The Thrilla in Manila: 50 Years After the Final Bell
Road to Rivalry
The greatest rivalry in boxing began years before Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in the ring. It was built over years, beginning in 1967 when Muhammad Ali was stripped of his championship titles and effectively banned from the sport for refusing the Vietnam War draft. At the time of his refusal, Ali was recognized by four organizations as the Heavyweight Champion, which were the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), and The Ring Magazine. Since Ali did not lose his titles in a boxing ring, each one was considered vacant and up for grabs by the top heavyweight contenders at the time.
On March 4, 1968, Joe Frazier defeated Buster Mathis in 11 rounds and secured the vacant NYSAC Heavyweight Championship title. Nearly two months later, Jimmy Ellis became the WBA Heavyweight Champion when he defeated Jerry Quarry in the final round of an elimination tournament for the title. Two years later, on February 16, 1970, Joe Frazier and Jimmy Ellis faced off for the vacant WBC title. When Ellis retired to his corner after four rounds fighting, Frazier became the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Despite an initial friendship between the boxers, which included Joe Frazier's advocacy for Muhammad Ali to be allowed to box again, the former champion publicly called for a fight with Frazier to prove he was still the one and only real heavyweight champion. Ali continued to taunt Frazier with his words until a fight was finally on the books--and even beyond.
