On March 8, 1971, Joe Frazier and Mohammed Ali, both undefeated at the time, squared off in “The Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York City. At the time, both Frazier and Ali had claims to the title of World Heavyweight Champion. Ali (31-0) had won the title from Sonny Liston in 1964, but was stripped of the title by boxing authorities after he refused induction into the armed forces in 1967. With Ali suspended from boxing, Frazier (26-0) defeated both Buster Mathis and Jimmy Ellis for championship belts. The fight on March 8th lasted 15 rounds, with the judges giving the victory to Joe Frazier and handing Mohammed Ali his first loss. In this video, see how the fight came about.
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