HBO doc, Thrilla in Manila. Confirmed, Ali wanted to quit at the end of 14

Ali won the fight, fare and square. Anything beyond that is stretching speculation to the point of breaking. As for Hauser, his book about Ali is the ONLY boxing book I've ever started and not finished. I made it about halfway through. It just became tedious and I was reading anything I hadn't heard before.
Pacheco was a complete douchebag in the doc and disrespectful to Joe. I'd like to think he wasn't this much of a Douchebag when he had his full wits about him. He was a pain in the ass but not quite this severe.

 

@ OP.

Those points are true though.

 

Didn't he say that '67 Ali would have shut out Frazier or something?

Not exactly "fair and honest". "Man in love", definitely.

 

You say the subject has been done to death, I say we're getting the true story as time passes. It's funny how much myth Ali could spread about himself.

Maybe it's just me, but I like to hear multiple angles of any subject. I'd hate to listen to one person over and over. I'd hate to be a "one-party voter" if ya get what I mean.

 

So does Mailer. I like what he has to say, but sometimes Mailer was blinded by Ali being Ali.

 

I don't at all. They're running out of things to talk about so "quitting after 10" becomes "cutting the gloves off after 14" a decade or so later. When Ali dies it will turn into "Cut the gloves off now because i'm late for my secret liaison with Liberace".

Also, why didn't Willie Monroe say he heard the conversation in Ali's corner until about 20 years later (and after the story had been told by other sources?). :yep Then again, poor Willie- he knocks the **** out of Hagler and many fans still forget him, this way he can more readily align himself with a slice of boxing history.

 

I think Mailer was in love with Mailer but I love 'The Fight' because of his unique perspective.

 

Only to the poster.:good

 

It was the first boxing book I ever nicked.

 

That is not what happened, and I've seen it a hundred times.