Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 2):
September 18, 1975
Muhammad Ali and Joe Fraizer made a courtesy call to President Ferdinand E. Marcos and his wife, First Lady Imelda R. Marcos in Malacanang Palace on September 18, 1975.
The Philippines sponsored to host the greatest boxing event of 1975 dubbed as the Thrilla in Manila. Frazier arrived in the Philippines on September 13, 1975 while Ali, the reigning world heavyweight champion, arrived two days later.
Hosting the match in the Philippines gave the Marcos administration an opportunity to be seen in the world as a country that is capable of successfully hosting a world title event. The Philippines was on its third year under Martial Law.
International newspapers ran headlines featuring the fight and the daily activities of the fighters since arriving in Manila and both mesmerized everyone. Frazier's humility and Ali's retorts delighted the media and the government.
The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final match between the two that was scheduled on October 1, 1975 at the Araneta Coliseum. The first two matches were held in Malaysia and Zaire.
The government wanted the world to know that the country had good boxing officials so Carlos Padilla, an experienced referee was the third man in the ring.
The 15-rounds fight ended with Ali emerging as champion by TKO. 700 million people watched it on television, while almost 27,000 were at the Araneta Coliseum.
Knowing that his presidency was being scrutinized, President Marcos turned the event as a chance to highlight his capabilities as a leader, and he succeeded.
(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved
Photo credit: wikipedia.org
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