Presented is a multi autographed photo of the faceoff between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier prior to their first bout. Dubbed “The Fight of the Century” by sports analysts and historians, the fight had an incredible amount of attention leading up to it. Both Frazier and Ali were undefeated as professionals, and the bout would be for the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship. Ali had previously been stripped of his heavyweight titles for his refusal to join the armed services in the Vietnam War draft. Ali had thus become a symbol for the left –wing anti establishment movement.

     The bout took place on March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden, New York City. Despite early pressure from Ali in the opening rounds, Ali’s cardio would be his down fall as he was visibly exhausted in the later rounds. Frazier managed to stun Ali several times, knocking him down in the 11th rounds as well as the 14th, eventually earning a unanimous decision victory. The duo would eventually rematch two more times in bouts that would see Ali emerge victorious. Their trilogy is one of the most notable rivalries in sports history.

     This piece stands 16 x 20 inches and is unframed. The two men can be seen facing off, with Ail puckering his bottom lip, his jaw tightly clenched. Both men have autographed this famous photograph in black ink. Ali’s signature can be found on the bottom of the picture, while Frazier’s is located over his head. This item comes with a full LOA from JSA (X59135).

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