© Provided by Boxing Junkie Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier gave fans a classic 50 years ago Monday.
"The Fight of the Century," which took place on March 8, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in New York, featured two unbeaten heavyweights who had legitimate claims to the championship amid a highly charged political climate in the U.S.
Ali had been stripped of his title for refusing induction into the U.S. Army as the war in Vietnam raged, which made him a symbol of the anti-war movement, and was out of boxing for 3½ years. Frazier emerged with the belt around his waist during Ali's hiatus.
The fighters didn't disappoint anyone in the ring, giving fans a fast-paced, action-packed 15-round fight that the relentlessly aggressive Frazier won by a unanimous decision.
Here are images from the classic fight.
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