Who else has vivid memories of that absolutely unforgettable boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) on October 30, 1974?
This fight was promoted as and even today it is simply known as “Rumble In The Jungle”.
Ali won in the 8th round by KO after fighting a very clever bout by wearing Foreman out or better letting Big George wear himself out.
But there is a different kind of “Rumble In The Jungle” that I want to introduce to you today.
Several years ago I was watching “The Rundown” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Christopher Walken and Seann William Scott.
There is one fight scene that takes place in the Brazilian jungle that always gets my attention, especially because one of the jungle fighters is played by Erne Reyes Jr. and he does an incredible job.
But I will let you be the judge:
Seann William Scott has a point when he refers to these fierce jungle fighters as “Speedy little bastards.”
Yesterday, I told you about my awesome St. Patrick’s Day experience in Savannah, Georgia.
From there it’s only about an hour’s drive north to beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina, which is one of the nicest small towns with a lot of history and countless Victorian style homes that I have ever seen. You should go there one day.
While driving around I saw a road called “Joe Frazier Road”.
And of course I started doing some research to see if my hunch was right and yes, it was.
This road is named after “Smokin’” Joe Frazier, a native of Beaufort, SC, who lived there until the age of 15, before moving to Philadelphia.
International Boxing Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier, is still considered one the best Heavyweight boxers of all time.
He won the Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 1964 and went pro in 1965.
His fights against Muhammad Ali are legendary. One of the three is known as “The Fight Of The Century” and another “Thrilla Of Manila”.
Looking back at his very successful professional career that spanned from 1965 to 1981, Joe Frazier’s fight record stands at 32 wins – 4 losses – 1 draw.
Check out some of Joe Frazier’s highlights and look out for his devastating front left hook:
Yep, I got my hair cut today and I look awesome. My wife agrees.
My barber, as you might remember from a previous post, is a born Filipino, now naturalized American and he impresses me every single time with his knowledge of and admiration for Filipino national hero, Manny Pacquiao.
As you might have heard, Pacquiao beat fellow welterweight Miguel Cotto from Puerto Rico last Saturday in 12 long and brutal rounds.
Now, don’t forget that Miguel Cotto knows his stuff. He is a very powerful and agile boxer. Taller and heavier than Manny Pacquiao, thus you would think that all the advantages would be in his favor.
It sure looked like it after the first round on Saturday in Las Vegas.
But honestly, I didn’t see the fight.
Didn’t have to, because I got the all the insider information from my barber today.
Admittedly, I did check out the post-fight press conference and this is what I took away in a nutshell:
Manny Pacquiao has now won 7 different world titles in seven weight divisions! His fight record is 50-3-2. Whoa!
Nobody has ever done anything like this before. Not even “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard or Marvin Hagler or Roberto Duran or ……!
You gotta be impressed.
And you know what else?
Manny Pacquiao isn’t even 31 years old yet!
During the post-fight conference he looked a couple of years older and understandably, he just fought a very tough opponent for 12 rounds for a world title.
He took a number of blows early on in the fight, but according to my barber, he quickly took control and was definitely in charge of the ring.
Miguel Cotto’s family could watch him take the beating and left before the fight was over. No mas!
Like I said, I thought Pacquaio looked older right after the fight. Under his fashionable hat, which has almost become another one of his trademarks, his right ear was bandaged.
Well, if you think he looked bad, think again.
Miguel Cotto wanted to show up for the press conference, but the medical doctors ordered him not to and instead go immediately to the hospital to have his cuts and bruises taken care of. Ouch!
I guess he really took a beating, but he’ll be alright. I wish him from here a speedy recovery.
Back to Manny Pacquiao: This guy is amazing not only in the ring, but also outside of it.
As you know by now, he is a national hero in the Philippines. He is also in acting, politics, moviemaking and music recording.
Right after the press conference Manny Pacquiao was already scheduled to give a concert and reportely sing eight songs.
The things I learn from my barber.
I’ll be seeing him again in a couple of weeks. Can’t wait.
