Muhammad Ali’s death revives memories of ‘Thrilla in Manila’

FILE– Spray flies from the head of challenger Joe Frazier as heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali connects with a right in the ninth round of their title fight in Manila, Philippines, in this Oct. 1, 1975 file photo. Ali won the fight on a decision to retain the title. (AP Photo/Mitsunori Chigita)

From boxers to left-wing activists, people in boxing-crazy Philippines on Saturday grieved the death of Muhammad Ali, which brought back fond memories of the epic 1975 “Thrilla in Manila” fight between Ali and Joe Frazier.

Sports commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz, who was assigned by then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos to act as government liaison to Ali for the bout, said, “We lost a hero, a peacemaker and a truly charismatic human being.”

The Oct. 1, 1975 heavyweight championship, one of the greatest boxing matches in history, was won by Ali on a technical knockout at the jampacked Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, and was watched by a worldwide audience.

After the bout, the ecstatic owner of the arena told Ali that he would build a shopping mall and name it after him. The popular Ali Mall stands to this day.

The bout got its name from Ali’s widely publicized boast that the 15-rounder would be a “killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila.”

“It put the Philippines on the map,” Nathanielsz told The Associated Press.

Marcos reportedly wanted to hold the bout in Manila to deflect international and domestic attention from the political restiveness and growing Muslim and communist insurgencies after placing the entire Philippines under martial rule three years earlier.

Accompanying Ali from Hawaii on board a Philippine Airlines plane, Nathanielsz said the American boxer was welcomed by tens of thousands of Filipino fans “like the Pope” from the airport to then Manila Hilton (now Manila Pavilion).

Ali decided right away to conduct a workout at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex by Manila Bay so Filipinos could see more of him, Nathanielsz said.

Marcos’ image did not bother Ali, who personally liked the Philippine leader and embraced him when they met in Manila, Nathanielsz said, adding that the President was also a boxer in his younger years.

During his meeting with Ali, Nathanielsz quoted Marcos as saying, “I want the world to see that we have peace and order, people are happy, the economy is doing well and the country is moving forward.”

In an awkward moment during his Manila visit, Ali introduced his girlfriend, Veronica Porsche, to Marcos as his wife. The dictator, who was with his wife, Imelda, told Ali that he had a beautiful wife. “Ali, looking at Imelda, said, ‘Mr. President, you haven’t done too badly yourself,”’ Nathanielsz said.

The scene, which was covered by the press, was shown in the United States and caught on TV by Ali’s wife, who hurriedly flew to the Philippines to confront the boxer, according to Nathanielsz.

Nathanielsz likened Ali to Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao, saying both were icons who were close to and inspired common folk. AP