(Shock)

Ali vs. Frazier: behind the blows

Boxing has never seemed like the most honourable of sports at the best of times. Something about paying two relative strangers exorbitant amounts of money to beat the everloving hell out of each other doesn’t exactly scream ‘fully evolved species’. But the third and final fight between heavyweight legends Muhammad Ali and Smokin’ Joe Frazier had all the pre-match drama of a classic sports movie, (in fact, large parts of the folklore was embraced by Sylvester Stallone when he was writing Rocky), plus the added flames of a corrupt government and a shattered friendship. Let’s not beat around the bush, Ali was a slanderous, womanizing, pompous showboat who called Frazier every name under the sun in the name of promotion. Of course, I had no freakin’ idea about any of this before watching Thriller in Manila, the latest documentary from John Dower (Live Forever, The Last 48 Hours of Kurt Cobain), a rare look at history as told by the loser, in this case Frazier. Loser yes, but not in a ‘woe is me, everybody’s fault but mine’ way, the interviews highlight a redemptive Frazier, if slightly resentful.  Dower frames the fight in a backdrop of social upheaval and a friendly rivalry between the two pugilists that, over the years, erupted into a bitter fury of words and fists. His research is extensive and darting between the days before the bout and the years leading up to it help to amplify the tension. Critics will point to the one-sidedness of the coverage, but 100 minutes of footage versus 30 years of Ali worshipping only seems fair.

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MITCH ALEXANDER

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