Truth Machine
I am a boxing fan. There is something about two people standing face to face in a ring that is pure and primal. And yes, sometimes I think the sport should be outlawed. But then I watch a little UFC, and I realize boxing is tame in comparison. I find mixed martial arts to be barbaric; I am not a devotee of that type of violence. When a man or woman is down, where is the sport in jumping on them and pummeling them until you are yanked off by a stripped interpreter of an ill-conceived rulebook? I think that it says something about human nature that UFC has become far more popular than boxing.
Boxing is known by all its fans as “The Sweet Science.” Watching two skilled fighters is like seeing a chess match played out with jabs and crosses and bobs and weaves. While the science aspect of boxing is sweet and underappreciated in today’s climate, it is another aspect of boxing that interests me today.
There is a famous quote about sports not developing character but revealing it. It is generally attributed to basketball coach John Wooden or sportswriter H.H. Broun. I always found that sentiment interesting. I think it is true, that character is revealed and not built, especially when it comes to boxing. Set any two people in the ring, and you can learn a lot about them in those three-minute rounds.
That quickly brings us to former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. His three matches with Muhammed Ali are classics. Each man tried their best to rip the heart out of the other man’s body. I just rewatched Ali – Frazier I, on today, the 50th anniversary of the fight. And yes, on that day Joe Frazier was something else; he was transcendent and sublime.
Larry Merchant, a boxing commentator on HBO’s telecasts for decades wrote what is perhaps the greatest lede in sports journalism history. This appeared in the March 9, 1971 edition of The New York Post:
Muhammad Ali fought a truth machine last night, and the truth that emerged was painfully clear. The arrogance and hubris that made Ali a great champion made him a former champion.
You can’t con Joe Frazier for 15 rounds. Joe Frazier comes at you too honestly, too openly. He lets you find out what you have inside you. It is going to take an honest man made of stern stuff to beat him. Ali was not honest enough last night.
Joe Frazier the truth machine. Can you imagine imagery more profound than that? Larry Merchant just turned 90, and I hope he is still proud of that lede. Stripped of all pretense, Frazier came at his opponent with no trickery, no hubris; he simply marched forward, baiting his opponent to stop him. He wasn’t interested in showmanship or style; he was on a mission to break the spirit of the man opposite him in the ring. Frazier’s opponents learned deeply held secrets about themselves when they stood across from him. Frazier exposed his opponents to the world. Had they worked hard enough to withstand him? Did they have the fortitude to stand face to face with him for 12 or 15 rounds? Were they willing to take his punishment?
That night Frazier was relentless. He gave no quarter. His march was forward, his character revealed. He was a great fighter, a true champion. He kept asking Ali how deep his well was. With every left hook, he was asking Ali to see if he could dig a little deeper.
How many of us get to do battle with a truth machine in our lives? I wouldn’t think many of us do. At least not one as on point as Frazier. Our revelations come in different ways. It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking that we are titans when we are never asked to prove it. We can’t know how deep the well goes unless we are asked to reach deep down by our own nemesis, our own version of a truth machine.
Of course, we all do face a Truth Machine. It is Time, that undefeated fabric of the universe. The difference is, a person could hope to defeat Frazier, which Ali did the next two times they fought. None of us can say the same about the ticking clock.
Some pundits argue that neither fighter was quite the same after that fight. They say that the back and forth, the exchange of punishment, took something fundamental from both men. I believe that is true; I also believe that on that day, fifty long years ago, Muhammed Ali fought a Truth Machine. Larry Merchant had the insight to know that we all can learn something profound from those 15 epic rounds. I know I did.
Well said, thank you!