Ali & Frazier: Was ‘The Fight of the Century’ the Greatest Sporting Event of All-Time?
March 8, 1971 was arguably the most magical evening in sports history. On this date 40-years ago two undefeated heavyweight champions squared off at the Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden, in what was billed the “Fight of the Century.” Muhammad Ali entered the fight with a 31-0 record with 25 KO’s while “Smokin” Joe Frazier was 26-0 with 23 KO’s. Frazier held the belts but Ali was still the peoples’ champion. Ali was seeking to reclaim that which was stripped by the United States government and the boxing authorities. His championship belts. In 1967 Ali refused to military induction. His controversial stance led to his forced 42 month exile from boxing. Despite being rusty from the long layoff Ali won two tune-up fights before climbing into the ring with Frazier: He cut Jerry Quarry to shreds in winning by a TKO in the third round and he knocked out Italian brawler Oscar Bonavena in the final round of their fight. Ali looked surprisingly sharp ag...