On March 8, 1971, in Madison Square Garden, for an unprecedented purse of $5 million--Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier to contest for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world. In cinema verité style, this film presents the build-up, the perspectives of the fighters, fans, and moneymen. Fans predictions were split down the middle: Ali was The Greatest; Frazier was terrifying. Frazier hit like a truck; Ali was quicker than lightning. The fight itself is presented in its entirety without any announcer commentary, and by today's standards, the film is grainy, worn-looking, and sounds terrible--all ultimately unimportant--as the crowd noise, the ring announcer, and the bell take you back to the beginning, and the tale of two fighters who would eventually become inextricably intertwined in boxing history.
The Fighters
Behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
