Smokin’ Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fought three times, but it was their third and final epic encounter in the searing heat of the Philippines on October 1, 1975, that cemented their rivalry and ended so dramatically that it continues to provoke controversy. Combined with electrifying archival footage and exclusive interviews, Thrilla in Manila is Joe Frazier’s story an absorbing, sad account of bitterness, religion, politics and racism, conveying both the depths of their rivalry as well as the explosive racial politics in America at the time. The pair had once been friends, with Frazier supporting Ali when he was stripped of his boxing license for refusing to fight in Vietnam. But once Ali was back in the ring, their friendship soon turned into a vicious feud: Ali accused Frazier of being a traitor to his people and went from an anti-war and civil rights leader to an opportunist and narcissist willing to do anything to promote himself in the spotlight.
