Dear barbie1-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.
As close an ally as the late, great Howard Cosell was to Muhammad Ali,
he didn't cover the "Thrilla in Manila" fight between Ali and Frazier
because he had developed a fear, or at least a profound dislike, for
international flying.
MADDOG BITES, SAL SPEAKS, PEPE TALKS, & PIAZZA STILL MVP
http://www.tbwt.com/accu/sports/comments/comment446%20MadDog%20Piazza%20Doc%2092900.asp
The man who got the job (and the only logical choice at the time) was
Col. Bob Sheridan:
?Col. Bob Sheridan is an International celebrity having broadcast over
10,000 fights on radio and television, with over 725 world title
fights in a career spanning parts of five decades from the late 1960's
to the new millennium. Some of his accomplishments include:
Anchored the world feed of the first live heavyweight championship
telecast-Foreman vs. Ali in the 1974 in the historic "Rumble in the
Jungle"-in Zaire, Africa. This fight was telecast to an audience
exceeding 1 billion people!?
He also commentated the first heavyweight fight out of the
Philippines-"The Thrilla in Manila" featuring Ali vs. Frazier in
1975-Ring Magazine's "Fight of the Year."?
RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION
http://www.ikfkickboxing.com/RBF.htm
?The first boxing fight that Bob Sheridan ever attended as a
university student was Sonny Liston vs. Cassius Clay I in February
1964. He knew right then what he wanted to do, become a boxing
commentator. He has gone on to have a 36-year career in broadcasting
including over 10,000 fights on radio and television. On Saturday
night in Los Angeles, Sheridan will call his 725th world title fight
for a world-wide television audience when Lennox Lewis faces Vitali
Klitschko in the ring. Sheridan has called the majority of great
fights around the world since the late 1960?s and won the Boxing
Writers Association of America award for Boxing Broadcaster of the
Year in 1998. He called the ?Rumble in the Jungle? in Zaire between
Muhammad Ali and George Foremen in October 1974 to a live world wide
television audience of 1 billion people and anchored the ?Thriller in
Manila? in the Philippines between Ali and Joe Frazier in October
1975.?
BOXING NEWS
http://www.secondsout.com/world/news_52481.asp
SIDE NOTE:
One-time boxing great Ken Norton provided the ringside color commentary.
THRILLA IN MANILA - ALI VS. FRAZIER III 1975
http://www.growingsport.com/prod/6304555210.html
NOW, LET ME TELL YOU A TRUE STORY ABOUT BOB:
Col. Bob Sheridan was scheduled to do the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson
rematch in 1997 at the MGM Grand (you know, the one where Tyson bit a
piece of Holyfield's ear off?). Well, the night before the match
Sheridan had a MAJOR heart attack (one of several he would eventually
have) and was hospitalized in Las Vegas. He underwent an angiogram and
an emergency angioplasty.
In a bizarre yet devoted act of both stubbornness and loyalty, after
the procedure he signed himself out of the hospital against medical
advice and was transported to the MGM in an ambulance where he called
the fight before a crowd of thousands and a television audience of
millions (his physician, Dr, Singh, sitting right behind him giving
him fluids and taking his blood pressure between rounds). Immediately
following the fight, he was transported back to the hospital where he
underwent yet ANOTHER emergency angioplasty!
Bob Sheridan, one of boxing's greatest fans was a man who could handle
the pain of a heart attack but refused to taste the agony of defeat.
If you ever needed someone you could depend on, Bob Sheridan would be
in your corner even if it meant risking his life.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
BOXING NEWS
http://www.secondsout.com/world/news_52481.asp
RETIRED BOXERS FOUNDATION
http://www.ikfkickboxing.com/RBF.htm
THRILLA IN MANILA - ALI VS. FRAZIER III 1975
http://www.growingsport.com/prod/6304555210.html
LAS VEGAS SPORTS
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2000/Feb-20-Sun-2000/sports/12997988.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
THRILLA IN MANILA
THRILLER IN MANILA
WITH: ANCHOR, COMMENTATOR, CALLED THE FIGHT, SPORTSCASTER |
