The Fight of the Century #1112
$ 8.00
Caption from poster__
The Fight of the Century
In this era of over-hyped fights and paper champions,
promoters artfully build fights with catchy superlatives
and clever nicknames. At times, the fight itself cannot
match its bombastic buildup. However, there remains
one fight that truly lived up to it's billing. The first
contest between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
was simply called "The Fight of the Century."
To this day, the billing rings true.
Two undefeated champions; two of the greatest heavyweights of all time; a working class black man forced into the roll of Uncle Tom; the most charasmatic fighter in history in the other corner. Ali's comeback was culminating in a shot at the HW title and the destoryer, Frazier. Ali's brave stance against the draft board had seen him hailed as a hero by the now prevailent counter-culture. The country, swept up in change, had Ali, by now, "bigger than Jesus" (Muhammad Ali!) as it's figurehead, whilst Joe, who counted white policemen (as well as working class blacks - a fact usually ignored at the time) amongst his friends was seen as representitive of "The Man".
