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As close to death as he’d ever been. And that’s how the winner described it. Little wonder that the “Thrilla in Manila” (aka Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III), tops TIME’s list of greatest ever fights. The pair entered the decisive third heavyweight fight at 1-1 and the searing Philippine heat made conditions as close to hell as was possible. From the start there was nothing humane about the way the pair went at each other. You feel that had it not been for the 15-round limit and, ultimately, Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch throwing in the towel at the end of the 14th, they would still be boxing today. “I want him, boss,” screamed Frazier. Futch simply replied, “It’s all over. No one will forget what you did here today.” As for Ali, in typically modest fashion, he described his opponent as, “the greatest fighter of all time, next to me.”