Where Did It All Go Wrong Between Ali and Frazier?

[hayZ]

It's crazy how people who follow Boxing so much, don't understand PROMOTION. Ali was the best promoter in boxing history. If he came to that fight, humble and saying how he respects Joe, you think they would have made $5million EACH in 1971? That is CRAZY. 99% of fighters around now don't make even close to that in 2016!

Ali himself admitted that he wanted his kids to play with Joe's and he didn't want anything bad to happen but Ali saw weakness when he taunted Joe and something he could play off. He knew it was TV GOLD. I don't think Ali was venemous in saying what he did, I think Joe was far more angry at Ali than Ali was at him. He rarely used to even call him Ali even in the 70s when Ali was seen in a good light.

They got together at the end and said their piece, hugged, cried and went their own ways.

[anonymous2.0]

I don't know where to find this (my best guess is youtube) but HBO ran a documentary on Fraiser and his side of the story before he died. He was really bitter towards Ali and I think any attempts at closure was too late for Joe. One of his quotes was when he was watching the Olympics with Ali lighting the fire and he said something along the lines of 'I wish someone would just push him in!'

Also if you want to see an image of a haunted man, they showed Joe the Manila fight then cut to his face to see his reaction. When you saw his face you knew that this was a guy that replayed that fight in his head for years.

[b d w]

Mehhh Ali called Liston an ugly bear, Foreman the mummy, and patterson the rabbit and even gave him carrots. You cant take what he does too seriously.

Here is the thing though, what if it had been Gerry Cooney who called Frazier a gorilla? How would that have played out??

[eco1]

Ali said Joe was ugly and stole his lipstick and makeup

[Adonis Creed]

Mehhh Ali called Liston an ugly bear, Foreman the mummy, and patterson the rabbit and even gave him carrots. You cant take what he does too seriously.

Calling a black man a mummy, a rabbit, or a bear isnt the same as calling one a gorilla or monkey etc. I think you know this.

[BigBadBenn]

Everyone knows Ali went way too far in his insulting of Frazier and Joe had every right to be bitter and hateful towards Ali. What Ali did wasnt just publicity it was unneccesarily cruel and hurtful and even he admitted years later that he went too far. To call an opponent names for fight-publicity is one thing, but to call a black man an Uncle Tom, a gorilla, "the other type negro" who works for the enemy, and other things was just out of line to say the least, especially after the way Joe had supported him during his ban and helped get his license back. And as someone else mentioned, his kids also suffered because of it too

[muslimer12]

Here is the thing though, what if it had been Gerry Cooney who called Frazier a gorilla? How would that have played out??

What does that have to do with anything

[muslimer12]

Calling a black man a mummy, a rabbit, or a bear isnt the same as calling one a gorilla or monkey etc. I think you know this.

Well gorilla rhymes with manila and thrilla

[b d w]

What does that have to do with anything

it is easy to just dismiss that insult as Ali hyping/selling a fight but say Tyson Fury was facing Joshua and he called him a gorilla how well do you think that would be accepted?

Calling Frazier, who by all accounts was a stand-up guy, a gorilla is pretty disgusting and foul.

[Robbie Barrett]

Ali was a puppet for the NOI, he did whatever they told him to.