(EDITOR’S NOTE

: A series by Times News writer Rich Strack will recall his favorite moments in sports history. Throughout the upcoming weeks, Strack will offer his thoughts about different sports. Today’s topic is boxing)

By Rich Strack

tnsports@tnonline.com

In this difficult time of a health crisis, the matter of sports competition that brings so much recreational joy to millions of Americans has been rightfully postponed.

Every level from the professional and college ranks down to high school spring sports will have empty stadiums, ball fields, and running tracks for the foreseeable future.

If you’re a sports fan like me, sports may not be live for a while, but from many years of devotion to athletic competition, some of the greatest events continue to play on in my memory rewind.

So sit back and let me distract you from public concerns for just a moment with Part Five of a series of the greatest games and events that will remain forever in my personal Hall of Fame. Today I give you the best boxing bouts of my lifetime.

March 8, 1971

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier

Called the “Fight of the Century,” the event - held at Madison Square Garden - was a head-on collision between two undefeated fighters who had professed a hatred for each other. Ali was returning to the ring after a three-year suspension for draft evasion while Frazier carried an American flag into the ring as the reigning heavyweight champion. Nearly 300 million people around the world watched the fight on closed-circuit TV.

Ali won the early rounds with his distinctive style of dancing around the ring and counterpunching Frazier, who bulled forward weaving his head and throwing body punches and left hooks.

In the middle rounds, Frazier began to hit Ali with hard rights to the hips and uppercut hooks he threw with such power that his feet actually jumped off the floor of the ring.

In the 11th round, Frazier nearly knocked Ali down with terrific combinations, but the challenger stood tall and made funny faces at his opponent. With the fight’s scoring about even on the judges’ scorecards, Frazier threw a vicious left hook in the 15th and final round that landed squarely on Ali’s jaw and dropped him to the canvas. He got back up and tried to retaliate, but it was too late and too little.

Smoking Joe Frazier from Philadelphia had defeated the Louisville Lip from Kentucky. They would fight two more times, with Ali winning a rematch at MSQ and then Ali winning again by TKO in the “Thrilla in Manilla.”

October 30, 1974

Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman

Watched by over one billion people worldwide, the “Rumble in the Jungle” matched Ali against undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman, who had a 40-0 record with 37 by knockout. Foreman had won the title by knocking down Joe Frazier six times in two rounds, winning by a TKO. Ali was a heavy underdog against Foreman in the event that was fought in Zaire, Africa before 60,000 fans.

Ali had planned the perfect strategy against the champion, who had only gone more than seven rounds three times in his career because of his devastating power. In the early rounds, the champ tried furiously to knock out Ali. He stalked the challenger and attacked with multiple combinations. He backed Ali into the ropes and threw punch after punch. Ali employed his “rope a dope” tactic against Foreman by pulling his arms up to his sides and protecting his head with his gloves. Onlookers were shocked that Ali threw only a few solid counterpunches and was decidedly behind on the judges’ cards by the end of the fourth round.

As Foreman continued to bore in, he became visibly tired. More of his punches were wild and missing. Along with his “rope a dope,” Ali started to throw his arms over the tiring Foreman and lay his upper body weight on top of the tiring champ.

Near the end of the eighth round, Ali threw a left-right combination that dropped the exhausted Foreman to the canvas. He would not recover. Ali would go on to defend his title five times against five different opponents.

April 15, 1985

Marvin Hagler vs Thomas Hearns

“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler came into the fight having defended his undisputed middleweight championship 14 times over five years. His record was 60-2-2 with 50 knockouts.

Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns entered the ring with a 40-1 record, 34 by knockout. Although this title fight - called “The War,” by boxing historians - lasted only three rounds, punch for punch, it was arguably the greatest three rounds of all time.

In the first round, Hagler charged from his corner and pinned Hearns against the ropes with both body and head shots. Hearns then nailed Hagler on his forehead, causing him to stagger back. Now in the middle of the ring, they traded power punches. Hagler staggered Hearns with a right to the jaw. They exchanged combinations and big punches for the final minute of the round with little regard to defending themselves.

In the second round, Hearns decided to slow the pace and box Hagler while he circled around him. It was obvious that the challenger’s legs were tiring. Twice his knees buckled and he nearly fell to the canvas without being hit. He managed to open a deep cut in Hagler’s forehead, causing blood to flow down his face. In the final seconds, Hagler counter punched, pummeling Hearns until the bell rang. Despite what appeared to be a huge Hagler advantage, the judges were split on who won the round and going into round three, the fight was scored even.

Round three was nearly the end for Hagler after just a few seconds. The referee sent him back to his corner for the cut man to stop the profuse bleeding from his head. Once convinced the blood was not affecting the champ’s vision, the referee resumed the fight.

Believing that he might lose because of the cut, Hagler came at Hearns with full force. He staggered his opponent with an overhand right, but Hearns smiled as if the punch didn’t hurt him. The champion then threw a vicious right to the head and Hearns stumbled into the ropes. Hagler pursued. Another hard right followed by two uppercuts and Hearns was about to go down. Finally, a shot to the chin and two more uppercuts knocked Hearns to the canvas. He got up by the count of nine, but the referee stopped the fight. Hagler successfully defended his title with the TKO even though the judges were still split on the score after three rounds.

Final Thoughts

Marvin Hagler was the toughest fighter I ever saw, but Muhammad Ali was by far the best. You either loved the man for his theatrics and convictions or you hated him for his brash big mouth and his anti-patriotism.

When you visit Ali’s training camp museum in Deer Lake, you will find evidence that this man in private was nothing like he was in public. He was reserved and contemplative. He told a gym full of high school kids to reach for the stars and do what your heart tells you to do. “If your dreams in life don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough,” he said.

Ali admittedly hated the physical demands of training for fights, but he knew to be the best, he had to overcome the pain and never let the little things take him down.

“Often it isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you out,” he said, “it’s the little pebble in your shoe.”

Ali became a world-renown ambassador of good will. I shall never forget watching him light the torch while he struggled with Parkinson’s disease at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. There are only a few names of people who have transcended sports and became known to an entire population of people outside of the sports world.

Babe Ruth comes to mind. Muhammad Ali is the other, and perhaps the Louisville Lip - who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee - has surpassed the Bambino as the world’s most known sports icon.

After all, he was “The Greatest.”