Thrilla in Manilla

[glens73]

It will be Earnie Shavers who you're referring to, who both Ali and Larry Holmes credited with being the hardest puncher they had ever faced. Strangely Shavers, who's a yank, is a bouncer in Yates in Liverpool, or at least he was last year. He has been featured in the local news in NW England a couple of times.

I thought the documentary was compelling. Frazier is obviously bitter, I think the Uncle Tom comment cut through to his core and Ali really should have apologised to him in person after the fight. That doctor of Ali's was bit of an idiot, though he was right that Ali should never have fought again after that.

[Gaffer]

Fantastic show last night though watching it today on sky + , for the first time in my life, I couldn t take my mind away from the belief that Ali was not a nice person.

His treatment of Fraiser was shocking and the Uncle Tom jibe was meant to be insulting.

If any sportsman behaved like that today they would be universally disliked.

Frasier came out of the show very well in my view and even his son Marvin was laughing as he talked about the treatment his father was receiving as though he was not particularily perturbed by it!!

[Main Street]

Jimmy Young? Ernie Terrell? Only link I can make. I'm not sure you could confuse the two fights as one, Young, was close (if not a humiliating loss for Ali) and the other, Terrell was a complete annihilation...

Terrell had refused to call Ali by his name.
Terrell could have been knocked out in one but was subjected to a 15 round relentless humiliating battering while Ali shouted out  "what's my name,  Uncle Tom?".
Class fight and a must for Ali fans.

[Jimmy Joe]

A very good show.  I was very surprised at how Ali behaved.  Frazier will hold that grudge till the end

[Declan]

Wasn't there an earlier thread on this documentary?
Watched the Cathal O'Shannon interview the other night and was gobsmacked. I may disagree with some of his opinions but my respect for Ali jumped 10 fold on watching it. Can you imagine Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan giving an interview where they lay down their personal believes like that? No way they only worship the mighty dollar. And that poem about the Attica prison riots - fantastic. 

[red hander]

theres no doubting ali was the greatest sportsman of all time but underneath it all he was a bitter racist and facist.

Think you're being a bit unfair there.  All that shite he spouted about Frazer was more about hyping the fight and living up to his reputation as the Louisville Lip.  Remember, this is the man at the height of his powers and fame who was courageous enough to to stand up and risk it all and prison by refusing to be drafted into the US Army to fight their illegal war in Vietnam ... Remember "No Viet Cong ever called me nigger."  His stance was an important part of the opposition that eventually led to the Yanks pulling out of Vietnam in humiliation ... Frazer had a right to be annoyed at the time, but he's full of shit if he thinks he alone is responsible for the state of Ali now (has he never heard of Ernie Young, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes etc?) ... Ali has apologised more than once, it's Frazer who is the bitter one

Who's Ernie Young?!

Jimmy Young? Ernie Terrell? Only link I can make. I'm not sure you could confuse the two fights as one, Young, was close (if not a humiliating loss for Ali) and the other, Terrell was a complete annihilation...

Sorry, meant Jimmy Young ... remember him battering Ali but Ali still got result ... think he died last year, though could be wrong

[gallsman]

theres no doubting ali was the greatest sportsman of all time but underneath it all he was a bitter racist and facist.

Think you're being a bit unfair there.  All that shite he spouted about Frazer was more about hyping the fight and living up to his reputation as the Louisville Lip.  Remember, this is the man at the height of his powers and fame who was courageous enough to to stand up and risk it all and prison by refusing to be drafted into the US Army to fight their illegal war in Vietnam ... Remember "No Viet Cong ever called me nigger."  His stance was an important part of the opposition that eventually led to the Yanks pulling out of Vietnam in humiliation ... Frazer had a right to be annoyed at the time, but he's full of shit if he thinks he alone is responsible for the state of Ali now (has he never heard of Ernie Young, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes etc?) ... Ali has apologised more than once, it's Frazer who is the bitter one

Also beat Norton and Foreman, could have been something!


Who's Ernie Young?!

Jimmy Young? Ernie Terrell? Only link I can make. I'm not sure you could confuse the two fights as one, Young, was close (if not a humiliating loss for Ali) and the other, Terrell was a complete annihilation...

Sorry, meant Jimmy Young ... remember him battering Ali but Ali still got result ... think he died last year, though could be wrong