Editing Thrilla in Manila (section)

==Background==
{{Location map
|Asia
|relief     = 1
|label      = Manila
|lat        = 14.6205
|long       = 121.0533
|caption    = The fight was held in [[Quezon City]], the then capital of the [[Philippines]], in [[Rizal (province)|Rizal]]
|float      =
|background =
|width      = 290
}}

The first fight between Frazier and Ali–– promoted as the "[[Fight of the Century]]"–– took place on March 8, 1971, in New York's [[Madison Square Garden]]. Frazier was the undefeated champion and won by unanimous decision over the previously undefeated former champion Ali, who had been stripped of his titles for refusing to enter the draft for the [[Vietnam War]].

Their showdown was a fast-paced, 15-round bout, with Frazier scoring the fight's only knockdown, at the beginning of the final round.<ref name=InTheCorner>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=David|title=In the Corner: Great Boxing Trainers Talk About Their Art|year=1992|publisher=William Morrow & Co.|isbn=978-0688119041}}</ref><ref name=AliLifeAndTimes>{{cite book|last=Hauser|first=Thomas|title=Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times|year=1991|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0671688929|pages=[https://archive.org/details/muhammadalihisli00haus/page/544 544]|url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadalihisli00haus/page/544}}</ref>

When the rivals met in a [[Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier II|January 1974 rematch]], neither was champion; Frazier had suffered a stunning [[Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman|second-round knockout]] by [[George Foreman]] a year earlier, and Ali had two controversial split bouts with [[Ken Norton]]. In a promotional appearance before the second fight, the two had scuffled in an ABC studio during an interview segment with [[Howard Cosell]].

There were controversial aspects to the fight. In the second round, Ali struck Frazier with a hard right hand, which backed him up. Referee [[Tony Perez (boxing referee)|Tony Perez]] stepped between the fighters, signifying the end of the round, even though there were about 25 seconds left. In so doing, he gave Frazier time to regain his bearings and continue fighting. Perez also failed to contain Ali's tactic of illegally holding and pulling down his opponent's neck in the clinches, which helped Ali to smother Frazier, and gain the 12-round decision. This became a major issue in selecting the referee for the Manila bout.<ref name=InTheCorner /><ref name=AliLifeAndTimes />