MANILA: Filipino fans of boxing legend Muhammad Ali gathered near the site of his epic “Thrilla in Manila” fight with Joe Frazier for an art and photo tribute Friday. The display near Araneta Coliseum at Ali Mall was launched hours before Ali’s burial in the US. Ali died June 3 at age 74.
Outside the coliseum, a cutout picture of Ali stands in a boxing ring. Fans crowded around a screen playing videos of the 1975 match that put the Philippines on the map. The Oct. 1, 1975, heavyweight championship, one of the greatest boxing matches in history, was won by Ali on a technical knockout at the jam-packed coliseum in Manila’s suburban Quezon city and was watched by a worldwide audience. Some facts about the fight:
— It was the third fight between Ali and Frazier, his most bitter rival. The boxers had split the first two bouts, neither of which compared to the grueling rubber match. Ali retained the title when Frazier, who could not see, was kept by trainer Eddie Futch from answering the bell for the 15th round. When it was over, a physically and emotionally drained Ali said, “It was the closest thing to death.”
— Then-Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos reportedly wanted to hold the bout in the Manila metropolis to deflect international and domestic attention from the political restiveness and growing insurgencies.
— Ali’s preparations were upset before the fight when he introduced his mistress as his wife to Marcos and his wife, Imelda. Ali’s wife, Belinda Ali, saw the introduction on TV, flew to Manila and engaged Ali in a prolonged shouting match in his hotel.
— Why the Ali Mall? After the fight, the arena owner was so ecstatic he told Ali would build a mall and name it after him.
‘Thrilla in Manila’ attracts Ali’s fans in the Philippines
‘Thrilla in Manila’ attracts Ali’s fans in the Philippines
Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt
- Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years
DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.
Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.
Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.
“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.
Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.
The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.
The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”
He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.
