‘Thrilla in Manila’ on GMA News TV

RELIVE the thrill and the action as GMA News TV airs tomorrow “Thrilla in Manila,” the classic match between boxing greats Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

The fight is widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight bout of all time.

Airing at 10 p.m. on Channel 11, “Thrilla in Manila” was the third and final match between Ali and Frazier for the heavyweight crown.
It was held on Oct. 1, 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum where an estimated 25,000 witnessed the bout.  It lasted for 14 rounds, with the advantage continually shifting between the two fighters as both men hit each other with relentless savagery.  Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, persuaded him to surrender to Ali.

Towards the end of the fight, one of Frazier’s eyes swelled up and closed.  Ali won, but Frazier gained his respect. Ali would later say “if God ever calls me to a holy war, I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me.”

According to a BBC.co.uk account, Ali fell to the canvas and had to be helped to his feet.

“I’m so tired I want to rest for a week. My hips are sore, my arms are sore, my side is sore, my hands are sore,” Ali later said in a press conference.

He paid tribute to his challenger as “the toughest man in the world.”