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The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier March 8, 1971
It was more than the long-awaited showdown between two superb athletes in their prime, more than the ultimate test of speed and artistry versus power and endurance. It was more than a boxing match, much more. The first meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, transcended the world of sports to become a major international media spectacle with tremendous social and political overtones. In The Fight of the Century, sportswriter Michael Arkush delves behind the scenes to explore the richly textured history and the ongoing impact of one of the most important sporting events of all time, a battle not only between two undefeated champions, but between two competing views of a nation still reeling from the turbulent 1960s. Arkush draws from interviews with Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee; his doctor, Ferdie Pacheco; and more than 100 others to examine how the fight, watched by more than 300 million viewers around the world, ushered in a new era of sports marketing. From then on, every game would be turned into an “event,” powered by over-the-top hype and carefully staged pageantry. This sweeping real-life saga features insightful portraits of both fighters. The outspoken Ali, coming back to boxing after a three-and-a-half-year ban for evading the military draft, was already one of the best-known human beings on the planet—a hero to millions, though certainly a thorn in the side of America’s power structure. Frazier, by contrast, did not feel compelled to constantly weigh in on the political issues of his time, though he did refuse to call his opponent by his adopted Islamic name, instead referring to him as Cassius Clay. Among many telling details in this fascinating account, you’ll discover why Ali’s favorite foil, Howard Cosell, who had defended the champ passionately during his exile, did not call the fight, and how a prominent Hollywood agent and a California businessman teamed up to promote the event. You’ll also learn how a little-known Georgia legislator helped make Ali’s comeback possible. Complete with photos of both fighters at the peak of their careers, The Fight of the Century is very likely the most dramatic, compelling, and moving sports story you will ever read.
- GenresSportsNonfictionHistory
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2007
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59 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 26, 2024
A very well written book. The research is thorough. Overall, an easy read.
SPOILER ALLERT: The pictures in the middle of the book show the winner. It ruined the drama of the story for me.
SPOILER ALLERT: The pictures in the middle of the book show the winner. It ruined the drama of the story for me.
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September 28, 2020Well it took me a while...but I finally finished it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially the way the author was able to transport us back to that early 70's era. It felt very authentic.
My goodness, what a different place the world was back then!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, especially the way the author was able to transport us back to that early 70's era. It felt very authentic.
My goodness, what a different place the world was back then!
April 21, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “WHERE WERE YOU ON 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!”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!”
April 20, 2021
Since I was a child March 8, 1971 has been somewhat of a landmark for me. I was an eleven year old caught up in all the preflight hoopla. It was not shown on TV, nor broadcast on the radio. All that was available was round updates on a local radio station. I remember laying bed rooting for Joe Frazier. Admittedly, I did not understand Mohamed Ali and could not relate to his persona. I still think it was cruel, some of the things Ali said about Frazier.
I adored Michael Arkush's description of all of the people involved...I mean everyone, including Arthur Macante the referee. I wish it were 200 pages longer.
I adored Michael Arkush's description of all of the people involved...I mean everyone, including Arthur Macante the referee. I wish it were 200 pages longer.
February 24, 2024
A bit too much detail about people surrounding the event not named Ali or Frazier. Then the description of the fight itself seemed a bit sparse in comparison with all that was written about those surrounding details. It almost seems like this book is more about the event of the fight rather than the fight itself. It still had plenty of great insights regarding Frazier and Ali, so it is certainly worth the read. But it seems bogged down by too much detail about the extraneous people, places, dates, etc surrounding the event of "The Fight of the Century."
August 24, 2024
I remember the arguments between friends over who would win this fight. Most favored Ali. They underestimated Frazier's unmatched resolve, steeled by Ali's relentless mockery of his former friend and supporter. It was a brutal fight which took an incredible toll on both men. The book does an excellent job bringing that to life.
January 16, 2013
I'm giving it 2 1/2 stars. It's a little bit better than this but not by much ("this" contains spoilers so click at your own risk).
There was too much of a reliance of previously published source material which helped perpetuate the mythology of these two fighters as opposed to the reality of the situation. For example, it has often been claimed by many in the Muhammad Ali camp that in his first fight with Ken Norton that Mr. Norton broke Mr. Alis' jaw in the 2nd round. This claim has been made my many as the reason for why Ali lost his fight, because he was fighting with a broken jaw for 13 rounds. This is not true. Yes Norton broke his jaw, but it was in the 14th or 15th round not the 2nd round like the Ali camp has claimed for years, allowing him to look like the super human greatest of all time that he claimed to be (No one, no matter how tough, can fight for 13 rounds with a broken jaw. The doctors and referee would never allow a fight to continue for that long if a fighters jaw was broken. Mr. Ali did not take Norton seriously, hardly trained for the bout, played around in the ring instead of fighting and ended up losing a decision).
Mr. Arkush has no problems with regurgitating this "fact" late in the book which makes me suspicious of some of the other "research" that was done.
Some of this book was interesting and informative but the book is called "The Fight of the Century" and for the most part the book does not take the time to describe the actual fight, just the events surrounding the fight. There are more pages dedicated to the notes, sources and bibliography used to write the book than there dedicated to actually describing the fighting. There is a documentary film about this event that might be more entertaining than reading this book.
The book did do a good job of educating me about some things the documentary did not. I enjoyed learning about the man who helped Ali make his comeback in Atlanta against Jerry Quarry (can't remember his name at the moment), the bidding war to the rights of the fight, and some of the training both fighters did for the bout. I learned how Burt Lancaster became the color commentator for the fight (he is pretty prevalent in the documentary and I always wondered why he was in the movie, although the fight footage in the film does not include any of the announcers comments) and the real reason why Joe Frasier was in the hospital for weeks after the fight (it was not because of the damage inflicted by Ali). That's about all I can think to say on the book at this time. I would try to find the movie instead of shelling out the $26.95 for the hardcover (its only available in HB at this time).
There was too much of a reliance of previously published source material which helped perpetuate the mythology of these two fighters as opposed to the reality of the situation. For example, it has often been claimed by many in the Muhammad Ali camp that in his first fight with Ken Norton that Mr. Norton broke Mr. Alis' jaw in the 2nd round. This claim has been made my many as the reason for why Ali lost his fight, because he was fighting with a broken jaw for 13 rounds. This is not true. Yes Norton broke his jaw, but it was in the 14th or 15th round not the 2nd round like the Ali camp has claimed for years, allowing him to look like the super human greatest of all time that he claimed to be (No one, no matter how tough, can fight for 13 rounds with a broken jaw. The doctors and referee would never allow a fight to continue for that long if a fighters jaw was broken. Mr. Ali did not take Norton seriously, hardly trained for the bout, played around in the ring instead of fighting and ended up losing a decision).
Mr. Arkush has no problems with regurgitating this "fact" late in the book which makes me suspicious of some of the other "research" that was done.
Some of this book was interesting and informative but the book is called "The Fight of the Century" and for the most part the book does not take the time to describe the actual fight, just the events surrounding the fight. There are more pages dedicated to the notes, sources and bibliography used to write the book than there dedicated to actually describing the fighting. There is a documentary film about this event that might be more entertaining than reading this book.
The book did do a good job of educating me about some things the documentary did not. I enjoyed learning about the man who helped Ali make his comeback in Atlanta against Jerry Quarry (can't remember his name at the moment), the bidding war to the rights of the fight, and some of the training both fighters did for the bout. I learned how Burt Lancaster became the color commentator for the fight (he is pretty prevalent in the documentary and I always wondered why he was in the movie, although the fight footage in the film does not include any of the announcers comments) and the real reason why Joe Frasier was in the hospital for weeks after the fight (it was not because of the damage inflicted by Ali). That's about all I can think to say on the book at this time. I would try to find the movie instead of shelling out the $26.95 for the hardcover (its only available in HB at this time).
January 1, 2013
Great read.
November 19, 2014
OK, not much more enlightening than the HBO Documentary....
September 20, 2015
Must Read for Sport Fans
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews