Presented by THE JAMES.
This Day In Sports…January 22, 1973:
Big George Foreman overwhelms Joe Frazier, scoring six knockdowns in 4½ minutes to seize the world heavyweight championship in a stunning upset in Kingston, Jamaica. Frazier, coming in at 29-0 with 10 consecutive successful defenses of his title, had been the prohibitive favorite despite Foreman’s edge in height and reach, his 37-0 pro record, and the aura of his 1968 Olympic gold medal.
The bout lasted less than two rounds following Foreman’s barrage of knockdowns, with referee Arthur Mercante Sr. calling it a technical knockout at 1:35 of the second. Howard Cosell of ABC Monday Night Football fame was also a legendary boxing announcer. “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!” has become part of the sports lexicon over the decades, and when it’s heard today, many assume it comes from a bout against the inimitable Muhammad Ali. But it was delivered by Cosell in the Foreman-Frazier clash less than two minutes into the fight.
Foreman would remain the undefeated heavyweight champ until the “Rumble In The Jungle” against Ali in the summer of 1974. The buildup was frenetic—the spectacle drew a crowd of more than 60,000 and was one of the most-watched television events ever at the time. Ali came into that one as a 4-to-1 underdog, but it was on that night that he unleashed his famed “rope-a-dope” strategy, covering up and leaning on the ropes while Foreman was spending a lot of energy throwing punches that wouldn’t land. Ali finally knocked out Foreman in the eighth round.
Frazier would never regain the title. In his return to the ring in July of 1973, he won by decision over Joe Bugner in a 12-rounder. That led to a rematch of the “Fight of the Century,” the night Frazier took the world heavyweight crown from Ali in 1971 in a grueling 15-round decision. The second bout saw Ali win by decision. Frazier’s last chance at the title came in 1975 versus Ali at the “Thrilla in Manila.” Ali won that contest as well. Frazier fought Foreman one more time before retiring, losing in a TKO in 1976.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
