MARCH 8

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019.


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  1. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    "Early in the 15th rd a left hook caught Muhammad Ali on the jaw and it was as though Joe Frazier had hit him with a baseball bat, Frank Howard model. Several times earlier Ali had sagged to the floor. This time he slammed it like a plank." Red Smith

    "The multimillion dollar fight in Madison Square Garden last night was worth every glorious heartbreaking penny. Rarely does anything so expensive live up to advance billing or exceed expectations. But the wildly exciting exhibition of primitive savagery that Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali put on over 15 exhausting rounds was an epic that fit the price tag.

    Frazier won a decision because he punched himself out so completely that he didn't have that extra little zing to put into the one wallop that would have finished it bya knockout earlier. And Ali was still vertical at the end because he was just too proud of a man, too magnificent an athlete and too gutsy a warrior to let himself stay down."
    Arthur Daley

    "In a classic 15round battle, Joe Frazier broke the wings of the butterfly and smashed the stinger of the bee last night in winning a unanimous 15 round decision over Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden."
    Dave Anderson

    ".....And finally-without a question being asked, Frazier volunteered, "What are you guys going to say now? You've been writing about the great Ali and what he was going to do to me. I can read you know. Now let me go get my face straightened out."
    Joe Frazier departed laughing- all the way to the bank."
    Deane McGowen
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    #1
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  2. PernellSweetPea

    PernellSweetPea Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    This was a great fight. I always wondered how the layoff affected Ali. This was his 3rd fight back from the inactivity and a big jump in quality.
     
    PernellSweetPea, Mar 7, 2019
    PernellSweetPea, Mar 7, 2019
    #2
  3. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I just remember the pure excitement from really when Ali was stripped, Frazier beat Mathis for the title and then proceeded to absolutely destroy the other top heavies. In 71 I was 18 and the excitement the night before and that day was visceral. There has never since been anything like it. Way reduced Leonard-Duran 1 was the same but nothing else.
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    #3
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  4. Clinton

    Clinton Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Thanks, Man!
     
    Clinton, Mar 7, 2019
    Clinton, Mar 7, 2019
    #4
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  5. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    How Ali stayed up in the 11th is incredible. Frazier nailed him with the wide hook that snapped his head back. Then Joe throws a short sweet left hook to the body followed right away by a power laden short left to the head. Ali sags halfway down!. Unbelievable! Watching now again.
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    #5
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  6. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    The one downfall is Don Dunphy. Can't stand him. Everytime I watch a fight he calls I wonder what fight HE is watching because it never is the same one I am.
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 7, 2019
    #6
    roughdiamond likes this.
  7. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Carnera
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 8, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 8, 2019
    #7
  8. robert ungurean

    robert ungurean Богдан Philadelphia Full Member

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    Sorry brother were just never gonna get the kind of responses that we expect to our threads anymore. I thought my LaMotta Basilio H2H thread was good but not only did it sink almost no one bothered to read it as an H2H thread. Same issues here. Most dont care about true classic anymore. They want to hear about Frank Bruno and other mediocre 90's fighters or about lousey HW's to the point of absolutely ridiculous matchups yet they get the desired responses. Go figure. I suggest trying Seldon vs Carnera. Ten pages you will get...Pathetic
     
    robert ungurean, Mar 8, 2019
    robert ungurean, Mar 8, 2019
    #8
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  9. RockyJim

    RockyJim Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Biggest fight of my lifetime. My father & I went to see the closed circuit broadcast on March 8, 1971. The place was PACKED...and there was so much noise that you couldn't hear yourself think!!! Nothing comes even remotely close to that night in boxing. People who didn't even follow the fight game knew of the upcoming fight....when the decision was announced...TV stations broke in with news bulletins...amazing night....
     
    RockyJim, Mar 8, 2019
    RockyJim, Mar 8, 2019
    #9
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  10. BlackCloud

    BlackCloud I detest the daily heavyweight threads Full Member

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    Yep, this forum now has far too many attention seekers.
     
    BlackCloud, Mar 8, 2019
    BlackCloud, Mar 8, 2019
    #10
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  11. Longhhorn71

    Longhhorn71 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Was Burt Lancaster providing the "color" to the Closed Circuit telecast????
     
    Longhhorn71, Mar 8, 2019
    Longhhorn71, Mar 8, 2019
    #11
  12. TBI

    TBI Active Member Full Member

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    In one of the versions I've seen, yes. I like how awed he is of the spectacle...

    Hes flabbergasted at what hes watching.
    Fascinating to hear what someone who really has little idea of what he's actually seeing describe his experience.
     
    TBI, Mar 8, 2019
    TBI, Mar 8, 2019
    #12
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  13. Longhhorn71

    Longhhorn71 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Excellent description.
     
    Longhhorn71, Mar 8, 2019
    Longhhorn71, Mar 8, 2019
    #13
    TBI likes this.
  14. TBI

    TBI Active Member Full Member

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    "Epic" is so overused and cliche nowadays to say, but this fight is truly that.

    Even casual fans can appreciate the effort and level these guys put out there. And for anyone who has ever even tried to keep their hands up for 3 minutes, let alone punch like you mean it for 15 rounds, they can appreciate what was given that night so much more.


    I remember I was dating a chick for a while who I wrongly deemed worthy of showing this fight to (before Netflix and chill), and as she was watching, she was saying "this is like pro wrestling- if he wanted to knock him out, he would just do it... This is fake. They aren't even trying to make it look real..."

    She was removed mid-fight and I never called her again...

    I still cant believe it.
     
    TBI, Mar 8, 2019
    TBI, Mar 8, 2019
    #14
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  15. The Morlocks

    The Morlocks Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    What a horrible date!
     
    The Morlocks, Mar 9, 2019
    The Morlocks, Mar 9, 2019
    #15
    RockyJim and TBI like this.
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