On This Day...

1971 - Joe Frazier, of Philadelphia, won a boxing decision over Muhammad Ali who had been previously undefeated.

The fight itself became something of a symbol of the country. Leading up to the fight, Ali (who had denounced the Vietnam War) had refused induction into the U.S. Army in 1967, leading to his being stripped of his title and barred from fighting, losing 3 1/2 years from the prime of his career.

Ali became a symbol of the anti-establishment movement, while Frazier became a symbol of the conservative, pro-war movement. (In his autobiography, Frazier said that he didn't fight in the war because he was a father but that he would have fought if drafted because his country had been so good to him