What do you guys think?
- Whether or not Ali and Frazier thought of going fourth was beyond our thinking. But imo,its still a sort of a promotion thing. Some fights just had great aftermaths and people (boxing fans mostly) will talk on forever about them like it was just yesterday. Such was the "Thrilla in Manila"
from all the accounts given it is clear to me that Ali said something like "take the gloves off" however i agree that Ali was never gunna quit.
If you look at round 14 Frazier was on deaths door and Ali was in a terrible state himself but clearly winning the fight and he knew it.I don't think he was ever actually going to quit he just needed some phycological reassurance from his corner to help him get through the last round and he achieved that by threating to quit.
If we look back to 1964 he did the thing when blinded by sonny liston and also had no problem with showing his distress after the knockdown against Cooper in 63.
the great thing about it though is none of us could never prove Ali didn't want out.truth is he did say it and it makes for better story telling if they make a big deal out of it by saying Ali he wanted to quit and Frazier never.
I saw an interview with Dr. Ferdie Pacheco and Angelo Dundee some years ago, and of course, they were being asked about Ali, and the Thrilla in Manila came up. Pacheco's position was - and as his doctor it infuriated him - that in nearly all of his fights, Ali took FAR more punishment than he needed to, but because it was part of his mindset - to let the opponent know he couldn't be hurt - he never stopped doing it. Neither of them said anything about him ever quitting in a bout.
Muhammad Ali and Smokin Joe Frazier met for the last time in what was billed, The Thrilla In Manila, on Sept 30,1975, in Manila. This was the third meeting between the two combatants. Joe Frazier and Ali first met when Ali challenged him for the World Heavyweight Title that had been taken from him because of his defiance of the draft, and his conviction in a Houston court in 1967, for refusing to be inducted into the U.S Army, and go to Vietnam. Ali harassed Frazier into giving him a title shot. On March 8,1971, in Madison Square Garden, they fought and Frazier earned a unanimous 15 round decision to retain his title. They met in a non title affair on Jan 28,1974, and Ali earned a 12 round unanimous decision for the right to fight World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman, who had knocked out Frazier a year earlier to win the title. Prior to their third and final fight, Ali called Frazier a Gorilla and several other names. Frazier who had resented Ali since before their first meeting became infuriated. I have heard the same account of Ali wanting to quit between the 9th and 10th round. It was Joe that was not allowed out for round 14 by his trainer Eddie Futch, after he took horrendous punches from Ali in round 13.
I don't think Ali knew how to quit, quitting just wasn't in his nature. When Liston put liniment in his eyes in their first fight Ali was ready to quit, but that was the only time I remember Ali even close to quitting, going blind tends to sap a fighters will to continue. Dundee washed his eyes out between rounds and he got it together. The last fight with Joe was grueling, but I saw an exhausted Ali ready to answer the bell when Eddie Futch threw in the towel.
He said he was, and he also tried to quit in the first Liston fight.
This goes to show you that a good corner man makes a big difference in fights.
He was not killing Frazier and he almost died in this fight too.
There is nothing wrong with quitting if it saves your life, which is why Eddie Futch threw in the towel, when Frazier did not want to quit.
The temperature and humidity was far over 100 degrees int he un air conditioned stadium and both fought their hearts out.Joe was blind in his left eye and his right eye was barley able to see, but he kept coming.Ali was exhausted and has said it was the closest he came to death. Ali was relieved that he didn't have to go anyone round, while Frazier begged his trainer Eddie Futch to do so. the fight was stopped and boy was Ali relieved, but quit, no.
The HBO thrilla in manila documentary was an intentional hatchet job on Ali.
Ali would have never quit Angelo dundee has been interviewed saying Ali never even close to quit. Why would he quit if he was killing frazier in the round before. It's just another lie against Ali.
What do you guys think?
