Thrilla in manila

BadCo · Apr 11, 2009

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</td><td class="leftnav-link">> HBO SPORTS WEBSITE </td><td>

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</td> <td class="leftnav-link">Rated TV14: ADULT CONTENT, VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE</td> <td rowspan="12">

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</td></tr> <tr><td class="leftnav-link">Running Time: 90 minutes</td></tr> <tr><td>

</td></tr> <tr><td class="leftnav-link">Genre: Documentary, Sports</td></tr> <tr><td>

</td></tr> <tr><td class="leftnav-link">On September 30, 1975, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier faced off in the boxing ring for the third and final time. What unfolded in the oppressive heat of the Philippines remains one of the most incredible fights in history--with an ending so dramatic it defies belief and continues to provoke controversy. HBO revisits that epic fight in this documentary that pulls back the veil on a story of betrayal, resentment and revenge stoked by the racial politics of 1970s America. Analysis of the fight is punctuated by interviews with several figures, most noteworthy Frazier himself, who comments poignantly before watching a replay of this classic bout. Other interviews include Marvis Frazier, Tommy Frazier, Butch Lewis, Dave Wolf, Larry Holmes, Joe Hand, Abdul Rahaman, Denise Menz, and more. (TVPG) ()</td></tr> <tr><td>

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</td></tr> <tr><td class="leftnav-link">Director(s): JOHN DOWER</td></tr></tbody></table>

Buster · Apr 25, 2009

this is getting ready to come on right now...thinking about watching..anybody seen it?

wilheim · Apr 25, 2009

The Thriller in Manila

I remember listening to the fight on radio while I was tending bar in a restaurant/lounge in Massachusetts. They actually started the fight at 10:45AM Manila time so as to take advantage of optimum prime time in the states. In those days you could go to theaters and auditoriums to see the fight live via satellite transmission, they actually used a fledgling HBO's live event hook-up to show the fight. Having to work the best I could do was bring a radio in for that shift but it kept the bar filled for the entire 14 round classic.

Supposedly Eddie Futch decided to stop the fight between rounds rather than risk a some real physical damage to Joe Frazier in the 15th.

Frazier protested stopping the fight, shouting "I want him boss," and trying to get Futch to change his mind. Futch simply replied, "It's all over. No one will forget what you did here today", and signaled to the referee to end the bout.

However, what Futch didn't know while this was going on, in Ali's corner Ali was pleading with Angelo Dundee to stop the fight and asking him to "cut 'em off" (referring to his gloves). Dundee refused, despite Ali saying he will refuse to come out of his corner for the 15th.

Ali was therefore declared the victor and shortly after wards fainted on the canvas. He claimed that this was the closest to dying he had ever been, and also stated later, "Joe Frazier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, that's one helluva man, and God bless him."

In a brief post-fight interview with one of the commentators, Ali announced, "He is the greatest fighter of all times, next to me."

Joe Frazier was instrumental in getting then President Nixon to re-instate Ali after he was suspended for refusing to register for the draft that was mandatory in those days.

I know this, after The Thriller in Manila (their third bout against each other) neither fighter was ever the same again. A younger but clearly washed up Joe Frazier only fought two more bouts in his career. He was pummeled by George Foreman in the 5th round in Jamaica and fought a meaningless draw with little known Floyd Cummings in 1981.

Ali foolishly fought 10 more times and was defeated in three of them. Once by Leon Spinks, then he took a tremendous beating at the hands of Larry Holmes losing when he was unable to come out for the 11th round. He had one more bout over a year after the Holmes disaster and lost to Trevor Berbick by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in the Bahamas.

Millions of words have been written about the "Thriller in Manila" and unfortunately for me the show is not on here in Costa Rica or I would watch it.

wil.

Fightfan · Apr 25, 2009

Ali foolishly fought 10 more times and was defeated in three of them. Once by Leon Spinks, then he took a tremendous beating at the hands of Ernie Holmes losing when he was unable to come out for the 11th round. He had one more bout over a year after the Holmes disaster and lost to Trevor Berbick by unanimous decision after 10 rounds in the Bahamas.

I think you mean Larry Holmes