It was the first time two unbeaten fighters had contested the world heavyweight title.
It was the biggest single pay day for any athlete or entertainer at the time.
It was watched by an estimated 300 million people and even legendary singer Frank Sinatra was prepared to work as an accredited press photographer if it meant he got a good seat.
Unsurprising then, that Muhammad Ali’s Madison Square Garden contest with Joe Frazier on 8 March 1971 – dubbed ‘The Fight of the Century’ – still stirs boxing fans 50 years to the day later.
Over six episodes from BBC Sounds, hip hop star Nas presents a look back at an event that stopped traffic, as he revisits the music, politics and conflicts of a time where change was in the air.
A divided US, riots, military drafts, social unrest, racial tensions and a Vietnam War at its height all feature within the narrative of this iconic battle.
And then there is the fight itself.
Frazier’s reserved manner offered the perfect target for Ali’s smooth talk and free-flowing insults, further drawing in a worldwide public that would pay to see the two men sort out their differences on one small, illuminated square of canvas in New York.
Over six weeks you can listen to ‘The Fight of the Century – Ali v Frazier’ on BBC Sounds and be taken from the gyms of Philadelphia, to the court houses of America and on to Madison Square Garden.
