who held a 1-1 record with Ali at the time, was looming waiting to take the trilogy that he would never do. Two years earlier, Ali had beat George Foreman and had one of the best boxing matches of all time in theThrilla in Manilawith Joe Frazier, the epic ...
5. Joe Frazier:After Ali had been stripped of his world title and banned from boxing in 1967, it took time for the heavyweight division to find a worthy successor, but by 1970“Smokin'” Joe Frazierhad established himself as one of the most relentless and powerful big me...
The third episode places Ali in his “rivalry years,” 1970-1974, when he and Joe Frazier, his fiercest rival, would have the first two of their three fights. Frazier wins the much-hyped first bout in March 1971, retaining the heavyweight title, and Ali – after a series of other fight...
with digs at Floyd Patterson, Liston and other Ali foes. The song came out in 1971, soon before Ali lost to Joe Frazier in 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden, quickly dating some of the lyrics: “He’s the greatest, he’s the greatest,” Curtis chants, “don’t you know it, Joe...