March 8, 2015, Queens, NY All you need to know is the date. Ali. Frazier. Madison Square Garden. March. Eighth. 1971. No sporting event has come remotely close to the epic Super Fight between the two undefeated heavyweights.
Ali beat Oscar Bonavena in Madison Square Garden, December 7, 1970, by TKO in the 15th and final round. Ali was recently reinstated and reissued his boxing license. His first fight after being “banished” by the boxing establishment was in ATL against formidable contender Jerry Quarry, October 26, 1970. Ali had not fought in over three years due to his being a conscientious objector which disallowed him from “soldiering” in the Vietnam War. To show you how different the time period was, Ali had two major fights within a month and a half. Who does that today?
Joe Frazier defeated Jimmy Ellis on February 16, 1970, to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world capturing the WBC and WBA belts. The title was vacant due to Ali being stripped of his belt.
Ali was still considered the true champion in many circles, and Joe Frazier was highly regarded in his own right even though he did not beat the linear champion (Ali) for the title. When Ali beat the tough Argentinian Bonavena, it set up the ultimate Super Fight.
The purse for both fighters was an unheard of $2.5 million each. This was in 1971 when a million dollars was a million dollars. According to legend, revisionist history, and lazy intellectualism, White people wanted Frazier to win, and Black people wanted Ali to win. Not true. Let’s explore and explode this myth.
Ali was Muslim—and not just any kind of Muslim; he was a Nation of Islam Muslim. The Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad kind of Muslim. The boogeyman type of Muslim. He also refused to fight in the Vietnam War. And, he also made disparaging remarks about the most beloved Black athlete ever—Joe Louis. In 1971, Blacks were overwhelmingly Christian so the embrace of any other religion was unacceptable. Many Blacks viewed this as deviant, diabolical, and devilish. Many families were irreparably divided because Henry done changed his name (and religion) to Hakeem.
A significant number of Black men, who were in their 40s and 50s, fought in World War II. Even more who were in their 30s fought in the Korean War. Believe it or not, there were still Blacks who were World War I veterans. Some of them respected his stance, the majority did not. Truth.
Many Blacks at that time, regardless of social status, had a conservative bent. In fact, the Nation of Islam had a strong conservative bent. You don’t believe me? No drinking, drugging, or dancing. No sex before marriage. No public assistance. No foul language. No pork. No outlandish attire. No beards (neat mustaches allowed). You think all young Blacks were into “the movement”? Not hardly. You think all young Blacks belonged to U.S. (the organization founded by Ron Maulana Karanga), the Panthers, the Black Liberation Army? No!
Joe Frazier was more like the guy next door. More Blacks related to Frazier than Ali. Ali was a rock star. Speaking at Harvard. Performing on Broadway. Appearing on talkshows.
Now, Ali had his supporters. They were a small but boisterous lot. They were generally young and anti-establishment. They were racially and ethnically diverse. They were angry. They were fed up. They were not to be played with. They were also in the minority.
But marketing being marketing created a schism within the persona of the two fighters, devised a brilliant narrative, and made them diametrically opposed opposites. Ali wore the Black hat. He was portrayed as a rabble rouser and militant. Joe Frazier was portrayed as the “God-fearing” American Patriot. Marketing Genius. Ali was the anti-American incarnate. And Frazier shared the first name of one of the most patriotic symbols in the history of the United States—G.I. Joe. You can’t make this up.
The fight became more about the two fighter’s caricatures than who they really were. So people sided with the storyline, not the fighter. If you liked what Frazier represented, he was your man. If you liked what Ali stood for, he was your man. Everyone (not really, but it sounds good) took a side. It was the Hatfields vs. the McCoys, the Sharks vs. the Jets (think Westside Story), the Democrats vs. the Republicans, the Good vs. the bad, God vs. Devil. The passions ran that strongly.
Ali called Frazier “Tom.”
Frazier called Ali “Clay.”
Tom—Clay—Tom—Clay—Tom—Clay—Tom—Clay—TOM—CLAY!
No event was more star-studded and pedestrian simultaneously. The Garden—on that night—was open to everyone. The underworld, the overworld, the famous, the infamous, the celebrity, the notorious, the white collar, the blue collar. Frank Sinatra was working as a member of the media. Ol’ Blue Eyes was taking pictures. Archie Moore was showing Burt Lancaster how to jab. Most of the fur that night was worn by humans, not animals.
The actual fight exceeded the hype. Arguably, the fight was a draw going into the 15th round. Frazier connected with the left hook of left hooks and put Ali down (Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, hypothesized that Ali was initially unconscious upon the punch’s impact and regained consciousness when he hit the canvas—watch the punch in slow motion, Dundee’s correct), but he got up at the count of four. Remarkable. And finished the round fighting back even though his jaw was swelling with each passing second.
How brutal was the fight. Ali went to the hospital. Frazier almost died.
How monumental was the advertising? Well, boxing aficionado, Carlton Barnes reminded me that you had two Black men who were advertising for Vitalis (a shaving ointment).
Ali rhymed:
Joe, they say you come out smoking,
But I ain’t gonna be joking,
I’m gonna come out a peckin’ and a pokin’
Pouring water on your smokin’
This is gonna shock and amaze ya,
But I’m gonna retire Joe Frazier
The two fighters’ careers took very different paths. Ali would regain the title two more times. Frazier was destroyed in two rounds against George Foreman in Kingston, Jamaica. Ali suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. Joe Frazier is dead.
The date was March 8, 1971.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at cliffb@puresportsny.com
