Gibbons working on ‘Thrilla’ treat

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila keeps on gaining traction.

Sean Gibbons is closely working with the leadership of the World Boxing Council (WBC) in guaranteeing that the event becomes as celebrated as the colossal 1975 world heavyweight title showdown between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the Araneta Coliseum.

Gibbons is currently in the United Kingdom trying his best to come up with a knockout deal that will turn the Manila festivities on 4 October a memorable show.

Gibbons is being backed by eight-division legend Manny Pacquiao, who will play a pivotal role in importing boxing luminaries not just from United States but from other locales.

Ali and Frazier are no longer around but some of the key figures in their super fight are still alive.

Filipino referee Carlos Padilla now resides in America while promoters Don King and Bob Arum are still very much around.

The plan is also to invite members of the families of Ali and Frazier to commemorate the staging of one of boxing’s most famous matches ever.

In that fight, Alin was declared winner by 14th round stoppage when Frazier trainer Eddie Fitch advised Padilla that his fighter was no longer answering the 15th and final round.

Ali was said to have been also on the verge of quitting and he later told reporters that the Thrilla in Manila was the closest thing to dying.

While Ali went on to extend his reign and become a three-time heavyweight champion, the damage Frazier inflicted in that third and final duel proved to be costly as he was no longer the same fighter afterwards.

The ambitious proposal to celebrate the Thrilla was hatched when WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman visited the country last year.

Interestingly, Mauricio’s father, the late Jose, was in attendance in Manila almost 50 years ago, alongside the world’s best sporting media.

The country’s leader at that time, President Ferdinand Marcos, was a prime mover in bringing Ali and Frazier to Manila.

Gibbon noted that it is serendipitous that Marcos Sr.’s son, Bong Bong, is also the current Philippine president.