RE-AIR: Ali-Frazier: The “Fight of the Century” 50 Years Later

ESPN Daily

ESPN

Sports

4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2021

⏱️ 34 minutes

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Summary

50 years ago, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier met in their first iconic boxing match, known as “The Fight of the Century.” It was 1971, with the civil rights movement in full swing and the nation divided over the war in Vietnam. Jeremy Schaap, boxing historian and host of E60 and Outside the Lines, shares how political and cultural views were projected onto Ali and Frazier, with their different personalities, history and fighting styles. The night itself was a grand celebrity spectacle (Frank Sinatra took a gig as a photographer, just to get in the building.) And while Frazier won unanimously, the fight has a more complex and nuanced legacy. Half a century later, it remains one of the sports’ biggest moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You wait until I get Joe Frazier.
0:03.4	I'm going to whip Joe Frazier.
0:04.8	I'm going to show him with a real world champion is.
0:07.2	We're going to sell it down here.
0:08.6	We just signed the contract and it's all over.
0:11.0	You get your ticket.
0:12.1	You come to see it because I'm going to give him a good whooping.
0:22.7	Hey, it's Sarah Spain. Today we're replaying ESPN Daily's look at the fight of the century.
0:27.7	50 years ago, undefeated Muhammad Ali against Joe Frazier in Madison Square Garden with the heavyweight championship on the line.
0:36.8	And the eyes of the entire world watching.
0:42.0	Pablo and Jeremy Schapp, look at why it's a fight that has yet to be bested.
0:47.5	It's Monday, July 5th.
0:52.0	This is ESPN Daily.
1:00.4	Music This is ESPN Daily. Jeremy, it's great to talk to the only person I know,
1:03.4	who I believe has childhood photographs of themselves with Muhammad Ali.
1:07.7	You should be my sister.
1:09.5	She does as well, Pablo. Yeah, no. I do. It's my claim to fame.
1:15.5	Jeremy Schap hosts E-60 and outside the lines. He's studied and written about boxing for decades.
1:22.1	In 1974, when Ali was preparing to head to Zaire to fight George Foreman, my father at the time was the
1:30.0	editor of Sport Magazine.
1:32.0	And he had a long relationship with Ali going back to before the 1960 Olympics.
1:37.7	So they were close.
	...

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