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Ep 6: March 8th '71

Ep 6: March 8th '71

Released Monday, 12th April 2021
Good episode? Give it some love!
Ep 6: March 8th '71

Ep 6: March 8th '71

Ep 6: March 8th '71

Ep 6: March 8th '71

Monday, 12th April 2021
Good episode? Give it some love!
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March 8th '71: Nearly four years after they first met in 1967, the eyes of the world are on a small, illuminated square of canvas in New York's Madison Square Garden as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier get ready to go toe to toe.

For the first time two undefeated heavyweights will fight for the title, but only one will leave the ring as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. In one corner is Muhammad Ali, 'The Greatest' and a man who put his career, life and reputation on the line for his beliefs. He risked jail and lost over three years of boxing while 'in exile'.

In the opposite corner is Smokin' Joe Frazier, the hard-hitting former abattoir drain man who grew up in poverty but put in the hard yards, graft and work to drag himself to the top of the world. Each fighter is guaranteed $2.5 million, but this is so much more than about the money, this is history in the making,

A four-year journey of taunts, jibes, jokes, miles, bitter blows, clashes and sweet victories brings us to this moment - 10.30 pm, March 8th, 1971. The place is packed with celebrities all craning for the best view of the scheduled 15 rounds of championship boxing, but you have the best seat in the house. So, are you ready?

Let legendary, Grammy award-winning hip-hop star Nas take you ringside for one of the most momentous sporting events of all time. The Fight of The Century - Ali v Frazier.

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Credits:

Presenter - NasProducer - Mark SharmanWriter - Ayad AndrewsDrama Producer - Owen LewisExecutive Producer - Phil CritchlowExecutive Producer - NasDrama Recording - Jerry O’RiordanSound Design - Micky CurlingOriginal Music - Owen ParkerProduction Assistant - Gabby Morris and Sera BakerDrama Assistant - Maia HendersonCasting Director - Emma HearnArchive Producer - Clare HammanUS Production - Dave KingMusic Production - Simon Hodge

ACTORS

Trevor Dion NicholasAaron PierreDavid MenkinCourtney WinstonTomini BabsEvlyne OyedokunJennifer ArmourEarl R PerkinsClinton LibertyPhilip DesmeulesJose PalmaFinbar Lynch

A TBI Media Production for BBC Sounds.

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From The Podcast

The Fight Of The Century - Ali v Frazier

March 8th, 1971, Madison Square Garden, New York, USA. A small, illuminated square of canvas. Camera lenses point from every direction, the world is watching. In the surrounding seats an unlikely mix of spectators rub shoulders - the cream of Hollywood, music stars, gangsters, pimps and politicians. Outside touts are making a killing, asking astronomical prices for the hottest ticket in town. In order to gain the best view in the house, legendary singer Frank Sinatra has become an accredited press photographer. In opposite corners of the ring are Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, the first time two undefeated heavyweight fighters have met in a world title clash. But this is more than just about boxing. The fight takes place in a divided America. An America of riots, assassinations, military drafts, social unrest and racial tensions, with the Vietnam War at its height. In one corner is Muhammad Ali - portrayed in the media as a dangerous rebel, a symbol of the counterculture, whose defiant stance on the Vietnam War and his involvement with the Nation of Islam has brought the wrath of the US Government down on him. But, to many, he was the king in exile, back to reclaim what had been wrongly taken away from him. A charismatic and eloquent talker, the TV camera loves him and his face is one of the most well-known images in the world.In the opposite corner is Joe Frazier, once a friend of Ali but now a fearsome rival. He's fought even harder than Ali to earn the heavyweight championship belt around his waist, but the merciless insults of his opponent has vilified him a stooge for a racist, white establishment. A vicious puncher and a pummelling gladiator, Frazier is determined to earn the respect and recognition he feels he deserves. Reserved and less comfortable in a TV studio, Frazier is the opposite to the garrulous Ali.Both fighters have been guaranteed a staggering $2.5 million each, the largest single pay day for any entertainer or athlete at the time. With the rights owned by a new breed of Hollywood promoter and super-agent, the fight heralds a new era in the commercialisation of sport - the effects we still feel today. Watched by 300 million around the globe - considerably more than had watched the moon landing 2 years earlier - the fight is even relayed to GIs in Vietnam. This is The Fight Of The Century - Ali v Frazier.Over 6 episodes hip hop legend Nas will take the listener on a journey that starts in 1967 and ends with a sporting event dubbed ‘The Fight of The Century’ in 1971. Mixing words, music, archive, expert witnesses and original drama, this series will take the listener through a story that sees our protagonists go from friendly rivals to enmity at a time while America is on the brink, rocked by race riots, political assassinations and the continuing war in South East Asia. Using the power of drama and a little imagination, Nas will pull back the curtain and guide the listener ‘behind the scenes’ of one of the greatest sporting events of all time as we build up to and explore the greater meaning of what happened back on 8th March, 1971. It’s a story of many parts that takes us from the gyms of Philadelphia to the court houses of America, from the canvas of Madison Square Garden to the White House, and from Army induction centres to TV studios. It’s a story that gets to the heart of America and peels back the issues which still reverberate today. It’s a story that shines a light on a USA that was in the cross-fire, ripped apart by divisions, bogged down by the war in Vietnam and yet was bright and innovative enough to put a man on the moon and create some of the best music ever recorded.

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