“We’re just two colored boys from the ghetto and we have the whole world watching us in the greatest event of all time!” Thus did Muhammad Ali describe himself and Joe Frazier hours before they faced ...

The “Thrilla in Manila” is not just about Muhammad Ali’s victory in his third and final fight with Joe Frazier, 50 years ago. In the months before the fight, Ali set a cruel agenda and, on the night, ...

Frank Sinatra was working ringside, moonlighting as a photographer for Life magazine. Burt Lancaster, the Oscar-winning actor, was recast in the role of a color commentator. “I looked down from the ...

As he taunted Joe Frazier, former heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali, current champ, pointed at the custom black T-shirts he and his entourage sported as they crashed the Aug. 26, 1975, ...

It was oven-hot inside the arena, and that was before the fight began. The building’s air-conditioning had already lost the undercard against the tropical sun, and the air was thick with humidity.

This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred Fifty years ago, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier ...

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought in the third and final installment of their storied rivalry 50 years ago in the Philippines. The fight was nicknamed the "Thrilla in Manila." In 2005, the Muhammad ...

Click to open image viewer. An image of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 2003. The two are featured next to one another in their boxing robes. Ali, left, is seated and is wearing a silk Everlast robe.

He was the heavyweight contender who scored more KO's than Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis while scoring more KO's than Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and Mike Tyson had fights. He was the only ...