Fair Play: The truth stings like a bee
MY interest got piqued when I read an article by the Associated Press that Smokin’ Joe Frazier was still pissed at Muhammad Ali three decades after the epic finale of their trilogy. Why hold that grudge for so long?
I learned the reason last Saturday night.
Those who want to know about the Golden Age of heavyweight boxing should take time to watch HBO’s documentary, “Thrilla in Manila.” It’s an eye-opener.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
I got a copy of the video last Sunday, thanks to…er wait, it was a downloaded copy, so I guess, I shall keep him nameless, lest Edu Manzano come knocking.
The almost two-hour long documentary focuses on the greatest rivalry in the sport, Frazier vs. Ali, and the greatest fight of all time, the “Thrilla in Manila.”
And just after the newsreel highlights at the introduction, you’re greeted by a sight of Old Smokin’ Joe and none of his great rival. I wondered why but then I thought, Smokin’ Joe, it seems, is the forgotten hero in this saga, while Ali, well, he’s the greatest of all time. Haven’t we heard that from Ali himself?
I guess the people behind the documentary want people to know Frazier’s story.
What makes Frazier still angry at Ali all this time?
It was the betrayal and the “dumb Frazier” taunting, and of course, the infamous Gorilla chant.
In this era when hype sometimes replaces fact, or when promoters and trainers would do anything to increase interest in their fights, Ali would have felt right at home.
It seems Ali made hyping a fight, an art. Not the cheesy “I found a gun, but the trigger doesn’t work, so this must be Oscar’s” type.
But, I guess, Ali was too good, he got bad.
“Why would you call me a gorilla? I ain’t one, I don’t look like one,” Frazier said in the interview.
Aside from the insult, it was the fact that it was Ali who was saying it that probably hurt Frazier more.
While most people know that the Greatest was stripped of his titles when he refused to fight in Vietnam and was stripped of his boxing license, it was Frazier who helped him get it back.
In the documentary, an associate of Frazier said Smokin’ Joe once gave Ali money when the two met. They were friends.
But all the friendship was forgotten when Ali got his license back and was to face Frazier in three fights. And it was this betrayal that hurt Joe.
When Frazier was interviewed after the world saw Ali light the Olympic flame in Atlanta ‘96, Joe said Ali should be the one in flames. That’s how effective Ali’s hype was.
Though Ali later admitted the things he said were meant to promote the fight, Smokin’ Joe’s brother said, “It’s all good publicity, that’s what he thought. But he damaged a lot of people’s lives, doing that. But at that point, he didn’t care.”
There was also one part of the documentary that caught my interest. Though they showed the All-Star treatment Ali got when he got to Manila, they also showed how, when he was introduced in the fight, the Filipinos booed Ali.
I guess, the fans back then saw through the Ali smokescreen and got tired of his taunting of Frazier (Aside from gatecrashing Frazier’s training camp, Ali, at one point, was shown brandishing a rifle going to Frazier’s hotel, telling his foe to come out.).
As for Smokin’ Joe? His brother, who claimed he has repeatedly told Joe to forgive Ali and to leave everything in the past, summarized Joe’s feelings for Ali when he let the film crew listen to the message on the former boxer’s voice mail, “My name is Smokin’ Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor, yeah, floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. I’m the man who done the job, he knows, look and see.”
I learned the reason last Saturday night.
Those who want to know about the Golden Age of heavyweight boxing should take time to watch HBO’s documentary, “Thrilla in Manila.” It’s an eye-opener.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
I got a copy of the video last Sunday, thanks to…er wait, it was a downloaded copy, so I guess, I shall keep him nameless, lest Edu Manzano come knocking.
The almost two-hour long documentary focuses on the greatest rivalry in the sport, Frazier vs. Ali, and the greatest fight of all time, the “Thrilla in Manila.”
And just after the newsreel highlights at the introduction, you’re greeted by a sight of Old Smokin’ Joe and none of his great rival. I wondered why but then I thought, Smokin’ Joe, it seems, is the forgotten hero in this saga, while Ali, well, he’s the greatest of all time. Haven’t we heard that from Ali himself?
I guess the people behind the documentary want people to know Frazier’s story.
What makes Frazier still angry at Ali all this time?
It was the betrayal and the “dumb Frazier” taunting, and of course, the infamous Gorilla chant.
In this era when hype sometimes replaces fact, or when promoters and trainers would do anything to increase interest in their fights, Ali would have felt right at home.
It seems Ali made hyping a fight, an art. Not the cheesy “I found a gun, but the trigger doesn’t work, so this must be Oscar’s” type.
But, I guess, Ali was too good, he got bad.
“Why would you call me a gorilla? I ain’t one, I don’t look like one,” Frazier said in the interview.
Aside from the insult, it was the fact that it was Ali who was saying it that probably hurt Frazier more.
While most people know that the Greatest was stripped of his titles when he refused to fight in Vietnam and was stripped of his boxing license, it was Frazier who helped him get it back.
In the documentary, an associate of Frazier said Smokin’ Joe once gave Ali money when the two met. They were friends.
But all the friendship was forgotten when Ali got his license back and was to face Frazier in three fights. And it was this betrayal that hurt Joe.
When Frazier was interviewed after the world saw Ali light the Olympic flame in Atlanta ‘96, Joe said Ali should be the one in flames. That’s how effective Ali’s hype was.
Though Ali later admitted the things he said were meant to promote the fight, Smokin’ Joe’s brother said, “It’s all good publicity, that’s what he thought. But he damaged a lot of people’s lives, doing that. But at that point, he didn’t care.”
There was also one part of the documentary that caught my interest. Though they showed the All-Star treatment Ali got when he got to Manila, they also showed how, when he was introduced in the fight, the Filipinos booed Ali.
I guess, the fans back then saw through the Ali smokescreen and got tired of his taunting of Frazier (Aside from gatecrashing Frazier’s training camp, Ali, at one point, was shown brandishing a rifle going to Frazier’s hotel, telling his foe to come out.).
As for Smokin’ Joe? His brother, who claimed he has repeatedly told Joe to forgive Ali and to leave everything in the past, summarized Joe’s feelings for Ali when he let the film crew listen to the message on the former boxer’s voice mail, “My name is Smokin’ Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor, yeah, floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. I’m the man who done the job, he knows, look and see.”
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