Auction Item Details
Lot 289
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Lot Number: 289
Description: Joe Frazier's signed contract to fight in the third Ali vs. Frazier bout at the "Thrilla in Manila". Joe Frazier's third fight against his archrival Muhammad Ali was the final extraordinary chapter to the long lasting struggle of the two heavyweights who faced each other for a total of 132 minutes in the ring. The Frazier / Ali third fight is considered one of the most brutal and bitter bouts in boxing history. After regaining the title against George Foreman in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire one year earlier, Ali had successfully defended the belt three times within three months against what were considered lesser opponents. The time was then at hand for the ultimate showdown pitting Ali against Frazier in the "rubber match", given the fact that their previous two landmark fights had been split. Ali quickly dubbed the fight "the Thrilla in Manila" a name which the media immediately picked up and helped become a phrase recognized around the world to this day. As reigning Champion, Ali was guaranteed six million dollars for the fight, more than double that of ôSmokinö Joe. In the days leading up to the bout, the rhetoric exchanged by the fighters was particularly nasty. On the morning of October 1, 1975 (the fight took place at 10:45 a.m. to suit US viewers) 25,000 people crowded the Philippines Coliseum in Quezon City, six miles outside Manila, hoping for a great fight between a legendary stylist and a world renowned slugger. Boxing fans know the rest. The resulting fight is always included in "top ten" lists of the greatest fights of all time. The ebb and flow between fighters was the stuff movies are made of. The end of the monumental battle took place when, in the break before the last round, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight. Too dominating, too far ahead had Ali been on the scorecards; too handicapped was Joe in terms of his vision to have any chance of winning. Moments after the fight was over, Ali fainted in his corner. No one knows whether he could have resumed the fight. Ali was later quoted that he had been ready to quit if Joe had not. Angelo Dundee said after the fight: "Both guys ran out of gas, only my guy had an extra tank. Both Frazier and Al fought to their absolute limit and maybe beyond. Joe's eyes were still shut hours after the fight. Ali's body showed conspicuous signs of the battle, with hematomas and bruises and swellings everywhere as a result of "punches that would have knocked down a house" as Joe later put it. Ali is supposed to have told Angelo Dundee during the fight that this was "the closest to dying" he had ever been. This auction lot contains Joe Frazier's actual original contract that the fighter signed for the "Thrilla in Manila". It is ten legal pages long and dated April 2, 1975. The agreement is drawn between Don King Productions, Inc. (as promoter) and Smokin Joe Inc for a "15 round to a decision bout." The contract is initialed on each page by Don King and Bruce Wright (for Smokin Joe Inc.) and counter-signed and approved at the end by Joseph (Joe) Frazier, Don King, and Bruce Wright.
Estimated Price: (Estimate on Request)
