Ghosts of Manila - Mark Kram [11]
“Your people, they ain’t gonna like it.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you well.”
“Promise.”
“I promise,” said Frazier, whose character would never permit him to retreat from his word.
“I’ll give you a return,” Ali said.
“A return!” Frazier shouted. “What make you think I gonna need a return?”
“Joe, you a good fighter,” Ali said. “But no disrespect, you not big enough for me, not fast enough. I’ll tell you what. You beat me, I’ll crawl across the ring and kiss your feet.”
“You promise,” Joe said.
“You got my word.”
“Maybe I’m gonna knock you so cold you can’t crawl.”
They both laughed, and Ali said, “What you gonna do when I whup you?”
“If,” Joe said. “There ain’t no when in a ring. Not with me. Besides, I already give you an even split.”
“Yeah,” Ali said, “and I thank you. But I’ll be puttin’ them asses in the seats.”
Joe shook his head and said, “You’re somethin’. I got the name too. You ain’t gonna be much without me. Maybe I be givin’ the return. I ain’t studyin’ on losin’ a bit, and damn sure I never crawl across a ring to you.”
“Well, I will,” Ali said. “That’s how sure I am.”
“I’ll be waitin’,” Joe said.
Frazier never forgot that exchange. “Yank was right the whole time,” he said now, with regret as he took another small pull on the brandy jug. Nor would he ever forget what took place some time later, in 1969 in Philly, the abrupt severing of what Joe thought to be a bond between them. The pair arranged a meeting, designed to attract press attention and heat up the perception of them as inseparable rivals. Ali was on WHAT-Radio, and Joe and Gypsy had the interview on in the gym. “He somethin’, ain’t he?” Joe said to Gyp with a laugh. Ali was into his usual government rant, then suddenly shifted targets and began calling Joe clumsy, a fighter without class, an Uncle Tom. Ali called Frazier a coward, and said if he wasn’t, he should show up at the PAL gym in an hour and they’d settle the matter. Gypsy recalled: “Joe crush the radio with his foot. He say, `He makin’ a fool of me in my backyard.’” When Joe reached the gym, it was packed, the ring posts bent by the surge of people inside. With Ali screaming, Joe hurriedly stripped off his shirt. A police sergeant, Vince Furlong, jumped between them, saying: “None of that here. Take it to the park.” Ali said to Joe, “You follow, or you a coward.”
Joe declined as Ali led a big crowd through the black ghetto to Fairmount Park. But Durham hopped into his car and joined in the parade behind Ali. Durham got up, raced up to Ali, and jabbed a finger in his face. “I’ll fight you when you get a license,” Yank said, using the personal pronoun that always bemused Frazier. “What the hell you tryin’ to do here? You want work, come to our gym, and you can work with my kids. I’ll pay you good. Joe’s no chump.” By not joining Ali in the park, Joe felt silly, used, an object of ridicule and diminished in stature. After Joe and Ali appeared on The Mike Douglas Show the next day, Ali waited for him outside across the street. He then ran across to Frazier, and threw a punch, a soft right, that caught Joe on the shoulder. They grappled. Ali sent out another right, missing Joe and zinging Durham, who held his eye. “You crazy mothafucka,” Durham shouted. He then motioned to some in the crowd to help pull Joe away. On the way home, Frazier kept saying over and over to Gypsy, “I can’t believe I trusted him.”
And so that same evening they drove over to see Ali at his Cherry Hill house. Gypsy was saying, “Smoke, this ain’t right. Let it pass. He wanna see you like this. He ain’t right in the head. You playin’ his game.” Joe said: “It ain’t no game to me.” He then said, “You tell Yank about this, and you be no friend of mine. Ever.” Two Muslims with shoulder arms answered the door. One went back to fetch Ali, and he came to the door with a big smile. He looked down at little Gypsy. According to Gypsy years later, here is what took place.
“Who’s the shrimp?” Ali asked.
Gypsy shot back, “Yeah, gimme five inches, and I whup your faggot ass good.”
Ali ignored him, saying to Joe, “Come on