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Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier\u2019s \u2018Fight of the Century\u2019 at Madison Square Garden on 8th March, 1971 had the attention of the world - including multiple celebrities. But the photographer LIFE magazine had hired for the event was, nevertheless, a coup: Frank Sinatra.\xa0\n\u201cI'm so mad I could chew nails and spit tax\u201d, wrote former LIFE staff photographer Robert W. Kelley. \u201cI've been a professional news photographer 34 years\u2026 and what irks me is your cover. It was obviously selected because Frank Sinatra took it, rather for any photographic excellence. In fact, it was a bad picture. What millions of LIFE readers wanted to see was Frazier's fist firmly implanted against Muhammad Ali's mouth."\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly ask whether LIFE\u2019s Managing Editor Ralph Graves was right to commission Sinatra to contribute the cover photo for such an iconic event; reveal what happened when Bing Crosby tried to blag his way into the fight; and look back on how Ali\u2019s trash-talking of Frazier spurred him on for the fight of his life\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Frank Sinatra Once Photographed Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier\u2019 (Vice, 2015): https://www.vice.com/en/article/ezedg7/frank-sinatra-once-photographed-muhammad-ali-and-joe-frazier\n\u2022 \u2018Brutal first meeting of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier stopped the world 50 years ago\u2019\xa0 (Mail Online, 2021): https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-9335207/Brutal-meeting-Muhammad-Ali-Joe-Frazier-stopped-world-50-years-ago.html\n\u2022 \u2018Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier\u2019 (ABC, 1971):\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQhFhdmW6Vs\n#1960s #Sport #Black #Arts #US #Music\nWe had EVEN MORE to say about ol' Blue Eyes and his boxing pics. To hear bonus material this and every week*, support the show NOW at\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors!\n(*top two tiers only)\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices