Thrilla Or Rumble

[fistlegend]

nope, his first fight wasn't better, and don't think im the only one who thinks that.

at the first one he wasnt actually 'ready' for Joe frazier, he was still rusty, but by the time they got to their 3rd fight ali was v.ready for frazier

[butterfly1964]

Am I the only one that thinks the first Ali fight was better than the Thriller? Anyway onto the topic, I'd go with Thriller in Manilla.

no, you are not the only one. i think ali-frazier I was the greatest boxing match of all time, with ali-frazier III a close second.

[habZ]

He had 3 years off and like 7 months later he was fighting for the title :O

[butterfly1964]

nope, his first fight wasn't better, and don't think im the only one who thinks that.

at the first one he wasnt actually 'ready' for Joe frazier, he was still rusty, but by the time they got to their 3rd fight ali was v.ready for frazier

ali wasn't ready yet, but the first fight was ten times as exciting as the third. at least ali wasn't boring us to death with the rope-a-dope in the first, but in the third he did.

[fistlegend]

they say that it should of took him like 2 years to become a contender for the title, whereas it took him under 7 months, he didnt have time to rest and take things more slowly and comfortably, this resulted in a 'unprepared ali' and if the Ali that faced foreman or the ali that faced frazier III, if it was him then i think ali would have been triumphant, but nevertheless it wasnt destined to happen.

[Linx]

nope, his first fight wasn't better, and don't think im the only one who thinks that.

at the first one he wasnt actually 'ready' for Joe frazier, he was still rusty, but by the time they got to their 3rd fight ali was v.ready for frazier

Ali fought better in the first first than the third IMO. He was younger and fresher than the battle worn version that fought Joe in Manilla. Also Ali had lost his leg speed. He was by no means shot, but he lost A LOT of leg speed in the first fight. In the third he was even more slower. The reason Ali won is because although both guys were past their best, Joe Frazier was shot. He got creamed by Foreman and Ali had beaten him pretty comfortably in the re-match.

[Linx]

no, you are not the only one. i think ali-frazier I was the greatest boxing match of all time, with ali-frazier III a close second.

Yep, Two undefeated fighters with legit claims to the title. Frazier was primed, Ali was close enough to it. Awesome war between contasting styles with ones strenght anothers weakness and vice versa and a great ending. Ali actually got up at 4 after that monster left hook in the 15th.

[fistlegend]

yes, you have to give him his 'props' for getting up so quickly, most people would have been counted out

[KidBlackie]

Ali will tell you the Foreman bout meant the most to him. He wasn't a legend before that fight. He was afterwards. He knows fans like his 3rd Frazier bout the best.

[Frazier's 15th round]

I'd say the whole excuse that Ali wasn't ready for Frazier in FOTC is cancelled out by how bad Frazier was in Manila. He was half-blind, way past his best, fatter, slower, and after FOTC he even admitted that he left something in the ring that night. Frazier shouldn't have even been allowed to fight in 1975.