Ali/Frazier Day 3-8-2018 "Fight of the Century"

When it came to memorable sporting events of the 20th century there were great Super Bowls, World Series, NBA & Stanley Cup Finals. Those events featured great teams and players. One event that stands as one of the best sporting events of the century was a boxing match between two men on the evening of March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

To honor the moment and legacy of both Ali & Frazier there needs to be a Proclamation "Day of Recognition" to be held on March 8, 2018 simultaneously in the cities of  Louisville, Kentucky (home of Ali), Philadelphia, PA (home of Frazier) and New York City (place of the historic fight). The 3 cities also honors the 3 great fights that make up the Ali/Frazier Trilogy.

The fight on March 8th was billed as the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World. Both fighters were undefeated Ali 31-0 with 25 KO's and Frazier 26-0 with 23 KO's. A combined 57-0 with 48 knock outs.

Ali was back in the ring 5 months after being out of boxing for 3 years & 7 months. He was stripped of his title in 1967 after refusing induction into the U.S. Army. This would be his 3rd fight back after successful wins over Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena.

Joe Frazier was the recognized heavyweight champ with big wins over Buster Mathis, Oscar Bonavena, Jerry Quarry & Jimmy Ellis. He wanted to show Ali more than the public that he was indeed deserving of the title and needed to beat Ali to prove it.

Frazier would win the fight by a 15-round unanimous decision on all 3 score cards (2 cards 9-6 for Frazier, 1card 11-4 Frazier). He would knock Ali down late in the 15th. Ali would show his championship spirit and heart and be back on his feet by the count of 4. Both men gave it their all as fans from all over the world were thrilled to a spectacular night of boxing and championship excellence by both fighters. This was the start one of the "Greatest" trilogies in sports.

Joe Frazier would start his career at 29-0 before losing to George Foreman on January 22, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica. Ali would  later defeat Foreman on October 30, 1974 in a fight that was titled the "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire Africa. Muhammad Ali would become only the second fighter at the time (Floyd Patterson) to regain the heavyweight title.

Ali & Frazier would fight 2 more times on January 28, 1974 (Ali wins on 12 round unanimous decision). Their 3rd fight the physically demanding fight titled the "Thrilla in Manila" held in Quezon City, Philippines on October 1, 1975. Ali would stop Frazier after the 14th round. They would fight for  a combined 41-rounds of ferocious action that remain iconic moments in sports history.

To end their careers Joe Frazier would fight his last fight on December 3, 1981 a 10-round draw to Jumbo Cummings and Muhammad Ali would fight his last fight 8-days later on December 11, 1981 a 10- round unanimous decision loss to Trevor Berbick. Ali & Frazier created magic on 3/8/1971 and they both left the ring for the last time 8-days apart in December 1981.

Ali/Frazier Day- March 8, 2018- Louisville, KY- Philadelphia-NYC