NHL Life (3) A Scout's Life

NHL Life (2) A Referee's Life

Aspects of the Game (6) Defense

Aspects of the Game (5) Offense

Aspects of the Game (4) Ball Handling

Aspects of the Game (3) Rebounding

Aspects of the Game (2) Passing

Aspects of the Game (1) Shooting

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III (October 1st 1975)

The first bout between Frazier and Ali took place on March 8, 1971, in New York's Madison Square Garden. Frazier was the champion and won by unanimous decision over previously undefeated Ali in a fast-paced, 15-round bout, with Frazier scoring the fight's (and trilogy's) only knockdown, at the beginning of the final round.

When the rivals met in a January 1974 rematch, neither was champion; Frazier had suffered a second round knockout at the hands of George Foreman a year earlier and Ali had split two bouts with Ken Norton. In a promotional appearance before the second fight, the two had gotten into a scuffle in an ABC studio during an interview segment with Howard Cosell. In the second round, Ali stung Frazier with a hard right hand, which backed him up. 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 him the 12-round decision. This became a major issue in selecting the referee for the Manila bout.

Reference: Thrilla in Manila

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier II (January 28th 1974)

Held in between their two title bouts, The Fight of the Century in 1971 and The Thrilla in Manila in 1975, this second fight was scheduled for twelve rounds. Promoted as Super Fight II, it was considered by many fans and experts to be the least significant and interesting fight of their rivalry. One columnist described it as a contest between two "former champions, both beaten, both past their best". Nonetheless, Ali wanted to avenge his loss to Frazier in their first fight, and a world title try at Heavyweight champion George Foreman, who had dethroned Frazier, was at stake. Their first and third fights became part of boxing's lore, but some viewers considered the second fight to be entertaining as well.

Reference: Super Fight

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier I (March 8th 1971)

In 1971, both Ali and Frazier had legitimate claims to the title of World Heavyweight Champion. An undefeated Ali had won the title from Sonny Liston in Miami Beach in 1964, and successfully defended his belt up until he had it stripped by boxing authorities for refusing induction into the armed forces in 1967. In Ali's absence, the undefeated Frazier garnered two championship belts through knockouts of Buster Mathis and Jimmy Ellis. He was recognized by boxing authorities as the World Champion. Unlike Mathis and Ellis, Frazier was plausibly Ali's superior, which created a tremendous amount of hype and anticipation for a match pitting the two undefeated fighters against one another to decide who was the true heavyweight champ.

Ringside seats were $150, each man was guaranteed 2.5 million dollars, in addition to the millions who watched on closed-circuit screens around the world. The Garden was packed with a sellout crowd of 20,455 that provided a gate of $1.5 million.

Prior to his enforced layoff, Ali had displayed uncommon speed and dexterity for a man of his size. He had dominated most of his opponents to the point that he had often predicted the round in which he would knock them out. However, in the fight preceding the Frazier fight, Ali struggled at times during his 15th round TKO of Oscar Bonavena, an unorthodox Argentinian fighter who was prepared by Hall of Fame trainer, Gil Clancy.

Frazier had an outstanding left hook, and was a tenacious competitor who attacked the body of his opponent ferociously. Despite suffering from a serious bout of hypertension in the lead-up to the fight, he appeared to be in top form as the face-off between the two undefeated champions approached.

The fight held broader meaning for many Americans, as Ali had become a symbol of the left-wing anti-establishment movement during his government-imposed exile from the ring, while Frazier had been adopted by the conservative, pro-war movement. According to the 2009 documentary Thriller in Manila, the match, which had been dubbed "The Fight", "gripped the nation, but also split it down the middle. If you were rooting for Ali you were black, liberal or young, against Vietnam and for the Civil Rights movement. If you backed Joe Frazier you were a representative of white, conservative America."

"Just listen to the roar of this crowd!" thundered Burt Lancaster, the play-by-play man. "The tension, and the excitement here, is monumental!"

Reference: Fight of the Century

Stage 21 (July 26th) Sèvres-Grand Paris Seine Ouest > Paris Champs-Élysées

The Arc de Triomphe welcomes the weary but exuberant riders with open arms

Team Sky rides a tremendous Le Tour to finish 2nd to Movistar in the team classification

André Greipel erases any doubt that he was indeed The Gorilla with his 4th stage win in Paris

Make it two Le Tour championships for Chris Froome

Podium photo opportunities for both top finishers and their children

At some point Peter Sagan will punch his way through to stage wins and a GC podium finish

I love Le Tour de France, and I love Paris, so it is an emotional ceremony at the end of it all

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 20 (July 25th) Modane Valfréjus-Alpe D’Huez

The Movistar duo of Alejandro Valverde and Nairo Quintana ride a tremendour Le Tour, and finish 3rd and 2nd

French rider Thibaut Pinot hasn't had the best of Tours, so his victory in the penultimate Stage 20 must be sweet

British Chris Froome has Le Tour championship well in hand, but must ride the ceremonial last stage to Paris

Gallery from Velonews 

Stage 19 (July 24th) Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne > La Toussuire-Les Sybelles

Le Tour rule: You don't take advantage of the maillot jaune when there is a problem, but Vincenzo Nibali did

Contender Nairo Quintana gained 30 seconds on the maillot jaune, who came in third in the stage

Frenchman Pierre Rolland won a podium spot with the lovely ladies as the most aggressive ride

Gallery from Velonews 

Stage 18 (July 23rd) Gap > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

I imagine that if I were ever to ride Le Tour, recreationally of course, I'd be stunned at the landscape

Tour gladiators Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana battle in vein to gain time on the maillot jaune

It was Frenchman Romain Bardet with an exhausted but exuberant salute to the crowd at the finishing line

Gallery from Velonews 

Stage 17 (July 22nd) Digne-les-Bains > Pra-Loup

The mind is willing, but the body is spent. Tejay Van Garderen had to abandon a well raced Tour, due to illness

Fresh off a Giro d'Italia victory, Alberto Contador had high hopes but clearly his legs weren't so fresh for Le Tour

Stage 17 goes to the daring Simon Geschke, as contenders and non-contenders get desperate for wins and time

Gallery from Velonews 

Stage 16 (July 20th) Bourg-de-Péage > Gap

There must be such camaraderie at the start line, as Chris Froome, Joaquim Rodriguez and Peter Sagan show

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler is a fan favorite, and is a 12-year mainstay of Le Tour

Rubén Plaza does it good, in the end, leaving Peter Sagan with another almost-victory

Gallery from Velonews 

Stage 15 (July 19th) Mende-Valence

If the climb is arduous for me, then the descent is easy but nerve-wracking

Tejay van Garderen and BMC ride a very calculated Tour to keep him in GC contention

The man they call The Gorilla - André Greipel - one arms the obligatory victory salute for his third stage win

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 14 (July 18th) Rodez-Mende

I imagine there is a lot of nervous energy at the starting line

Nairo Quintana looks remarkably cool, calm and collected, as Chris Froome struggles to minimize the gap

Stephen Cummings (MTN-Qhubeka) is leopard-poised on the French pair of Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 13 (July 17th) Muret-Rodez

Difficult to give interviews after a tough day at the office, but Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) is up to the task

Bryan Coquard (Europcar) may have suffered heat stroke in the 100-degree heat

Belgian Greg Avermaet grits his teeth to a narrow victory over Peter Sagan

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 12 (July 16th) Lannemezan-Plateau de Beille

Tough cyclists like Louis Meintjes (MTN-Qhubeka) wear their badge of courage unflinchingly

As expected, Chris Froome literally weathers a slew of attacks from his title contenders

Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) is positively ebullient after his second stage victory

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 11 (July 15th) Pau > Cauteretes-Vallée de Saint-Savin

Richie Porte quietly works a superb domestique role for Chris Froome

I can only imagine the ongoing jockeying in the peloton, even in the feed zone

Rafal Mayka shows everyone who's boss, after riding solo for 40 kilometers for the win

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 10 (July 14th) Tarbes > La Pierre-Saint-Martin

GC contender Nairo Quintana is thinking attack, but Chris Froome beats him to the punch

Another GC contender has a "terrible" final climb, and finds himself chasing tails

Chris Froome kills an hors-categorie climb for an emphatic victory in the Pyrenees!

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 9 (July 12th) Vannes-Plumelec

BMC is in flawless form for their team time trial triumph

Amid talk of BMC, Sky with the maillot jaune narrowly loses the stage - by one second!

This Tour is not shaping up to be a top notch one for defending champion Vincenzo Nibali

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 8 (July 11th) Rennes-Mûr de Bretagne

It is a well-timed, well-delivered attack by Alesix Vuillermoz, AG2R La Mondiale, for the victory

Tejay van Garderen sits pretty among leaders in the peloton and in 3rd place overall

Chris Froome takes control of the pace, and hence his main rivals, up the climb to the finish

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 7 (July 10th) Livarot-Fougeres

My man Mark Cavendish adds another stage win to his illustrious Tour docket

Daniel Teklehaimanot, with MTN-Qhubeka, is the first African to lead the mountains (polka dot) classification

Alberto Contador is eyes fixed on a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double championship

Gallery from Velonews

Stage 6 (July 9th) Abbeville-Le Havre

Zdenek Stybar triumphs with an attack just 500 meters from the finish

The stunning scenery and spectator throng are two reasons I plan to watch Le Tour in person

Tony Martin crashes in the last kilometer, after a mental lapse, keeps the maillot jaune but has to abandon

Gallery from Velonews