Better fight: FOTC or The Thrilla in Manila?

Thrilla was bloodier, crueler, more dramatic, but there was better boxing in FOTC

 

Perfect summation.

 

FOTC for its significance and both fighters closer to prime and showing more skill level, and the better conclusion to the fight.

 

Absolutely, no fight in history has garnered as much attention world wide as that one and Frazier gave the performance of a lifetime in whipping Ali's azz.

 

Thrilla in Manila.

Ali almost died. And he won the fight!!!

You should also make threads for Gatti-Ward. Chacon-Limon, Gatti-Robinson, Pryor-Arguello, Barrera-Morales. Robinson-LaMotta and Camacho-Haugen!

 

To be honest I think Pryor-Arguello 2 is an underappreciated classic.

Like being the still very beautiful sister of Miss Universe.

 

Hi Buddy.
Good to see someone else who thinks FOTC was a very evenly fought fight, I have, any time this fight comes up for discussion been a lone voice in my opinion that in fact Ali might just have won the fight, like you I thought a good last round would swing it in favour of Ali, seems we are in the minority, but was glad to see a well respected, and trusted poster such as yourself going against the grain.
stay safe Bokaj, chat soon buddy.
Mike.

 

Larry Merchant believed Ali won. If my memory is correct his reasoning was if you looked at the fight as a piece Joe won, but if you looked at it round by round Muhammad won.

 

100%
The Frazier of that night is a very very hard man to beat. He gave every drop he had that night.

 

Agreed. As for the scoring in Manilla, I also had it about even after 12. Had it gone to a decision there would have been a controversy over the official score cards, as the official scoring had Ali winning wider than many had it .

 

FOTC was two prime undefeated greats facing off at arguably their best and taking the best out of each other since neither was the same afterwards. Thrilla was two past their best greats giving it one last great fight before falling off but clearly not at the same level as their first fight. I think FOTC was better just because of the fact both Ali and Frazier were at or close to their best and so as a display of boxing it was much better. But Thrilla was a better "fight" but FOTC still has my vote.

 

I'm a big fan of anticipation, timing, historical significance, peak quotient, back story, those sorts of things. Outright action is just one part.

So it's FOTC for me personally. Both are great fights and only the individual himself can judge.

 

Thanks!

It was just that Frazier won with his two dominant rounds which might both have been 10-8 on a 10-must, but, yeah, round for round it was really close, I think. The 11-4 card was very bad, but aggression weighed heavily for that judge.

For me effective aggression can sway a close round in the aggressive fighter's favour, bur the main criteria is who land the most and better punches - i e the damage done.

 

FOTC wasn't as brutal but both guys physically closer to there best IMO