Ali vs. Fraser, Fight 1 on ESPN now. fifty years ago....

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Burt Lancaster providing color commentary. 1st round was pretty even, I think.

[Hoyt]

1. Big Ali fan. Saw that "live" at a closed-circuit telecast. It was a political fight, much

like life today.

Maybe he’ll win this time, although I never considered he lost.

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3. 300MM people watched it....globally.

This fight was a BFD.

[Tomconroy]

2. Oh wow

I remember the night. I used to see all of Ali's fights on tv. That one you had to pay 30 bucks or so to see the broadcast in a theater. I listened on the radio. They read the AP report after each round. Seeing what happened to Ali after he retired I can't watch boxing now. Just to brutal.

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4. There was no radio broadcast per the terms of the contract.

But, hey, 50 years ago I was an 18 YO that thought he witnessed the greatest prequel fight of all time. The "Rumble in the Jungle" being the greatestfight of all time.


Round 6 and Ali is showing the gas tank is getting empty. 18 rounds in almost 4 years....

[dhill926]

5. watched it last Sunday...

man, the memories came flooding back. It was a BFD! Wait until you see the segment with the Cosell interview...holy shit...

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6. Round 6, Ali is looking gassed, but

then he starts toying with Joe tpwards the end of the round. I think these guys truly did not like each other. Ali had verbally contemptible comments of Frazier and I think Joe thought Ali was a pretender who he could bring down.

Frazier's body punches would have crushed a mere mortal.

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7. Round 7....Ali camps out in the corner by the end of the round. Ali has absorbed maybe 50 Frazier

solid shots to the lower torso. OTOH, Ali has hit Frazier with maybe 70 head shots.....

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8. Round 8 - The start of "rope a Dope", I think.

Conserving energy.

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10. Wow, the video of Ali, Frazier, and Cossell interview where a fight breaks out.

Joe was ready to go when Ali called him "ignorant"

Ali was occupying rent-free space in Joe's head. I think it persisted through their life.

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11. Rounnd 9 - Ali looked extremely sharp at the end.

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12. Round 10

The round is interwoven by Ali/Frazier's post fight analysis, Cossell transitions from a moderator of the fight, to a moderator of the current fight. LOL.


This happened 5 days before their next fight in Zaire.

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13. Round 11 - Ali slips, no knock down.

It's a hard slog for both these guys, now. Frazier nails Ali....barely hanging on. Ali looks spent. Both guys landing haymakers.

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14. Round 12 - Both guys spent.

Ali missing more, though....I don't know how these guys are standing, to be honest.



Frazier beat the stuffing out of Ali in their fights. And vice-versa.

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15. Round 13 - Ali comes out brutalizing Joe's already brutalized face.

But joe is a boxing machine. A prodigious 13th round of boxing

[Tomconroy]

16. When We Were Kings

If you haven't seen it try tracking down the documentary When We Were Kings (I think I have the title right). The story of the Rumble in the Jungle between Ali and George Foreman. Narrated by Norman Mailer and George Plimpton. Quite a story.

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17. Round 14 - Ali seems to get sorta of 2nd wind, but clutching a lot.

Joe is a punching machine.

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18. Round 15

All 3 judges have Frazier ahead. The 1st 14 rounds were unbelievable for a heavyweight title fight.....15 rounds? Who does that? These guys did.

Joe starts with s mission....knocks Ali down. More Joe brutalization. Ali got nailed....don't know how he is standing.

Joe wins this fight.....but he paid for it.

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19. Punchers thrown....893 to 631.

Think about that.

[Hoyt]

20. Enjoyed the round by round summaries. Back then, if ABC didn't run the fight, or

you didn’t go to closed circuit broadcast, that’s the best you got.