Even those with a passion for, and an understanding of, the artistry and skills of boxing flinched at a fight that went through to the ceiling of sporting entertainment; where the will of two men was so unyielding that their disciplined sport was at a level of animalism. On the vast cinema screen which closed circuit television provides that was how it seemed in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Men have administered punishment and other men have suffered it to a similar degree, but rarely have two fighters, at this level, fought to the point where there was nothing left to give.
In the end it was neither of the fighters who conceded but those in Frazier’s corner, who feared for his health. With one eye closed, Frazier’s face puffed and bruised, men hardened by a working life in the fighter’s corner – of towels and sponges of adrenalin for cuts – they were the ones who shuddered and said: “Enough.” Frazier, long beyond the normal realms of response, so utterly committed was he to his campaign of getting to Ali at fiercesome physical cost, had no word of argument.
Read more:
Muhammad to stay on his mountain - Ali v Frazier: archive, 2 October 1975 | Sport | The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/02/muhammad-ali-joe-frazier-manila-1975#img-1
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