Oakland Tribune (Newspaper) - March 9, 1971, Oakland, California Watch Which One amateur shutter bug who becomes the target of some of his ringside companions at the Joe Ali title battle in Madison Square Garden is The Man He Clowned Too Much By MILTON RICHMAN NEW YORK sius Clay in his own a terrible His always a source of looked like the under- side of a Not only that but it ached unbelievably every time he moved it. Yet he shook his head as soon as he saw them wheeling the stretcher into his dressing I ain't on that he got an ambulance one of his handlers can go to the tal in not in that Cassius Clay take the because his swollen jaw his bruised stomach hurt and both his arms hurt from the pounding Joe Frazier had inflicted for 15 Clay put on his shirt and trousers and then his brown leather he He tried being cavalier about the whole thing when he noticed a of people watching him leave the ing He winked at them and tried to make a but it didn't come off. the anguished look on his face and the hand he held inside his jacket flat against his belly gave him Cassius Clay was For once he had clowned too For once he had ed too long. He tried mightily to reach back and come in with that little extra that would take care of this ble demon but thet year layoff he always talks about so much had taken its Clay could make paw the air at times and he could even make him look like an amateur but one thing he couldn't do was keep away from that thal left hand all sius Clay simply could not dance all underestimated said who also had a lot of lumps on his face after h WM all I was slow ud that I Clay found out differently 21 seconds after the final round A whistling left hand by way of South Carolina of the shots I hit him with 1 went back home and sent Clay ears over teakettle to the He flipped over like a his feet going up in the air while his back and tocks hit the He was up before the count of 4, but when he got back up he somehow looked unlike The back of his royal crimson trunks were soiled from where they had rubbed against the floor and what's they were It was really all over although Clay somehow hung on for the remainder of the After the decision was an- for Clay was led back to his dressing room where Drew Bundini assistant to trainer Angelo applied an ice bag to some of red ain't through are Brown asked It hurt him to talk but sius Clay still say Uie he mumbled though his swollen gonna set the Who's the Joe Tells World NEW YORK His face p u f f y and misshapen from a shower of punches by Muhammad Joe Frazier nevertheless ruled coday as undisputed heavy weight champion of the And he didn't exactly hide the the champ who's the stormed who looked more like the loser than the winner after last night's felt like the champion right said whose victory was punctuated by a booming left hook that decked Ali in the 15th round and left the jaw painfully fought everybody they put In front of me and I whipped them said that includes seemed to delight in Ali by his former In fact he ed it three times at one each time saying as if for The hoopla carried Into the ring with both ers taking turns taunting the Several Ali shook his head from side to side after Frazier landed hard as if to indicate that he couldn't be hurt by the think he was asked I'll tell those shots add They slowed him He couldn't get off those All seemed content several times during the boot to lie back OB the ropes and often he motioned at Frazier to come at Joe accepted the invitation barreling in head with fists And everytime Frazier charged Ali tagged It showed with lumps above both of Frazier's eyes and his left cheekbone me go straighten my face Frazier ing himself from a post fight press ain't this Frader paid All a Uut tbe kad takei some Us hardest man takes some said hit him some and he took the best of Frazier's most devastating punch was the 15th round left hook that dropped Ali on his reached back for that said one came from the Frazier said he thought that Ali had underestimated thought I was slow and be thought I was the champion think I surprised I think he found out Frazier claimed Ali told him before the going to kill you just Til do the same to There was no post bout confrontation between the fighters simply because Ali never showed up for it. He went directly to Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital for X-rays of his said he would crawl across the ring on his hands and knees if I beat said I didn't make him do but I want him to gize for all the things he called me. He mumbled thing to me after the fight but I don't know what it was he Overseas Critics THE LEGS OF MUHAMMAD ALI BUCKLE AS THE KNOCKDOWN PUNCH THUNDERS OFF HIS HEAD IN THE FINAL ROUND Term Fight a Bore TV Goes Haywire In England By The Associated Press In Argentina the viewers said it was the worst ance in Muhammad And in Australia a maid said it was one of the worst days for the cash But while both Joe Frazier and Ali had their staunch porters o v e r s e a the fans generally agreed with the out- 15-round unanimous decision for Frazier in last night's fight in New in London and where the fight began in today's predawn commentators called it a a parody and a pointment in view of its sive The dispatch implied Ali lost because he was banned from boxing for three years by U.S. authorities after being deprived of the world the official Soviet news carried oily tbe note that the match be- tween sportsmen sias Clay known as mad aad Joe hi the tatters on Activity ground to a halt during the lunchtime hours in the MORE LEVITT 1st Sports I l 1 with a left hook that him sprawling on his legs in the Ali pushed himself up and remained on in the final seconds as the Oakland Arena crowd seemed Perhaps it was fitting that AJi was not counted He had fought a though not fight and surely did not deserve to be And who couM say what would have happened iaai Ali been sidelined for such a long But about one all the charce of what appeared to be a char Ali put to full exploded his wi Jr. the second ne landed a vicious one-two to ihe If he he cone right In children were signed to bring televisions to then classes were pended for the And in the crowds gathered to peer through windows or cracks in walls to see the fight on televisions owned by Justiniano Montano president of the World Boxing said Ali played into Frazier's hands by backing into the ropes instead of ing in the center of the Ali has numerous fans in Argentina despite tbe fact be knocked out their Oscar last December in toe prelude to tbe championship One radio commentator said later that until the 10th round Ali had been better against Frazier than against whom he outpointed in the early But one taking a swipe at the brash former zier Closed Ali's Big Australians crowded into pubs to watch the fight in the early but were for- saking the food and drink for the televisions and cheering as though they were at ads Tuesday's t a k I c said one barmaid staring at Ute A Vatican newspaper a comment by the Rev. Gino who called the fight a exhibition which not enthusiasm and z n o a even one so LONDON sand boxing fans were when they packed a movie theater in Northern in early morning cold today to see a live satellite transmission of the In round tbe sion failed because of an electrical Most left in Five hundred d i e h a r d s stayed on to hear the fight commentary on a But halfway through round a mobile crane working on an adjacent building crashed down on the front of the Police evacuated the theater just as round three so the fans went home for an early They all had the they paid lor their tickets Brother in First Too NEW YORK of England handed R a h a m a n Muhammad Ali's younger the first defeat of a pro career by scoring a decision in s. on the AND HE SITS DOWN HARD ON CANVAS FOR ONLY KNOCKDOWN Fans Brave 17 Degree Weather PITTSBURGH A lucky the boxing fan shivering under his parka in Three ers got one lucky The like many had paid for the privilege of sitting in 17 degree weather to watch closed circuit The outdoor stadium was the only place fans could see the Those who showed up didn't seem to mind after the fight ed. twice tiie a warm spirited Frazier fin said through chattering Despite gusty winds up to 30 miles an hour and a- few snow most of 000 fans in the 50.000 seat stadium were a cheery A few we got to hear all that trash coming out of his said a loyal Ali fan after the The giant plastic screen made the fight at times seem almost Placed at shortstop and ing first base in the baseball the screen was The sound wasn't always clear and the picture was of- ten too such in bo Smith of the British st Corp. said saw in before ihe end of iv 1 help rr It Hurts to Eat Words NEW YORK H-S rte wily by first jaw ami fcr had off to and his a for knocked rr told him Mr AITs jaw fron IK tar a frv from appral of a jail hi V V Ifl Broun told reT t care mf w AJi v ramp M j r y j ninth and Mxj Hcs a a 5ut. ine Ine Joe has done some big in the beard his of But lart to bt cct heavyweight fighter in And if Ali is still not he just may have ljp to prove it A VTA r and be tot ta a kM be t and r 1 r think KX a through
