#30 • Ali vs. Frazier 1975- Original Promoter Ticket

Part of Purple Gallery Online Estate & Antiques Auction (timed auction by K and B Auction)

High bid $70.00

Status: Sold

5-1/2x3" full ticket, black on green. 1975 closed circuit boxing match 'Exclusive Theater Telecast' at the Alabany Armory in New York. In near mint condition and plastic protector. "The Thrilla in Manila" -Original Promoter Ticket ~ Ali vs. Frazier 1975.   Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were classic and some what heated rivals through the 1st half of the 1970s, with Ali fighting his way back to stardom after his institutional humiliations by the boxing establishment and the U.S. government for his stands against the war in Viet Nam and his refusal of the draft. Like Ali, Joe Frazier ascended to the professional ranks after several years of success in the Golden Gloves tournaments and medaling at the Summer Olympic Games (1964 Tokyo), winning the heavyweight gold as a substitute for Buster Mathis, who had defeated him in the Trials but was unable to compete in Japan. But following the banning of Ali from competition and the loss of his titles in 1967, Joe Frazier emerged as the No. 1 heavyweight contender and faced his rival Mathis for the NYSAC’s championship, one the U.S. state sanctioning body declared for the entire world. During the next several years, Frazier cemented the claim with victories over Ellis for the WBA crown once worn by Ali. Ali returned from his long suspension in 1970, and the pair met for the 1st time in Madison Square Garden in March of 1971, with Frazier taking the unanimous decision after 15 brutal rounds known then and now as “The Fight of the Century.” After stumbling against George Foreman in Jamaica to lose the world honors in 1973, Frazier fought Ali once more, a dozen rounds with no titles at stake, again in the Garden in New York, but with the reverse results, Ali by unanimous decision. A rubber match was needed. On a Wednesday in October of 1975, outside Manila proper their final combat commenced. In one of the all-time classic bouts, the two champions fought long and hard in the thick Philippine mid-day heat, hammering one another through the rounds until the 14th, when Frazier's mouth was cut repeatedly. Despite his trainer's pleas, "Smokin' Joe" tried to return for the final round, but better sense prevailed, and Ali was proclaimed the undisputed champion. After the fight, Ali stated Frazier was "the greatest fighter of all times, next to me." BP