MUHAMMAD ALI vs. JOE FRAZIER Historic Boxing Showcase, boxing gloves (Everlast AUTHENTIC) XXL Historic

Boxing showcase made of safety glass in XXL format. with Everlast boxing gloves. Boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier autographs on the boxing gloves. The boxing gloves are a matching pair. They are solid and large. Handwritten serial number from Muhammad Ali on the left glove. All boxing autographs are authenticated and have a serial number. For more information see below.

This Showcase honors the greatest rivalry in boxing sport’s history. Ali and “Smokin Joe” Frazier fought a total of three historic mega-fights between 1971 and 1975. On March 8, 1971, they faced each other for the first time in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The so-called “Fight of the Century” is referred to as the greatest boxing match of all time. The fight is still considered the most anticipated sporting event in history, as it was the first time that two undefeated heavyweight world champions, who also disagreed on political views, faced each other. The background to this is that Ali had to give up his world championship titles in 1967 for refusing to do military service during the Vietnam War and was banned from boxing until 1970. Due to his political stance, Ali quickly became a symbol of the anti-establishment. Joe Frazier, on the other hand, was considered a supporter of the US military and tried to be drafted into the US Army four times. However, he was rejected due to various factors. The Army tried to keep married men with children away from the war. Frazier therefore went into the fight as world champion and defending champion. The two fighters fought a tough battle over a full 15 rounds. World champion Joe Frazier ultimately managed to defend his title by unanimous decision. Muhammad Ali’s first defeat was sealed.

The two boxers remained bitter enemies for many years. After Ali was able to take revenge with a point victory over Frazier in January 1974, the sporting rivalry culminated in another historic event on October 1, 1975: the “Thrilla in Manila”, the final showdown between the two legends. The fight was moved to Quezon City in the Philippines by the well-known boxing promoter Don King in order to avoid the stricter boxing regulations in the USA. The fight again was very hard and both sides acted unsportingly here and there. Due to a swollen eye, Frazier could no longer see properly in the 14th round and took a constant number of blows to the head, but did not go down. However, his trainer Eddie Futch was forced to stop the fight during the break, although Frazier protested heavily and even was ahead on points with the referees. Ali won the fight by the narrowest of margins and was later quoted as saying, “We came to Manila as young champions and left as old men.”