Editing Muhammad Ali (section)

===Fight against Joe Frazier===
{{Main|Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali}}
Ali and Frazier's first fight, held at the Garden, was on March 8, 1971, while Ali's Supreme Court appeal was still pending. It was nicknamed the "[[Fight of the Century]]" due to the tremendous excitement surrounding a bout between two undefeated fighters, each with a legitimate claim to be heavyweight champion. Veteran U.S. boxing writer John Condon called it "the greatest event I've ever worked on in my life." The bout was broadcast to 36 countries; promoters granted 760 press passes.<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

Adding to the atmosphere were the considerable pre-fight theatrics and name calling. Before the fight, Frazier called Ali "Cassius Clay," angering Ali who responded by calling Frazier a "dumb tool of the white establishment" and saying "Frazier is too ugly to be champ. Frazier is too dumb to be champ." Ali also frequently called Frazier an "[[Uncle Tom]]". Dave Wolf, who worked in Frazier's camp, recalled that "Ali was saying 'the only people rooting for Joe Frazier are white people in suits, Alabama sheriffs, and members of the [[Ku Klux Klan]]. I'm fighting for the little man in the ghetto.' Joe was sitting there, smashing his fist into the palm of his hand, saying, 'What the fuck does he know about the ghetto?{{' "}}<ref name="Hauser 2004" />

Ali began training at a farm near [[Reading, Pennsylvania]], in 1971 and, finding the country setting to his liking, sought to develop a [[Muhammad Ali's Deer Lake Training Camp|real training camp]] in the countryside. He found a five-acre site on a Pennsylvania country road in the village of [[Deer Lake, Pennsylvania]]. On this site, Ali carved out what was to become his training camp, where he trained for all his fights from 1972 to the end of his career in 1981.

The Monday night fight lived up to its billing. In a preview of their two other fights, a crouching, bobbing and weaving Frazier constantly pressured Ali, getting hit regularly by Ali jabs and combinations, but relentlessly attacking and scoring repeatedly, especially to Ali's body. The fight was even in the early rounds, but Ali was taking more punishment than ever in his career up until that point. On several occasions in the early rounds, he played to the crowd and shook his head "no" after he was hit. In the later rounds—in what was the first appearance of the "[[rope-a-dope]] strategy"—Ali leaned against the ropes and absorbed punishment from Frazier, hoping to tire him. In the 11th round, Frazier connected with a left hook that wobbled Ali, but because it appeared that Ali might be clowning as he staggered backwards across the ring, Frazier hesitated to press his advantage, fearing an Ali counterattack. In the final round, Frazier knocked Ali down with a vicious left hook, which referee [[Arthur Mercante]] said was as hard as a man can be hit. Ali was back on his feet in three seconds.<ref name="Hauser 2004" /> Nevertheless, Ali lost by unanimous decision, his first professional defeat.