Ali/frazier i was a weird event

[toooooool]

That was was always "OFF" to me no matter how many times I watch it.First,
the film was never really clear like other fights.For the biggest fight in boxing
history at MSG,one would think the film would be the highest quality.Second,it
was directed poorly.The camera angles were shot from strange vantage points
throughout the fight.Third,Ali was wearing red,with tassles on his shoes when
he always wore white in other fights.Also,Muhammad Ali didn't seem like himself.
He wasn't as assure of himself,and he was getting tired early which is uncharacteristic of him.The fight was also hard to judge,and get a good "Read"
on for some reason.Also,I don't think Frazier did a post fight interview in the
ring.I knew he was hurt,but for the biggest fight in history I think one
should try to muster up a couple sentences just to tell the world how great you are.Last,he was great,but Burt Lancaster was one of the commentators.I don't
know if he did any other boxing events before or after that fight.

[SBleeder]

Also,Muhammad Ali didn't seem like himself.
He wasn't as assure of himself,and he was getting tired early which is uncharacteristic of him.

That's because he had never fought against a hurricane on two legs like a prime Joe Frazier.

[Sugarj]

That was was always "OFF" to me no matter how many times I watch it.First,
the film was never really clear like other fights.For the biggest fight in boxing
history at MSG,one would think the film would be the highest quality.Second,it
was directed poorly.The camera angles were shot from strange vantage points
throughout the fight.Third,Ali was wearing red,with tassles on his shoes when
he always wore white in other fights.Also,Muhammad Ali didn't seem like himself.
He wasn't as assure of himself,and he was getting tired early which is uncharacteristic of him.The fight was also hard to judge,and get a good "Read"
on for some reason.Also,I don't think Frazier did a post fight interview in the
ring.I knew he was hurt,but for the biggest fight in history I think one
should try to muster up a couple sentences just to tell the world how great you are.Last,he was great,but Burt Lancaster was one of the commentators.I don't
know if he did any other boxing events before or after that fight.

The fight was filmed by two different studios. I've got both and one looks like it was filmed yesterday....its superb.

I've seen Ali wearing red shorts a couple of times, he wore them in his previous fight against Bonavena.

As for the fight, Ali....for all his bravado wasn't yet back to full ring fitness or confidence. For three rounds he had danced and looked pretty good against Quarry; but he admitted afterwards that those three rounds had left him exhausted.

Therefore he fought Bonavena for large spells flatfooted.....and was hit more often than in any previous fight; Ali was in some trouble in round 9 too! Granted he closed the show well.

The problem was, the Frazier fight was only three months away; Ali will have known that wasn't long enough to be able to improve fitness to a level by which he could dance for large portions of the fight. To fight a competent 15 rounds with Frazier he needed to be flatfooted for much of the fight....which is what he did; it was nearly enough too. It was a pretty even fight, but rounds 11 and 15 were simply huge Frazier rounds; he more than sealed the win.

If you watch Ali in the second Norton and second Frazier fights and compare his mobility and dancing in those fights to the Bonavena and first Frazier fights it is obvious that Ali did very much improve in these areas as the 70s progressed.

[Scott9945]

The fight was filmed by two different studios. I've got both and one looks like it was filmed yesterday....its superb.

I've seen Ali wearing red shorts a couple of times, he wore them in his previous fight against Bonavena.

As for the fight, Ali....for all his bravado wasn't yet back to full ring fitness or confidence. For three rounds he had danced and looked pretty good against Quarry; but he admitted afterwards that those three rounds had left him exhausted.

Therefore he fought Bonavena for large spells flatfooted.....and was hit more often than in any previous fight; Ali was in some trouble in round 9 too! Granted he closed the show well.

The problem was, the Frazier fight was only three months away; Ali will have known that wasn't long enough to be able to improve fitness to a level by which he could dance for large portions of the fight. To fight a competent 15 rounds with Frazier he needed to be flatfooted for much of the fight....which is what he did; it was nearly enough too. It was a pretty even fight, but rounds 11 and 15 were simply huge Frazier rounds; he more than sealed the win.

If you watch Ali in the second Norton and second Frazier fights and compare his mobility and dancing in those fights to the Bonavena and first Frazier fights it is obvious that Ali did very much improve in these areas as the 70s progressed.

Good comments Sugarj. In retrospect Ali should have taken more time between the Bonavena and Frazier fights. He also probably should have taken another tuneup. But back then when the money is there you didn't delay it, and Ali probably needed the payday pretty badly.

[soul_survivor]

The fight was filmed by two different studios. I've got both and one looks like it was filmed yesterday....its superb.

I've seen Ali wearing red shorts a couple of times, he wore them in his previous fight against Bonavena.

As for the fight, Ali....for all his bravado wasn't yet back to full ring fitness or confidence. For three rounds he had danced and looked pretty good against Quarry; but he admitted afterwards that those three rounds had left him exhausted.

Therefore he fought Bonavena for large spells flatfooted.....and was hit more often than in any previous fight; Ali was in some trouble in round 9 too! Granted he closed the show well.

The problem was, the Frazier fight was only three months away; Ali will have known that wasn't long enough to be able to improve fitness to a level by which he could dance for large portions of the fight. To fight a competent 15 rounds with Frazier he needed to be flatfooted for much of the fight....which is what he did; it was nearly enough too. It was a pretty even fight, but rounds 11 and 15 were simply huge Frazier rounds; he more than sealed the win.

If you watch Ali in the second Norton and second Frazier fights and compare his mobility and dancing in those fights to the Bonavena and first Frazier fights it is obvious that Ali did very much improve in these areas as the 70s progressed.

Sums it all up tbh.

I've seen both films too and the footage in one is awesome.

oh and Ali not being himself ,well duh, the guy had a 3 year lay off, was banned from boxing, had huge stress in the years prior and was only just making a come back against a man who had marauded through the division in his absence. The fact that Ali lasted the full 15 is incredible in it self, add to that the fact that it was a close fight for about 10 rounds, it really goes to show that ALi just needed a little edge.

Take nothing away from Frazier, on that night, very few heavyweights ever would have denied him.

[Sugarj]

Good comments Sugarj. In retrospect Ali should have taken more time between the Bonavena and Frazier fights. He also probably should have taken another tuneup. But back then when the money is there you didn't delay it, and Ali probably needed the payday pretty badly.

Nice one fella. Ellis would have been a good opponent after Bonavena, or even Buster Mathis or Chuvalo.

The Bonavena fight was very tough, hard to recover from that one when you're thrown straight back into full training for Frazier. Ha ha