fight". It really takes the reader behind the scenes as to what it took to put this together. You can relive the build up all over again. The chapters on the technical aspects of the closed circuit setup was really interesting. Very well written. A piece of sports history! Recommended...I wish I could have been there.

Great fight, great book. Michael Arkush places you in the arena for the Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Ali was the exiled, undefeated heavyweight champion of the 1960s coming back to reclaim his crown from Frazier, the undefeated reigning champ of the early 1970s.

You read about State senator Leroy Johnson's hard fought efforts to desegregate the Georgia Senate cafeteria and his efforts at getting Ali a license to box again. Ali defeats Jerry Quarry in Georgia and Oscar Bonavena in NYC, but it is clear that he does not have the stamina and footwork that he had in the 1960s. He is still good enough to beat just about everyone, and his losing effort against Frazier was in retrospect one of his finest moments, because he displayed guts and courage and heart that we never knew he had.

The story is told through the eyes of those around the gladiators, as Ali and Frazier were unavailable to be interviewed. But Arkush revives important and revealing quotes that the warriors gave in their respective autobiographies.

Ali would go on to beat Frazier in two successive rematches in the years to come. But this first fight in Madison Square Garden in NYC will always be known as The Fight of the Century, where two unbeaten heavyweights squared off in a tumultuous time in America history. Read this book and you will be there!

This is one of my favorite sports books ever. I like it becasue it avoids the usual pro Ali pitfalls yu get with most books. Written very nuetrally.

The information about the social climate at the time was very interesting. The insight into both fighters' approach to the fight was well-written and provided an inside view of each of their psyches going into this event. I would have like to have a little more information about their lives after the fight. Overall, this book was really good.

I'm very thankful that there was a reliable source from which to order the book. The event took place when I was a young teen but I vaguely remember the buzz. The book was enlightening and made me feel as if I was actually there when it all took place. Great fight, Joe!

If you liked this book, you'll love the original "Garden of Innocents," by the director Art Fisher.

I was 15 years old when Ali met Frazier in the Garden on March 8, 1971, to decide the undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World. I watched the fight in a hockey arena in Minnesota via closed-circuit big screen projection. It is a moment in my life I will never forget, for the tension building up to this fight was inexorable and palpable.

This excellent book by Michael Arkush not only recounts the fight itself, the first time two undefeated champions met for the heavyweight title, but in comprehensive fashion, tells the remarkable story of how this unlikely fight came to be.

Near the apex of his physical prowess, Ali was stripped of his title (1967) for failure to enlist in the US Army. "I ain't got no quarrel with the Viet Cong". Ali was facing 5 years in a US Federal Prison and a sudden end to a sterling career as heavyweight champion. Joe Frazier, the left-hooker from Philly, won the championship by default, but was constantly reminded by the champion in exile (Ali) that Joe was not the "real" champion - but only a pretender. The ghost of Ali haunted Joe Frazier, and Frazier wanted nothing more than to prove to the world that he could beat the great Ali, and that Frazier was the future of the heavyweight division.

Love him or hate him, and there were plenty of people on both sides of that issue, Ali was the black shadow waiting for his chance to return and reclaim his title. It began when a black Senator (Johnson) from Georgia, managed to get a license for Ali to fight in Atlanta in 1970. From his triumphant return win over number-one rated (white) Jerry Quarry, Ali then set his sights on Frazier, and the two unstoppable forces finally met to decide who was the undisputed champion. It was a classic battle of opposite styles, with the slugger Frazier pitted against the swift and graceful boxer Ali. Their 15 rounds on March 8, 1971, marked the beginning of a classic trilogy of fights to decide their ultimate dominance. They battled both in the ring and out, and Arkush recounts it all in sizzling detail.

With boxing virtually dead today, I welcomed the arrival of this book as a fond reminder that there was once a moment in time in boxing when the world held its breath as two proud men pounded away at each other for 45 frantic brutal minutes of combat. It's all retold here in this book.

Cudos to Author Arkush for his comprehensive story.

Jim Konedog Koenig