Michael Marley's Part 2, remembrance of Boxing's Greatest Night, Greatest Fight: March 8, 1971
The streets around Madison Square Garden were, as I recall now 40 years on, eerily calm on the Sunday before the Monday night boxing Armageddon, the first Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali fight.
But on figh day, the immediate area by the Garden and by the New Yorker Hotel, where Ali and his large entourage were esconsced, was a tension convention. The NYPD was on full alert, keeping sharp eyes on ticket scalpers, pickpockets, counterfeiters and the amazing number of politicians and other celebrities who had the precious tickets which only ranged in face value from $150 to $20.
Twenty five mounted police shifted from their usual Central Park beats to the midtown, Eighth Avenue and 34 Street Garden vicinity.
POLICE GUARD FRAZIER AFTER DEATH THREAT, TIGHTEN SECURITY AROUND GARDEN FOR FIGHT was the bold, black headline in The New York Times.
In other news, actress Jane Fonda visited jailed black militant Angela Davis at the Marin County Jail and told the press, "Everyone must join forces to stop repression in this country and abroad."
That was the major news from the San Fracisco Bay Area. In New York, The Times carried a breezy piece about famed Spanish bullfighter El Cordobes who was making his first visit to the city.
Fans were amazed to read that Ali and Frazier were each getting a purse of $2.5 million, their money secured by NFL Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke who rode to the rescue of promoter Jerry Perenchio and his Fight Of Champions, Inc.
Frazier was perfect, 26-0 with 23 KOs.
Muhammad, still a tad rusty after his refusal to enter the Army cost him three primetime boxing years, was 31-0, 25 KOs.
Racists and warmongers still called him by his slave name, Cassius Clay.
Closed circuit TV, in its infancy really, was planned to 350 American venues, to 33 in the United Kingdom and 38 other countries would see the telecast.
Those ringside tickets began moving in the street for up to $700.
While Frazier remained sequestered, Ali went to the hotel lobby and someone turned on a movie camera.
"He came down to the lobby and he was signing autographs, then someone put on a movie camera and he lit up," trainer Angelo Dundee said.
Dundee explained there was no sequestering of Ali.
"We can't hide this guy," Dundee said. "I think he would revolt if we tried to hide before a big fight or any time."
Rumors ran rampant, without evidence, that the Black Muslims, of whom Ali was the media superstar, had directed threats to Frazier "to lose or else."
Frazier's cool, calm and always collected manager-trainer Yancey "Yank" Durham told his fighter the source of the threats was not known.
"Yank told me that the Muslims aren't the only bad people in the world," Frazier said.
The bookmakers had Smokey Joe a slight 7-5 favorite.
Ali whiled away some time watching TV while his adversary played his guitar with eight NYPD detectives hovering over him.
Many fight fans and so called experts figured that, with a reach advantage of 6 1/2 inches, Frazier might never connect his windup punches especially given Ali's fleet feet.
There was a bomb scare at the City Squire, where Frazier usually stayed, but nothing was found.
Ali had only beaten lesser lights Jerry Quarry and Ringo Bonavena in his comeback but Dundee was not worried about that.
"He's 100 percent mentally now for this fight," Dundee said. "For Quarry and Bonavena, he was only 50 percent because he was looking ahead to Frazier."
Ali weighed 215 pounds, everyone said that was perfect.
Frazier weighed 206, everyone said that was perfect.
Timesman Robert Lipsyte, who was close to Muhammad, predicted a KO by Ali in the final third of the scheduled 15 round title bout. Lipstyte agreed with Ali's stand, agreed that our war in Vietnam had no moral justification.
Lipsyte mentioned Sonny Liston's prefight skepticism about Ali's vaunted speed.
"How fast he go?" Liston said. "He faster than the wind? He kiss a bullet? He run through hell in a gasoline sportcoat and live to talk about it?"
(Considering that the "Big Ugly Bear" went 0-2 against Ali, you might think his questions were asked and aswered as we say in the courtroom.)
The world was itching to find out as Ali had his supreme test.
Boxing's Night of Armageddon was nigh, March 8, 1971.
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