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Ali vs. Frazier (Advanced Program) · Spotlight English: Advanced

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Megan Nolette.
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: And I'm Patrick Woodward. Spotlight uses a special English method
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: matter where in the world they live.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Jerry Eisenberg, a reporter who covered the fight called the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Thriller in Manila, later wrote.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: What it came down to was not the heavyweight championship
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: of the world. They were fighting for something more important
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: than that. They were fighting for the championship of each other.
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: I have never witnessed anything like it. Both fighters won
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: that night, and both fighters lost.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Eisenberg was talking about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frasier. The
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Thriller in Manila was the third time they boxed for
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: the heavyweight Championship of the world. By this time, they
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: hated each other. They insulted each other. There was too
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: much to forgive. Ali and Frasier were the two best
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: fighters of their generation. They each won one of their
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: first two fights. The Thriller in Manila was the final
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: time they fought. It was their last chance to be
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: remembered as the better fighter. Each was prepared to fight
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: to the death, and they almost did.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Today's Spotlight looks at the competitive relationship between Muhammad Ali
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: and Joe Fraser. Boxing is a sport where two people
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: wearing padded gloves on their hands try to punch each
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: other while defending themselves. Boxing is different from kickboxing because
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: boxers are not allowed to kick each other. They also
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: cannot use their knees or elbows to strike. Each round
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: of boxing lasts three minutes. The fighters get one minute
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: of rest between each round. In championship fights, there are
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: twelve rounds unless one of the fighters cannot continue. Until
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: nineteen eighty two, championship fights were fifteen rounds, but they
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: were shortened due to health concerns.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Ali and Frasier boxed in the heavyweight group in the
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: World Boxing Association during the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: Muhammad Ali was named Cassius Clay before he changed his
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: name when he joined the Nation of Islam in nineteen
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: sixty four. Elijah Muhammad was the leader of the Nation
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: of Islam. He gave Ali his new name because Muhammad
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: wanted Ali to promote and support the Nation of Islam.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: He also felt Ali needed a new name to symbolize
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: his freedom in Islam.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Ali was a young, talented boxer during the early nineteen sixties,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: but Sunny Liston was the heavyweight champion of the world.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Many people did not think anyone could beat Liston, he
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: was too strong. People were frightened of him. But Ali
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: defeated Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: Ali was only twenty two. Ali even defeated Liston a
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: second time.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Ali successfully defended his heavyweight championship title nine times, but
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: then he refused to join the United States Army to
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: fight in the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs.
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: Ali said, I am not going ten thousand miles from
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  Speaker 4: home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: to continue the domination of white slave masters of the
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: darker people the world over.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Ali's refusal to serve in the army made him a
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: hero of the black civil rights movement, but it also
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: made him unpopular with others, who said he was not
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: supporting his country. A federal court found Ali guilty and
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: convicted him of refusing to join the army. The World
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: Boxing Association stopped Ali from boxing for three years and
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: took away his title of heavyweight champion. Ali appealed his conviction.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: He often spoke publicly against the United States involvement in
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court finally withdrew his conviction
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: three years later. Ali was allowed to start boxing again.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: While Ali was banned from boxing, another fin named Joe
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: Frasier became a heavyweight champion. Frasier's fighting style was different
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: from Ali's. Frasier was one hundred and eighty two centimeters tall,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Arli was one hundred and ninety one centimeters tall. Arlie
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: used his height and long arms to hit down at
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: opponents and avoid their counterpunches. He moved quickly around the
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: boxing ring. Fraser liked to get close to his opponents.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: He used continuous pressure. He was good at a fighting
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: method called bobbing and weaving. Bobbing and weaving was a
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: way of defending himself by constantly bending his knees to
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: lower his body and moving his head from side to side.
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  Speaker 2: Frasier also hit powerfully with his left hand. This was
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: called his left hook. Frasier had one of the greatest
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  Speaker 2: left hooks in boxing history. Fraser was strong and could
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: take a lot of punishment.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy one, A Lee fought Fraser for the
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  Speaker 1: first time. Fraser was the heavyweight champion. Ali wanted to
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: win back the title that he felt had been unfairly
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: taken from him. The fight was called the fight of
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: the century. Fraser had fought professionally twenty six times without losing.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Ali had fought professionally thirty one times without losing. It
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: was the first time that two undefeated heavyweight champions fought
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: each other for that title. Even people who were not
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: boxing fans were interested in watching the fight. Ali had
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: become a symbol of the anti war movement. People who
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: were against the Vietnam War supported Ali. Fraser supported the
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Others liked Fraser
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: because they thought he represented their values.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: Before their fight, Ali made many negative comments about Frasier
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  Speaker 2: to repat He suggested that Fraser was being used by
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: the United States government to promote their own interests.
• 7:07
  Speaker 4: Ali said, Joe Fraser works for the enemy. Ali also
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: said about Frasier, he is too ugly to be champion.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Ali's comments deeply hurt Fraser. While Ali had been banned
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: from boxing for three years, Fraser had loaned him money.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Fraser felt Ali had been treated unjustly and wanted to
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: help him also, Fraser grew up poor in rural Alabama.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: He had been the victim of racism during his youth.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: He wanted equality and justice for African Americans. Fraser felt
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: he could relate more to the struggle of African Americans
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: than Ali, who had experienced a much easier childhood. Fraser
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: felt that Ali was disloyal. Fraser said, Ali thought that
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: would awaken me when it came time to face him
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  Speaker 1: in that ring.
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  Speaker 2: Well, he was wrong.
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  Speaker 3: It did not weaken me. It awakened me.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: The Fight of the Century was watched in fifty countries
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: by three hundred million people. This was a record at
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: the time. Arli was winning. In the first five rounds,
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: he hit Fraser many times, but Fraser slowly gained momentum.
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: He landed many punches on Arli's body. Arlie got tired.
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: Fraser bobbed and weaved to avoid Arlie's punches. Fraser's punches
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: started hurting Arli. In the fifteenth and final round, Fraser
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: hit Arli on the chin with a perfect left hook.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: Arlie fell hard to the mat. Arli managed to get
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: up and finish the fight, but the three judges all
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: voted for Fraser as the winner.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: Three years later, Ali and Fraser fought again. This time,
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Ali won the judge's decision and was named the winner.
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: Their third and final fight was held in nineteen seventy
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: five in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It was
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: over forty degrees celsius and very humid. The air at
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: the ringside was hot and thick. Ali was now thirty
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: three years old and Frasier was thirty one. Each man
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: entered the ring knowing they would never fight each other again.
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: They also understood it would take whatever skills and strength
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: they had to win. Arli later said that he and
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Frasier went to Manila as champions and came back as
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: old men.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: The fight followed a similar pattern to their first match.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Ali controlled things for the first few rounds, then Fraser
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: fought back and gained control. He punished Ali with body blows.
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: By the eleventh round, Ali was exhausted did he almost
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: gave up and quit, but Fraser was hurt too. By
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: the start of the fourteenth round, Fraser's right eye was
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: swollen shut and he could barely see out of his
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: left eye. Before the fifteenth and final round, Fraser's trainer,
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: Eddie Fudge, looked at the worsening condition of Fraser's eyes.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Fuche did not want his fighter and friends to go blind.
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: He decided to stop the fight. Fraser yelled no, no, no,
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: you cannot.
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: Do that to me.
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: Fudge told Fraser, sit down, son, it is over.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: No one will forget what you did here today. Futch
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: and Fraser had no idea that when they decided to
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: stop fighting, Arlie made the same decision. Arlie told his
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: trainer Angelo Dundee to remove his book and gloves before
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: the final round. He was done. He could not take
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: any more punches. After the fight, Arli said it was
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: the closest thing to dying he had ever experienced, but
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: Dundee refused to let him quit. Arli beat Frasier for
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: the second time and is remembered as the greatest boxer ever.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: Over the next few years, both Ali and Fraser continued
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: to fight, but neither was ever as great as they
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: were against each other. For many years, Fraser refused to
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: forgive Ali for his hurtful comments. Ali finally apologized in
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: an interview for offending Fraser, but Fraser had difficulty for
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: giving Ali completely. Even after Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease,
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: a brain disorder that causes involuntary shaking and several mental issues.
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: Fraser remained angry. The pain was too deep. Perhaps the
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: most meaningful apology Ali ever offered Fraser was when he
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: made this statement to a reporter.
• 12:08
  Speaker 4: If God ever caused me to a holy war, I
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: want Joe Fraser fighting beside me.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: Have you ever heard of Muhammad Ali or Joe Frasier?
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Did you know they fought three times? Who do you
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: think was better? You can leave a comment on our
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: website at www dot Spotlight English dot com. You can
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: also find us on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and x
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: You can also get Spotlight episodes delivered directly to your
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Android or Apple device through a free official Spotlight English app.
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: The writer of this program was Peter Anderson. The producer
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: was Mityo Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: for this program and voiced by Spotlight. No AI or
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: artificial intelligence was used in this program. Spotlight Episodes are written, voiced,
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: and produced by real people for real people, no matter
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: where in the world they live. This program is called
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Ali versus Fraser.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: We hope you can join us again for the next
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: Spotlight episode. Goodbye, No