It has been dubbed the greatest fight of all time, the Thrilla in Manila. October 1, 1975, Muhammad Ali versus Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight boxing title of the world. Then President Marcos declared a holiday, so we were able to watch it on our black and white National television (the colored RCA TV had conked out, probably some tubes had to be replaced). The media hype was unprecedented, the two were evenly matched with 1 victory each against the other. I was lucky enough to have seen Ali train, I went over to the Folk Arts Theater with my Tito Jay to watch the theatrics, and I remember was within an arm span of Ken Norton (then Ali's sparring partner) at that time. I was in awe. During the fight date, I remember rooting for Frazier; Ali and his taunting refrain "It will be a killa and a chillah and a thrillah, when I meet the gorilla in Manila" was something that didn't sit well with me. Ali won the fight, but he later admitted that it was the closest experience to death that he had ever been in. I remember it all, just like it was yesterday, the electricity, the adrenalin rush, the jubilation, the crowd roaring with every punch, every swing, every round. Fights don't get as spectacular nowadays, although the money is far far greater. A toast to these two modern day gladiators, we honor and respect their courage and fighting spirit!
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