Thrilla in Manila

Thrilla in Manila
DateOctober 1, 1975
VenueAraneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines
Title(s) on the lineWBA, WBC and The Ring undisputed heavyweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier
Nickname The Greatest Smokin'
Hometown Louisville, Kentucky, US Beaufort, South Carolina, US
Purse $9,000,000 $5,000,000
Pre-fight record 48–2 (34 KO) 32–2 (27 KO)
Age 33 years, 8 months 31 years, 8 months
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 5 ft 11+1⁄2 in (182 cm)
Weight 224+1⁄2 lb (102 kg) 215+1⁄2 lb (98 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBA, WBC and The Ring undisputed
Heavyweight Champion		 Former undisputed heavyweight champion
Result
Ali wins by corner retirement in round 14

Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, billed as the Thrilla in Manila, was the third and final professional boxing match between undisputed champion Muhammad Ali, and former champion Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world.[1] The bout was conceded after fourteen rounds on October 1, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines, located in Metro Manila.[2] The venue was temporarily renamed the "Philippine Coliseum" for this match.[3] Ali won by corner retirement (RTD) after Frazier's chief second, Eddie Futch, asked the referee to stop the fight after the 14th round.[4][5][6] The contest's name is derived from Ali's rhyming boast that the fight would be "a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila."

The bout is almost universally regarded as one of the best and most brutal fights in boxing history, and was the culmination of a three-bout rivalry between the two fighters that Ali won, 2–1.[7][8][9] Some sources estimate the fight was watched by 1 billion viewers,[10] including 100 million viewers watching the fight on closed-circuit theatre television,[11] and 500,000 pay-per-view buys on HBO home cable television.[12]

  1. ^ "Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier (3rd meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (October 1, 2015). "Thrilla In Manila: 40 years on from sanctioned manslaughter in boxing". The Guardian.
  3. ^ The Editors of LIFE (2016). LIFE ALI: A Life in Pictures. Time Inc. Books. p. 92. ISBN 9781683305873.
  4. ^ Anderson, Dave (October 1, 1975). "Ali wins battle of brawlers". Milwaukee Journal/The New York Times. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016.
  5. ^ Kram, Mark (October 13, 1975). "Lawdy, lawdy, he's great". Sports Illustrated. p. 20.
  6. ^ "Frazier TKO Victim After 14, Ali Wins Thriller in Manila". Milwaukee Sentinel. October 1, 1975. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  7. ^ "TOPICS: The Thrilla in Manila". ESPN. December 5, 2012.
  8. ^ Walker, Childs (April 13, 2009). "The Endorsement: Thrilla in Manila". The Baltimore Sun.
  9. ^ Gustkey, Early (October 1, 1999). "It Was Much More Than a 'Thrilla in Manila'". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ^ "54 Facts you probably don't know about Don King". Boxing News 24. January 14, 2008.
  11. ^ "Karriem Allah". Black Belt. Active Interest Media, Inc.: 35 1976.
  12. ^ Smith, Ronald A. (2003). Play-by-Play: Radio, Television, and Big-Time College Sport. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 101. ISBN 9780801876929.