MP Promotions and Araneta City yesterday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the epic ‘Thrilla in Manila,’ regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxing fight ever, leading up to a loaded fight card on Oct. 29.
MP Promotions, led by eight-division world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao, and Irene Jose, COO of Uniprom, the entertainment arm of Araneta City, unveiled an exhibit featuring memorabilia from the unforgettable world title fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the Araneta Coliseum – then considered as one of the world’s largest indoor arenas.
The world stood still on Oct. 1, 1975 as the title fight between Ali and Frazier was watched by a live audience of more than 20,000 and over a billion on TV and pay-per-view across the globe.
On Oct. 29, the Philippines will commemorate that one-of-a-kind battle with a card including Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh.
Walsh will clash against Thailand’s Patumpong Saengarun in a middleweight undercard bout while WBC minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem stakes his belt against No. 2 contender Siyakholwa Kuse of South Africa in the main event. Other Filipino stars like Eumir Marcial, Marlon Tapales and Carl Jammes Martin are also in the super card featuring 11 fights so far.
VIPs, including the families of Ali and Frazier and current world champions, have also been invited to grace the event.
‘We honor the moment that forever changed the Philippine sporting landscape and global culture. The world stood still in what became one of the most iconic battles in boxing history. It was more than just a fight. It was poetry in motion. Two giants of the sport stepped into the ring not as opponents but as symbols of pride, determination and will to win,’ said Jose.