It had been three years since the fateful night that Joe Frazier had knocked down Muhammad Ali in the fifteenth, and everything had changed. The first fight had captured the attention of the entire world, turning both men into cultural icons before the opening bell had rung. The fight of the century had lived up to its name, becoming one of the greatest boxing matches of all time and showcasing the best of both mens contrasting styles;

Ali’s mobile footwork, high postured pulls and slips, and blazing fast hands against Frazier’s crouching, erratic head movement and grounded, thudding punches.

Ali did not accept his loss to Frazier. He continued to proclaim himself the greatest, and blazed a trail through the heavyweight division, waging war against the toughest competitors, fighting once every couple months. Fight by fight, he regained much of the skill and endurance he had lost over the three years he had been forced into retirement. By the time Ali defeated the great Ken Norton in their action packed rematch, the world demanded Ali Frazier 2.

But before Ali could fight Frazier for the championship, George Foreman had quickly and painfully wrested the belt from Frazier in the second.

Frazier was no longer the champion but the number two contender, and to take his belt back, he would have to face the the number one contender, the man he hated more than anyone else in the world, Mohammed Ali.