Rating: 
Summary: Great interpretation of the bloodiest boxing fight ever
Review: This book mainly revolves around the critically acclaimed "Thrilla in Manila" fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
Considered to be by many the bloodiest fight of all-time. Two of the best heavyweight champions in boxing ever come together for a rematch of perhaps the greatest fight ever - the 1971 fight in Madison Square Garden.
One of the most anticipated fights of all time and it didn't disappoint one bit. This book portrayes all the hype before the fight, the pre-fight situations and scenes. It also provides extensive background of the 2 champions previous bouts and the entire setting that lead to the point of the match.
Both Frazier and Ali hated each other deeply. Ali considered Frazier to be "Uncle Tom" and "The Gorilla" as Ali was undoubtebly abused by the Islamic groups that he was associated with. Frazier considered Ali a renegade to his country. All the hatred between the two mainly revolved around the Vietnam War which Ali refused to be a part of (ultimately losing his title because of it).
This book tries to capture the incredible animosity between the two heavyweights. An animosity that turned out to be destructive to both fighters. For Frazier it meant the ending of his career, for Ali it meant the cementing of his legacy, but ultimately Ali went on to suffer throughout the rest of his post-boxing life because of the great fights he had with Frazier, mainly in 1971 and of course the 1975 bout. Frazier was probably the only boxer who could really stand up to Ali's quickness, especially with that spectacular left hook Frazier is so remembered by. Both fighters took an enormous amount of lethal punches to the head and body which ultimately changed both fighters lives in the years to come.
It is said that both fighters hated each other so much, they were willing to fight to the death. If more than 15 rounds were allowed the both of them were willing to fight till the end, and to this day no one really knows who would've have been the last man standing in a fight like that. Only Frazier's corner guys prevented a judge decision which would've probably gone for Ali ultimately anyway.
This is a great book that really sets you in the mood of that fight and all that came before it. I recommend it highly. It probably won't speak to general sports fans, but to boxing fans this will be a treat to read.
Rating: 
Summary: . . . .and in this corner . . . .
Review: This is a brilliant biography about a savage sport and what we observers do to the participants. Mark Kram has been criticized by those who feel he takes liberties and cheap shots with the hero-mania of Muhammad Ali and for that matter, "Smokin' Joe Frazier. The reality, I believe, is that Kram lifts up the rock and shows us that we live under it. At least from time to time.How can we fail to acknowledge what we did to these two men, what we expected of them, and what we turned them into? How could we expect Ali, who by all accounts while being self described as "pretty" and certainly personable, was seriously unintelligent, and Joe, who by all accounts, lacking personality, was at least Ali's intellectual equal, to shoulder the extraordinary burdens we placed upon them. We made them symbols of racial upheaval, liberal sexuality, Vietnam, the blue collar worker, the Black Muslims, agitation, revolution and class struggle. All this against the backdrop of the most savage of all sports, witnessed by millions who by the words of Cosell, rightfully castigated by Kram, "never played the game." We took athletes and made them spokepersons for issues that Phd's differed on. This would be like having Joe Dimaggio give political insight on the Korean War, Johnny Unitas explain Vietnam, and Micheal Jordon give a seminar on the fall of President Clinton. It doesn't make any sense. This is the use of the 'rock star' to save the whales and the ingenue to push margerine. It doesn't matter who won. Who won had nothing to do with the issues that we described, created, and hoisted upon their backs. They were bound to fail. Finally, the fight in Manila, the third battle of the brain damaging trilogy, just makes you cringe. Kram's book is excellent if you want a flavor of the '70's, the users, the hangers-on, the tragedy, the false issues, and the two hero-victems, Ali and Frazier.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling...Fascinating...An outstanding read...
Review: This simply one of the best sports books I've ever read. Covering one of the most fascinating rivalries to ever command our attention, Mr. Kram sheds a great deal of light on the subject. Much has been written lately about fighters of that era and of Muhammad Ali in particular. Seldom has the subject been covered this completely. There's no lionizing here. Mr. Kram is fair to all parties. He covers not only Frazier and Ali but the era immediately preceding them. So many details previously not know are brought to light here. The complex relationship between the two fighters, the fire that burned between them and what started that fire which had to do with much more than simply pre-fight hype and professional rivalries. Mr. Kram takes us through every bit of it right up to and including "The Thrilla in Manila". That doesn't mean he stops there. He follows up and brings us to the present. So much has been written about Ali and much is written here. Seldom are we given such an extensive view of Joe Frazier, who is no less compelling tha Ali in this book. This is a jewel of a book. A keeper... This one goes up in the bookshelf in a secure place for future re-reads. Thank you Mark Kram!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written.
Review: With the craze for Ali nowadays, this books points a different perspective on the blood feud between Ali and Frazier. Ali said some pretty mean things about Smokin Joe, but most were untrue.
Frazier comes across as the more admireable of the two fighters, and the one that perhaps Black America should look to as an inspiration. Ali comes up far short.
Frazier came from poor black folks in South Carolina, while Ali had some Irish blood and was raised in a middle class suburb of Nashville. Frazier worked his way up from the working class, while Ali had a silver spoon placed in his mouth. Frazier was a law abiding citizen, but Ali evaded the draft laws. Frazier was near blind in one eye, but continued to fight. Ali complained when his trainers threw real punches. Who is the inspiration here. I say Frazier and not Ali. Not withstanding Ali's mouth, perhaps more people will give Joe Frazier his rewards. Thanks to Mark Kram for bringing this story to light.
Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK PROVES NO ONE DOES BOXING BETTER THAN MARK KRAM
Review: You know how in the movie "Pulp Fiction" Uma Thurman says there are tow kind of people in this world, Beatles people and Elvis people? Really, it should be like this: Muhammed Ali people and Joe Frazier people. Their trilogy was epic, and the third fight, in Manila, was easily the single greatest heavyweight fight of the 20th Century (though it quite doesn't measure up to the 1995 super middleweight title bout between Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan). Mark Kram's book perfectly captures the two men: Ali as the immature, mean-spirited oaf who wanted nothing more than to have attention paid to him; Frazier as the simple yet proud warrior who would readily die defending his honor. It is clear that Kram holds a great deal of respect for Ali but refuses to bow to the media's popular imagination that has deified Ali. Did Frazier deserve the sick wrath he encountered? Kram says absolutely not. This book is the stuff of journalistic legend. Just read it for yourself, whether you're an Ali person or a Frazier person. I am most emphatically in the latter category.
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