Ali-Frazier II
Encyclopedia
Ali vs. Frazier II was a boxing
fight, the second of three bouts between Muhammad Ali
and Joe Frazier
, that took place at the Madison Square Garden
in New York City
, on January 28, 1974.
and The Thrilla in Manila
, the fight was considered by many fans and experts to be the least significant and interesting fight of their rivalry. One columnist described it as a contest between two "former champions, both beaten, both past their best". Nonetheless, Ali wanted to avenge his loss to Frazier in their first fight, and a world title try at Heavyweight champion George Foreman
, who had dethroned Frazier, was at stake. Their first and third fights became part of boxing's lore, but some viewers considered the second fight to be entertaining as well.
studios in New York City to review their first fight for ABC's Wide World of Sports
. While both fighters were reviewing round 10, Ali began trash talking and calling Frazier "ignorant" for saying he won the first bout. This enraged Frazier who stood up from his seat and squared up to a seated Ali, repeating "why you call me ignorant... how am I ignorant". While Frazier was not looking at Ali as the studio crew and his entourage tried to calm him down, Ali held Frazier by the neck forcing him to sit down which broke out into a fight on the studio floor. Both fighters were subsequently fined for this and the stage was set for their rematch in the ring.
Ali continued to dominate the fight, throwing and landing more punches than Frazier. When Frazier got close Ali would initiate a clinch and hold him until the referee broke the clinch. Ali was warned 150 times by referee Tony Perez for illegally holding Frazier behind the neck, but never given a points deduction. Frazier began to make headway in rounds eight and nine, keeping Ali pinned to the ropes with heavy body shots. Then, Ali changed his tactics and began to trade punches with Frazier, winning some hard exchanges. Ali successfully avenged his earlier loss with a decision, cementing what would become one of the sports' great rivalries. However, the official verdict was disputed in some quarters; Red Smith
of the New York Times scored the bout 6-5-1 for Frazier.
The official scoring on a rounds basis was 6-5-1 Referee Tony Perez; 7-4-1 Judge Tony Castelaano; 8-4 Judge Jack Gordon.
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
fight, the second of three bouts between Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
and Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
, that took place at the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on January 28, 1974.
Significance
Held in between their two other bouts, The Fight of the CenturyFight of the Century
Fight of the Century was the promotional nickname given to the first boxing match between champion Joe Frazier and challenger Muhammad Ali , held on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York....
and The Thrilla in Manila
Thrilla in Manila
The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World, fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines on October 1, 1975....
, the fight was considered by many fans and experts to be the least significant and interesting fight of their rivalry. One columnist described it as a contest between two "former champions, both beaten, both past their best". Nonetheless, Ali wanted to avenge his loss to Frazier in their first fight, and a world title try at Heavyweight champion George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
, who had dethroned Frazier, was at stake. Their first and third fights became part of boxing's lore, but some viewers considered the second fight to be entertaining as well.
Buildup
Before their rematch, Ali and Frazier visited the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
studios in New York City to review their first fight for ABC's Wide World of Sports
Wide World of Sports (US TV series)
ABC's Wide World of Sports is a sports anthology series on American television that ran from 1961 to 1998 and was originally hosted by Jim McKay. The title continued to be used for general sports programs until 2006...
. While both fighters were reviewing round 10, Ali began trash talking and calling Frazier "ignorant" for saying he won the first bout. This enraged Frazier who stood up from his seat and squared up to a seated Ali, repeating "why you call me ignorant... how am I ignorant". While Frazier was not looking at Ali as the studio crew and his entourage tried to calm him down, Ali held Frazier by the neck forcing him to sit down which broke out into a fight on the studio floor. Both fighters were subsequently fined for this and the stage was set for their rematch in the ring.
Fight results
Ali looked a little light and quick on his feet in the early rounds. He constantly circled to his right away from Frazier’s dangerous left hook. And when Frazier got close, Ali cut loose with rapid fire combinations to take the first two rounds. Moreover, in the final twenty seconds of the second round, Ali came straight on Joe's face and did a little jig in the center of the ring. Ali moved forward and landed several combinations that put Joe on the ropes. Then the referee Tony Perez mistakenly thought he heard the bell and gave Frazier a 10-15 second respite. When he realized his mistake and had the fighters resume the action, there were only ten seconds remaining in the round and Frazier had sufficiently recovered.Ali continued to dominate the fight, throwing and landing more punches than Frazier. When Frazier got close Ali would initiate a clinch and hold him until the referee broke the clinch. Ali was warned 150 times by referee Tony Perez for illegally holding Frazier behind the neck, but never given a points deduction. Frazier began to make headway in rounds eight and nine, keeping Ali pinned to the ropes with heavy body shots. Then, Ali changed his tactics and began to trade punches with Frazier, winning some hard exchanges. Ali successfully avenged his earlier loss with a decision, cementing what would become one of the sports' great rivalries. However, the official verdict was disputed in some quarters; Red Smith
Red Smith (sportswriter)
For other uses, see: Red Smith Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith was an American sportswriter who rose to become one of America's most widely read sports columnists.-Career:After graduating from Green Bay East High School, site of Packers home games until 1957, Smith moved on to...
of the New York Times scored the bout 6-5-1 for Frazier.
The official scoring on a rounds basis was 6-5-1 Referee Tony Perez; 7-4-1 Judge Tony Castelaano; 8-4 Judge Jack Gordon.