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By BRIAN ACKLEY
WBAN Senior Editor
Let’s see, Jacquie Frazier has three children, and Laila Ali has none, so we should all be spared Ali-Frazier V for a long, long while.
But it WAS fun. And rough and tumble. And, for most, exceeded the modest expectations placed upon it. It was not a watershed moment for
women’s boxing -- even though it was the most covered and hyped bout in the
history of the sport -- but then again, no one thought it would be.
After eight tough rounds, Ali-Frazier IV almost earned its moniker.
It certainly earned the respect and admiration of 7,000 boxing fans, who roared
at the end of every round as if they were watching a winning touchdown drive
at the Super Bowl. The cacophony at the end of round one -- one writer had simple made this entry in his notebook for round one: A WAR! -- was
deafening. It did, of course, expose both ladies for the raw talents they posses.
But Frazier, true to her word, came out in round one like it really was personal. The fight, for all its unpolished edges, still appealed to the
basic instincts of the sport: guts, heart, tenacity, the one-on-one vulnerability of two athletes with obvious desire to win. It was, at some
level, more of a toughman contest than a boxing match.
No matter, In the final analysis, it was better for the sport than critics expected. Maybe it was because no one thought much of the matchup -- Frazier
had seven fights, 15 total rounds, against horribly inferior opponents. But
it was the 39 year-old mother who made the fight. As her father said after the fight, “There’s a lot of daddy in
Jacqui.”
How true. Frazier bore straight ahead, absorbing blows to dish out
meaningful shots of her own. Ali tried to stick and move, but was willing to
brawl -- too willing by her own admission -- when it turned into an alley fight.
Most importantly, perhaps, the thousands who paid to watch the event in person seemed pleased. Not that they were rushing to the box office for a
rematch -- even though the fight was close, there’s certainly no mandate out
there for a rematch -- but the comments heard as they headed for the slots and roulette wheels were encouraging.
“It was better than I expected,” said one. “They both could dish it out
and deliver it,” said another. No one was comparing it to Manila, to be sure, but no one was comparing it to some of the Freeda Foreman non-fights
that Fox TV still seems willing to dish up either.
Did it help the sport? A little. There’s no magic bullet that will suddenly vault women’s boxing into some kind of stratospheric rise. Good,
consistent, competitive women’s bouts on a regular basis, be it pay-per-view
or free TV, is a great place to start. A continued growth in amateur
programs, and perhaps someday a spot in the Olympic games, would be the closest thing the sport has for a magic potion.
Until then, we are left with events like this. Refreshingly, both women talked extensively about promoting the sport as a whole, and other deserving
athletes in it.
Sadly, however, and no one ever asked so they didn’t tell,
if they are THAT concerned about helping other women, then why weren’t there
two or three other women’s bouts on Friday night’s card? Future fights involving either women must include at least one or two other good women’s
fights, less their words ring hollow. Somewhere below unforgettable, but definitely above undistinguished, is
where history will should remember this fight. In the end, like the song says, the kids were all right.
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