Pod of the Century (by way of the Philippines): Ali Vs. Frazier

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week it is the second in our season-long, monthly deep-dives focusing on this season’s main-topic: rivalries. Boxing has been the stage for many of sports’ greatest rivalries: think Leonard/Hearns, Morales/Barrera, Pacquaio/Marquez, among others. But the one that goes beyond the others, both for it’s legendary in-ring trilogy and the shared personal animus, is the rivalry between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Tune in this week as we break down not only the three epic contests between the greatest heavyweight there ever was and his fiercest, most competitive rival, but the discord that enveloped their relationship outside of the ropes. From the spectacle that was the Fight of the Century to the unforgettable war of the Thrilla in Manila; from the changing tides of Vietnam War sentiment to blackness and celebrity in 1970’s America; the Ali/Frazier story is one that carries as much to talk about outside the ropes as in. Perhaps no athlete’s legacy greater represents the intersection of sports and politics than Muhammad Ali’s, and his greatest individual foil, professionally and even socially, was Joe Frazier. The most significant individual rivalry sports has and will ever see, Ali/Frazier, is this week on the Bill Bradley Collective.