Stars of the show

In celebrating the Golden Anniversary of the “Thrilla In Manila,” Manny Pacquiao made sure relatives of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier came to town and there would be a heavyweight fight on the Smart Araneta Coliseum card that was held yesterday.

MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons got his marching orders and waved his magic wand. Ali’s wife Lonnie and Frazier’s son Joe Jr. were among the celebrity guests at the “Thrilla” Gala Dinner in the Novotel Grand Ballroom last Tuesday. On the Araneta card, Russian Georgiy Yunovidov took on South African Chris Thompson in a heavyweight eight-rounder.

Gibbons said he chanced upon Frazier in Chicago and secured his commitment to attend the celebration. Frazier would’ve come with his wife but she’s expecting their child so couldn’t travel. He’s often mistaken to be former pro boxer Joe Frazier Jr., a name his brother Hector took to honor their father.

“I promote boxing events and I’m a spiritual counsellor,” said Frazier. “I wasn’t born when the ‘Thrilla’ happened but my dad often talked about it. He never liked to fly but made an exception to travel to Manila. My father loved the Filipino people. I’d like to come back, see more of the country and learn about the culture.”

Lonnie, 68, was married to Ali from 1986 until his death in 2016. She was Ali’s fourth wife after Sonji Roi, Belinda Boyd and Veronica Porche. One of Ali’s four children with Belinda, Rasheda, also came for the celebration. Rasheda has a twin sister Jamillah and her son Nico Walsh, a middleweight boxer, was on yesterday’s card.

“I’m amazed that there’s an Ali Mall named after Muhammad,” she said. “I’ve driven past it. After 50 years, Ali Mall still exists and it’s a lasting tribute. Whenever Muhammad talked about the ‘Thrilla,’ he would always mention the warmth of the Filipino people. Muhammad was a people person. I remember him sharing potato chips with Charley Rose, the talk show host who sat in front of us during the NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden in 1999.”

Another foreign guest Gene Kilroy, 85, flew in to witness the festivities. Kilroy was a pall bearer at the funeral of Ali’s parents and his aunt Coretta. He was at Araneta when the “Thrilla” took place and said an idea to “ice” Ali probably won the fight.

“It was like 150 degrees in the venue, steaming hot,” said Kilroy. “So I gave this little kid a 100 dollar bill to get me a bucket of ice. The guy next to me said I’d never see him again. But the kid came back with a pack of ice which I gave to Ali’s cornerman Angelo Dundee before the fight. Angelo rubbed the ice all over his body and it cooled him. I think if the ice went to Frazier instead, he could’ve won.” Kilroy served as Ali’s business manager from 1966 to 1981 and described their relationship as a genuine friendship.