View source for Fight of the Century

{{Short description|1971 boxing match}}
{{About|the "Fight of the Century (MoFrazier)" between U.S. athletes Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali|other "Fights of the Century"|Fight of the Century (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox boxing match
|fight date      = March 8, 1971
|Fight Name      = Fight of the Century
|location        = [[Madison Square Garden]], New York City, US<br/>
{{coord|40.7504|N|73.9935|W|type:landmark_region:US-NY|display=title,inline}}
|image           = Fight_of_the_Century_onsite_poster.jpg
|caption = The onsite poster for Joe Frazier vs. Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Muhammad Ali.
|fighter1        = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Joe Frazier]]
|nickname1       = Smokin' Joe
|record1         = 26–0 (23 KO)
|hometown1       = [[Beaufort, South Carolina|Beaufort]], South Carolina, US
|height1         = 5 ft {{Frac|11|1|2}} in
|weight1         = {{Frac|205|1|2}} lb<ref name=weighn>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x98jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5193%2C3943646 |newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |agency=Associated Press |title=Weigh-ins held |date= March 8, 1971 |page=10}}</ref>
|style1          = [[Orthodox stance|Orthodox]]
|recognition1    = [[World Boxing Association|WBA]], [[World Boxing Council|WBC]], and [[The Ring (magazine)|''The Ring'']] heavyweight champion
|fighter2        = {{flagicon|USA}} [[Muhammad Ali]]
|nickname2       = The Greatest
|record2         = 31–0 (25 KO)
|hometown2       = [[Louisville, Kentucky|Louisville]], Kentucky, US
|height2         = 6 ft 3 in
|weight2         = 215 lb<ref name=weighn/>
|style2          = [[Orthodox stance|Orthodox]]
|recognition2    = [[Lineal championship|Lineal]] heavyweight champion
|titles          = [[World Boxing Association|WBA]], [[World Boxing Council|WBC]], ''[[List of The Ring world champions|The Ring]] and [[Lineal championship|Lineal]]'' [[Undisputed championship (boxing)|undisputed]] heavyweight titles
|result= Frazier wins via 15-round '''[[unanimous decision]]''' (8–6–1, 9–6, 11–4)
|age1={{age in years and months |January 12, 1944|March 8, 1971}}|age2={{age in years and months |January 17, 1942|March 8, 1971}}}}

'''Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali''', billed as '''The Fight of the Century''' or simply '''The Fight''',<ref name= ThrillaInManilla>{{cite web |title=Thriller in Manila| url= http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/thriller-in-manila/ |publisher=Top Documentary Films|year=2009|access-date=January 16, 2013}}</ref> was an [[Undisputed championship (boxing)|undisputed]] heavyweight championship [[boxing]] match between [[World Boxing Association|WBA]], [[World Boxing Council|WBC]], and ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]'' heavyweight champion [[Joe Frazier]] and [[Lineal championship|Lineal]] champion  [[Muhammad Ali]], on Monday, March 8, 1971, at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Great Fights: Ali vs. Frazier I |magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]] |url=http://life.time.com/culture/muhammad-ali-and-joe-frazier-fight-of-the-century-photos-1971/#1 |access-date= January 16, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117121036/http://life.time.com/culture/muhammad-ali-and-joe-frazier-fight-of-the-century-photos-1971/#1 |archive-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref><ref name=tbfoaw>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/03/15/554359/muhammad-ali-joe-frazier-first-fight-ali-loss<!--http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1084653/index.htm--> |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Kram |first=Mark |title=The battered face of a winner |date=March 15, 1971|page=16 }}</ref><ref name=mjf1>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yN8jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fCgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6958%2C4213510
|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal |title=Frazier bores in and Ali is kaput |last=Zavoral |first=Nolan |date=March 9, 1971 |page=11}}</ref>

The fight is widely regarded as the biggest boxing match in history and arguably the single most anticipated and publicized sporting event of all time. An international audience observed the spectacle. It was the first time that two undefeated boxers who held or had held the ''world heavyweight'' title fought each other for that very title.

The bout held broad appeal for many Americans, including non-boxing and non-sport fans. Ali, who had been stripped of his titles by boxing authorities for refusing to submit to the [[Military draft|draft]] for the [[Vietnam War]], had become a symbol of the [[Counterculture|anti-establishment public]] during his government-imposed exile from the ring. In contrast, Frazier supported U.S. involvement in the war,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/24/fight-of-the-century-muhammad-alis-legacy-grows-in-defeat/ |publisher=[[AOL News]] |title=Fight of the Century: Muhammad Ali's legacy grows in defeat |date=February 24, 2011 |first1=Thomas |last1=George |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127233852/http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/24/fight-of-the-century-muhammad-alis-legacy-grows-in-defeat/ |archive-date=November 27, 2012}}</ref> and he had been adopted by elements of the public with alternate views. In addition, both men possessed intense personal animosity towards each other.

Frazier won in fifteen rounds by [[unanimous decision]]. Ali dealt with his first professional loss. It became the first of a trio of fights, followed by the rematch events [[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II|Super Fight II]] (1974) and the [[Thrilla in Manila]] (1975). Both of those fights were won by Ali.

==Background and cultural significance==
In 1971, both [[Muhammad Ali]] and [[Joe Frazier]] were undefeated champions (in Ali's case, actually, former champion) who held legitimate claims to the title of "World Heavyweight Champion". Ali had won the title from [[Sonny Liston]] in [[Miami Beach, Florida|Miami Beach]] in 1964, and successfully defended his belt up until he had it stripped by boxing authorities for refusing induction into the armed forces in 1967 (though he was still recognized as the [[Lineal championship|Lineal heavyweight champion]]). In Ali's absence, Frazier won two championship belts, knocking out [[Buster Mathis]] for recognition as champion in five states (most notably, New York) and [[Jimmy Ellis (boxer)|Jimmy Ellis]], who had won the [[World Boxing Association]]'s world title by winning a WBA elimination tournament, to replace Ali as the acknowledged, unified world champion. Frazier was plausibly Ali's equal, which created a tremendous amount of hype and anticipation for a match pitting the two undefeated fighters against one another to decide who was the true heavyweight champ.<ref name=OneNationDivisible>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/olaZUjFaZLU Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140624235209/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olaZUjFaZLU Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media|title=Ali-Frazier I: One Nation... Divisible|year=2000|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olaZUjFaZLU|publisher=[[HBO Sports]]|access-date=January 16, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Ringside seats were $150 ({{Inflation|US|150|1971|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) and each man was guaranteed $2.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|2.5|1971|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref name=sivatbll>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/03/08/617920/at-the-bell |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Kram |first=Mark |title=At the bell... |date=March 8, 1971 |page=18}}</ref> In addition to the millions who watched on closed-circuit broadcast screens around the world, [[Madison Square Garden]] was packed with a sell-out crowd of 20,455 that provided a gate of $1.5&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1.5|1971|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mee|first1=Bob|title=The Heavyweights; The Definition of the Heavyweight Fighters|date=2006|publisher=Tempus|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|pages=107, 108}}</ref>

Prior to his enforced layoff, Ali had displayed uncommon speed and agility for a man of his size.  He had dominated most of his opponents to the point that he had often predicted the round in which he would knock his opponent out. In October 1970, he stopped [[Jerry Quarry]] via cuts after three rounds in his first match after a three-and-a-half-year layoff.  However, in his next fight, the last preceding the Frazier fight, Ali struggled at times during his 15th-round TKO of [[Oscar Bonavena]], an unorthodox Argentinian fighter who was prepared by Hall of Fame trainer [[Gil Clancy]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Dave|title=In the Corner: Great Boxing Trainers Talk About Their Art|year=1992|publisher=William Morrow & Co.|isbn=978-0688119041}}</ref> On the March 4, 1971, episode of ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]'', [[Howard Cosell]], [[Joe Louis]] and [[Jimmy Breslin]] all correctly predicted that because of Ali's lengthy layoff, Frazier would prevail.

Frazier had an outstanding left [[Hook (boxing)|hook]] and was a tenacious competitor who attacked the body of his opponent ferociously. Despite suffering from a serious bout of [[hypertension]] in the lead-up to the fight, he appeared to be in top form as the face-off between the two undefeated champions approached.<ref name=OneNationDivisible/>

[[File:Muhammad Ali outside Joe Frazier's training headquarters 1971.jpg|thumb|alt=Promotional photo taken in January by George Kalinsky, showing Ali outside Frazier's training headquarters|Promotional photo taken in January by [[George Kalinsky]], showing Ali outside Frazier's training headquarters]]
Prior to the fight, Mark Kram wrote in ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'':

<blockquote>The thrust of this fight on the public consciousness is incalculable. It has been a ceaseless whir that seems to have grown in decibel with each new soliloquy by Ali, with each dead calm promise by Frazier. It has magnetized the imagination of ring theorists, and flushed out [[polemic]]ists of every persuasion. It has cut deep into the thicket of our national attitudes, and it is a conversational imperative everywhere—from the gabble of big-city salons and factory lunch breaks rife with unreasoning labels, to ghetto saloons with their own false labels.<ref name=sivatbll/><ref>{{cite web|author=Kevin Iole |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/boxing/fight-century-muhammad-ali-joe-frazier-put-event-195206866--box.html |title=Fight of the Century? Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier put on the event of all-time on March 8, 1971 |publisher=Sports.yahoo.com |date=2013-03-08 |access-date=2017-05-12}}</ref></blockquote>

As [[Gil Clancy]], who was in Frazier's corner that night, would later comment:

<blockquote>The electricity in the air then was just unbelievable. If they would have dropped the bomb on Madison Square Garden that night, the country wouldn't have been able to run.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRtYaFa_eXg&t=3989 SportsNight], ''[[Satellite News Channel]]'', June 1988.</ref></blockquote>

==Fight==
[[File:1971 Muhammad Ali AP photo.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali at the weigh-in for the match|Ali at the weigh-in for the match]]
On the evening of the match, Madison Square Garden had a circus-like atmosphere, with scores of policemen to control the crowd of outrageously dressed fans, kids, and countless celebrities, from [[Norman Mailer]] to [[Woody Allen]]. Unable to procure a ringside seat, [[Frank Sinatra]] took photographs for ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine instead. [[Nelson Mandela]], who was in prison in South Africa during the event, spoke about how excited everybody was about this fight.<ref>{{Cite web|agency=Associated Press|title=When Nelson Mandela met the champ|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/nelson-mandela-joe-frazier-muhammad-ali-100851.html|access-date=2020-09-04|website=POLITICO|date=December 8, 2013 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=What others say about 'The Greatest' of all, Muhammad Ali|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/muhammad-ali-dead-what-others-said-about-greatest-a7065176.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/muhammad-ali-dead-what-others-said-about-greatest-a7065176.html |archive-date=2022-06-09 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=2020-09-04|website=www.independent.co.uk|date=June 4, 2016|language=en}}</ref> Artist [[LeRoy Neiman]] painted Ali and Frazier as they fought. [[Burt Lancaster]] served as a [[color commentator]] for the closed-circuit broadcast. Though Lancaster had never performed as a [[sports commentator]] before, he was hired by the fight's promoter, [[Jerry Perenchio]], who was also a friend. Perenchio enlisted sports owner [[Jack Kent Cooke]] as financial backer of the fight with a bank guarantee of $4,000,000 which provided the bulk of the fighters' $5,000,000 fee.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Kirshenbaum |first1=Jerry |title=SPORT'S $5 MILLION PAYDAY |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1971/01/25/sports-5-million-payday |magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]] |access-date=July 12, 2023}}</ref> The other commentators were famed boxing [[play-by-play]] announcer [[Don Dunphy]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/24/sports/don-dunphy-90-distinctive-fight-broadcaster.html|title=Don Dunphy, 90, Distinctive Fight Broadcaster|first=Gerald|last=Eskenazi|work=The New York Times |date=July 24, 1998|accessdate=December 25, 2023|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> and former light-heavyweight boxing champion and heavyweight competitor [[Archie Moore]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsbroadcastjournal.com/50-years-ago-march-8th-300-million-fans-worldwide-watched-ali-frazier-i-a-fight-with-political-overtones/|title=50 years ago, March 8th, 300 million fans worldwide watched Ali-Frazier I, a fight with political overtones|first=David J.|last=Halberstam|date=March 4, 2021|accessdate=December 25, 2023}}</ref> The fight was sold, and broadcast by closed circuit, to 50 countries in 12&nbsp;languages via ringside reporters to an audience estimated at 300&nbsp;million, a record viewership for a television event at that time.  Riots broke out at several venues as unresolvable technical issues interrupted the broadcast in several cities in the third round.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Joe_Frazier_vs._Muhammad_Ali_(1st_meeting) |title=Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali (1st meeting) |publisher=BoxRec |access-date=2017-05-12}}</ref> And, although no live radio coverage of the fight itself was allowed under the terms of the promotion, the Mutual Radio Network did broadcast the fight the night of March 8, with announcers Van Patrick and Charles King, together with many other sports commentators, providing round-by-round summaries live as they came out over the UPI and AP wire services.<ref>[https://radiotapes.com/KDHL/KDHL-AM_Ali-Frazer_3-8-1971_1.mp3 Ali Frazer 1971 Audio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212005155/https://radiotapes.com/KDHL/KDHL-AM_Ali-Frazer_3-8-1971_1.mp3 |date=February 12, 2021 }} radiotapes.com</ref><ref>[https://radiotapes.com/KDHL/KDHL-AM_Ali-Frazer_3-8-1971_2.mp3 Ali Frazer 1971 Audio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212005259/https://radiotapes.com/KDHL/KDHL-AM_Ali-Frazer_3-8-1971_2.mp3 |date=February 12, 2021 }} radiotapes.com</ref>

The referee for the fight was [[Arthur Mercante Sr.]] After the fight, Mercante, a veteran referee of hundreds of fights, said: "They both threw some of the best punches I've ever seen."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/09/archives/referee-mercante-calls-punches-best-hes-seen.html |title=Referee Mercante Calls. Punches Best He's Seen |date=March 9, 1971 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=May 12, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Muhammad Ali avoids punch from Joe Frazier.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali avoiding a punch from Frazier|Ali avoiding a punch from Frazier]]
The fight itself exceeded many fans’ expectations and went the full 15-round [[championship distance]].<ref>Orlando, Joe. [https://books.google.com/books?id=T6RsUQ_lIIEC&q=%22Fight+of+the+Century%22+%22the+distance%22&pg=PA361 ''Collecting Sports Legends: The Ultimate Hobby Guide'']. Zyrus Press, 2009. {{ISBN|9781933990217}}. Page 361.</ref> Ali dominated the first five rounds, peppering the shorter Frazier with rapier-like jabs that raised welts on the champion's face.

Ali was visibly tired after the sixth round, and though he put together some flurries of punches after that round, he was unable to keep the pace he had set in the first third of the fight. At 1 minute and 59 seconds into round eight, following his clean left hook to Ali's right jaw, Frazier grabbed Ali's wrists and swung Ali into the center of the ring; however, Ali immediately grabbed Frazier again until they were once again separated by Mercante.

At 2:10 of the eleventh round, Frazier staggered Ali with a left hook, Ali's knees buckling—only bouncing off the ropes keeping Ali from again hitting the canvas. For the remainder of the round, Ali stumbled around the ring backing again and again into the ropes and grabbing at Frazier as Frazier continued battering him until the fighters were separated by Mercante at 2:55 into the round.

[[File:Joe Frazier standing over Muhammad Ali.jpg|thumb|alt=Ali on the ground|Ali on the ground]]
Heading into round 15, all three judges had Frazier in the lead (7–6–1, 10–4, and 8–6), and Frazier closed convincingly.  Early in the round, Frazier landed a left hook that put Ali on the canvas. Ali, his jaw swollen noticeably, got up at the count of four and managed to stay on his feet for the rest of the round despite several terrific blows from Frazier. A few minutes later, the judges made it official: Frazier had retained the title with a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/nov/08/joe-frazier-muhammad-ali-1971?newsfeed=true|title=From the Vault: Joe Frazier v Muhammad Ali, part one|date=November 8, 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London}}</ref>

===Scorecard===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!align="left"|Round!!&nbsp;1&nbsp;!!&nbsp;2&nbsp;!!&nbsp;3&nbsp;!!&nbsp;4&nbsp;!!&nbsp;5&nbsp;!!&nbsp;6&nbsp;!!&nbsp;7&nbsp;!!&nbsp;8&nbsp;!!&nbsp;9&nbsp;!!10!!11!!12!!13||14||15!!Total<ref name=mjf1/>{{dead link|date=May 2021}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Artie Aidala (judge)||A||A||F||F||F||F||F||A||A||F||F||F||A||A||F|| Frazier, 9–6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|Bill Recht (judge)  ||F||A||F||F||A||F||F||F||A||F||F||F||F||A||F|| Frazier, 11–4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Arthur Mercante Sr.|Art Mercante]] (referee)||A||A|||F||F||F||A||A||F||A||A||F||–||F||F||F|| Frazier, 8–6–1
|}

==Viewership and revenue==
The fight was broadcast live [[pay-per-view]] on [[theatre television]] in the United States,<ref name=pipres>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MWobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iFAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1424%2C1845793 |work=Pittsburgh Press |agency=(advertisement) |title=Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali |date=March 7, 1971 |page=6, sec. 4}}</ref><ref name=ccadsch>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZpFYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XPgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1155%2C2133153 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |title=Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali |agency=(advertisement) |date=March 8, 1971 |page=13}}</ref> where it set a record with 2.5{{nbsp}}million tickets sold at [[Closed-circuit television|closed-circuit]] venues,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Frazier|first1=Joe|author-link1=Joe Frazier|last2=Berger|first2=Phil|title=Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier|date=2013|publisher=[[AudioGO]]|isbn=9781620642160|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_cuDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT104|language=en}}</ref> grossing {{US$|45&nbsp;million|long=no}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Joe|title=Heavyweight Boxing in the 1970s: The Great Fighters and Rivalries|date=2013|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|isbn=9780786492497|page=65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xY4I-7T4Q5gC&pg=PA65|language=en}}</ref> It was also shown closed-circuit during the middle of the night in London theatres, where it set a record with 90,000 tickets,<ref>{{cite news|title=The Promoters Loved the Fight But Some Fans Call It 'a Bore'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98957162/|work=[[Detroit Free Press]]|date=March 10, 1971|language=en}}</ref> grossing $750,000.<ref>{{cite news|title='Bugner's British Bunch' Travels To See Ali Bout|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/212171990/|work=[[The News-Press]]|date=February 2, 1973|language=en}}</ref> Combined, the fight sold {{#expr:2.5+0.09}}{{nbsp}}million tickets in the United States and London, grossing {{US$|{{#expr:45+0.75}} million|long=no}} (inflation-adjusted {{US$|{{Inflation|US|45.75|1971|r=-2}} million|long=no}}).

On both closed-circuit and free television, the fight was watched by a record 300{{nbsp}}million viewers worldwide.<ref name="nzz">{{cite news|title=Muhammad Ali gegen Joe Frazier im Madison Square Garden war der wahre Kampf des Jahrhunderts|url=https://www.nzz.ch/sport/muhammad-ali-gegen-joe-frazier-war-der-wahre-kampf-des-jahrhunderts-ld.1604784?reduced=true|work=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]]|access-date=October 30, 2022|language=German}}</ref><ref name="bloodyelbow">{{cite news|title=History of Prizefighting's Biggest Money Fights|url=https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/8/24/16170894/history-of-prizefightings-biggest-money-fights-boxing-mma-ufc|work=[[Bloody Elbow]]|agency=[[SB Nation]]|date=August 24, 2017}}</ref> It was watched by a record 27.5{{nbsp}}million viewers on [[BBC1]] in the United Kingdom, about half of the British population.<ref>{{cite book|last=Green|first=Timothy|title=The Universal Eye: The World of Television|date=1972|publisher=[[Stein and Day]]|isbn=9780812814248|page=86|language=en|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dSUvAAAAMAAJ&q=ali+frazier|quote=The annual Miss World Contest, which is often the single most popular program of the year—attracting half the British population—is a natural for BBC 1; so was the Ali-Frazier fight, which was watched by 27.5 million people.}}</ref> It was also watched by an estimated 5.4{{nbsp}}million viewers in Italy,<ref>{{cite news|title=Joe Keeps Crown|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/12313885/|work=[[The Terre Haute Tribune]]|date=March 9, 1971|language=en}}</ref> and 2{{nbsp}}million viewers in [[South Korea]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Most Boxing Buffs Agree With Outcome|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/114440497/|work=[[Poughkeepsie Journal]]|date=March 9, 1971|language=en}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Ali refused to publicly admit defeat and sought to define the outcome in the public's mind as a "White Man's Decision". Frazier lost the title 22 months later, when he was knocked down six times in the first two rounds by [[George Foreman]] in their brief but devastating [[Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman|January&nbsp;22, 1973, title bout]] in [[Kingston, Jamaica]].<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/foreman-beats-frazier-to-win-heavyweight-title-in-jamaica "Foreman beats Frazier to win heavyweight title in Jamaica"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607133500/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/foreman-beats-frazier-to-win-heavyweight-title-in-jamaica |date=June 7, 2019 }}, "This Day in History – 1/22/1973". [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History.com]]. Retrieved January 16, 2013.</ref><ref name=fsfisc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lHlQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dBEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7050%2C1368041 |newspaper=Milwaukee Sentinel |agency=Associated Press |title=Foreman stops Frazier in 2nd |date=January 23, 1973 |page=1-part 2}}</ref>

Ali split two bouts with [[Ken Norton]] in 1973 and was viewed by many as on a downward slide before a win in a rematch—[[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II|Ali–Frazier II]]—in January 1974. That October, Ali shocked the world with a victory in [[Kinshasa, Zaire]], over the heavily favored Foreman to regain the heavyweight title in ''[[The Rumble in the Jungle]]''.<ref name=ThrillaInManilla/>

Ali later went on to defeat Frazier in their third and final bout, The [[Thrilla in Manila]], in 1975. By the time of the rematches the [[1970s#Society|social climate]] in America had settled down, with the [[Vietnam War]] having ended in early 1973. Many dismissed the notion that Ali was a [[Conscription in the United States#Vietnam War|traitor]], and he was once again accepted as the heavyweight champion. People who had supported Frazier on political and racial grounds in the first bout so that they could see Ali get beat were less effusive and abandoned him after he lost his championship. Without the same social divide, with the unknown of whether Ali could ever regain enough of his former greatness to dominate post-layoff partially answered, and without the impetus of two unbeaten champions meeting one another for the first time, neither their second nor their third matchup would attain the unprecedented hype of the first.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hudson Jr|first1=David|title=Combat Sports; An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, And Mixed Martial Arts|date=2006|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport CT|pages=6, 7}}</ref>

== COINTELPRO ==
The fight provided cover for an activist group, the [[Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI]], to successfully pull off a burglary at an [[FBI]] office in [[Pennsylvania]], which exposed the [[COINTELPRO]] operations that included illegal spying on activists involved with the civil rights and anti-war movements, on the basis that guards listening to radio coverage of the fight would be distracted from their duties. One of the COINTELPRO targets was Muhammad Ali, and the FBI's goals included their gaining access to his records as far back as elementary school.<ref>{{cite web|last=Medsger|first=Betty|url=https://theintercept.com/2016/06/06/in-1971-muhammad-ali-helped-undermine-the-fbis-illegal-spying-on-americans/|title=In 1971, Muhammad Ali Helped Undermine the FBI's Illegal Spying on Americans|work=[[The Intercept]]|date=June 6, 2016|access-date=April 17, 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|1970s|Martial Arts|United States}}
*[[Boxing career of Muhammad Ali]]
*[[Jack Johnson vs. James J. Jeffries]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==
* ''Le Combat du siècle'' in French, by [[Loulou Dédola]] (a ''[[bande dessinée]]'')

{{s-start}}
{{s-bef | before=vs. [[Bob Foster (boxer)|Bob Foster]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Joe Frazier]]'s bouts |years=March 8, 1971}}
{{s-aft | after=vs. Terry Daniels}}
{{s-bef | before=[[Muhammad Ali vs. Oscar Bonavena|vs. Oscar Bonavena]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Muhammad Ali]]'s bouts |years=March 8, 1971}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmy Ellis|vs. Jimmy Ellis]]}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{s-bef
|before={{small|[[Carlos Monzón]] vs. [[Nino Benvenuti]]}}
}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[The Ring magazine Fight of the Year#1970s|''The Ring'' Fight of the Year]]
|years=1971
}}
{{s-aft|after={{small|[[Bob Foster (boxer)|Bob Foster]] vs. [[Chris Finnegan]]}}
}}
{{s-bef
|before={{small|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Oscar Bonavena]]<br>Round 15}}
}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[The Ring magazine Round of the Year#1970s|''The Ring'' Round of the Year]]<br>{{small|Round 15}}
|years=1971
}}
{{s-aft|after={{small|[[Muhammad Ali vs. Bob Foster]]<br>Round 5}}
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Muhammad Ali Footer}}

[[Category:1970s in Manhattan]]
[[Category:1971 in boxing]]
[[Category:1971 in sports in New York City]]
[[Category:March 1971 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:Boxing matches at Madison Square Garden]]
[[Category:Boxing matches involving Muhammad Ali|Frazier]]
[[Category:Boxing matches refereed by Arthur Mercante Sr.]]
[[Category:Boxing on BBC]]
[[Category:History of boxing]]
[[Category:Nicknamed sporting events]]
[[Category:World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches]]
[[Category:World Boxing Council heavyweight championship matches]]