Welcome to this week’s History Thread!
Today’s picture: October 1, 1975 was one of the most famous boxing matches in modern history: the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila, appropriately dubbed the “Thrilla in Manila.” This was the third match between the two men, and there was a lot of promotional hype and bad blood between them heading into the match. Ali spent a lot of time schmoozing Filipinos and constantly baited Frazier, calling him a gorilla and even appearing outside his hotel one night with a gun. It was an early coup for American cable television, especially the young HBO which carried the fight live to millions of viewers. The fight was also a propaganda coup for Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who agreed to host the match in the midst of a declaration of martial law.
The fight lasted 14 rounds. Ali continued his trademark baiting and “rope-a-dope” strategy for a few rounds, but Frazier managed to absorb Ali’s blows and taunts and eventually took control of the fight. It swirled back and forth throughout the evening, with both participants admitting afterwards that they were so battered as to come near death. Finally, after the fourteenth round Ali told his trainer to remove his gloves; he was ready to concede, not wanting to risk the impact of another round. Frazier’s trainer, however, beat him to it, throwing in the towel despite Frazier’s protests.
For a longer recap of the fight, see this GQ article.