Getting to Know Marc Mezvinsky

Chelsea Clinton recently announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend Marc Mezvinsky. The news inspired an avalanche of Web searches on Ms. Clinton, but those were small potatoes compared to the number of lookups on her betrothed.

Almost immediately, lookups on "marc mezvinsky photos" and "marc mezvinsky job" surged into the thousands. Searchers quickly discovered that Mezvinsky is an investment banker at a Manhattan hedge fund, and he comes from a family with strong political ties.

While the Mezvinksys aren't as powerful as the Clintons, they are arguably just as controversial. Marc's father, Edward Mezvinsky, served as a congressman from Iowa for two terms in the '70s. Later he was famously sentenced to prison for around seven years. According to blog from ABC News, Ed Mezvinsky was found guilty of fraud "after getting caught up in a series of Nigerian email scams." Yup, those email scams.

Mr. Mezvinsky didn't actually conduct the scams, but he did attempt to scam others in order to raise money to contribute to the "get rich quick" scheme. Again, according to ABC, Mezvinsky's mother-in-law was a victim, as were some of his closest friends. After serving several years in prison, the former representative is now a free man.

Marc's mother, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, is also no stranger to the public eye. She herself served as a Pennsylvania congresswoman from 1993-1995. Apparently, her political future took a turn for the worse when she voted to support President Clinton's budget "after months of publicly voicing her opposition to the bill because it did not contain enough spending cuts." According to official site from house.gov, Ms. Margolies-Mezvinsky also worked as a television reporter in the 1970s.

The wedding, according to an email Chelsea Clinton sent to friends, is likely to be this coming summer. With four parents who all served in government, expect the toasts to run long.

Pitchin’ Pacquiao raises $50-K for a cause

By Roy Luarca
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:49:00 04/23/2009

LOS ANGELES - Manny Pacquiao can make his presence felt even in the baseball field.

The AT&T Park was filled to the rafters on Tuesday (April 21) night as Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, threw the ceremonial first pitch in the San Francisco Giants-San Diego Padres Major League Baseball tussle.

It was Filipino Heritage Night, but the extra tickets sold for the game won by the Giants, 8-3, were attributed to the presence of Pacquiao. Last year’s first of two Heritage Nights drew just 5,000, according to a report in MLB.com.

In contrast, the Giants-Padres showdown drew 42,000 fans, according to Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum
read more>>>

Peñalosa ready to rumble with Lopez behind enemy lines

MANILA, Philippines – With 22 years in the business, Gerry Peñalosa has seen enough fights that he feels undaunted facing fast-rising Puerto Rican KO artist Juan Manuel Lopez behind enemy lines.

According to PhilBoxing.com, Peñalosa and his team arrived in Puerto Rico from LA in high spirits Tuesday, six days before he challenges the WBO super-bantamweight champ Lopez (24-0-0, 22 KOs) who has vowed to give the ageless Filipino his first trip to the canvas when they meet.

"I will have surprises for Juan Manuel Lopez," said the 36-year-old Peñalosa (54-6-2, 36 KOs), who has viewed this new challenge as the “most important fight of my career."

Now in the twilight of his storied career, Peñalosa will be gunning to become a three-division titlist after conquests at superflyweight (for the WBC and WBF) and bantamweight (WBO).

He had previously vied for the WBO’s 122 diadem in 2007 against then champion Daniel Ponce de Leon but lost a controversial decision and Saturday’s try against the favored Lopez could very well be his ticket to the elusive crown.

Accompanying Peñalosa on his mission at the heart of the Lopez’s homeland were his manager Billy Keanne, and brothers/trainers Jonathan and Carl, along with his wife Goody and their two children Jessie Boy and Jolan, plus US-based supporter George Rufino and his daughter Grace, and PhilBoxing’s Dong Secuya.

Celebrated trainer Freddie Roach is set to join the gang on Friday, himself confident that “Fearless" Peñalosa has a shot at beating the young, unbeaten champion.

On Wednesday, Peñalosa will have a chance to check out Lopez when they face the press at the El San Juan Hotel and Casino.

Peñalosa seeks to make it three-for-three for Filipino fighters after compatriots Brian Viloria and Nonito Donaire, Jr. took care of business on their end last Sunday in Manila.

Viloria knocked out long-time champion Ulises Solis of Mexico in 11 to grab the IBF lightflyweight crown while Donaire stopped Raul Martinez in four to defend his IBF flyweight strap. –GMANews.TV

Roach: ‘Hitman’ to get hit a lot by Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – How appropriate can a moniker get.

Stepping up on his verbal jabs at the opposition, trainer Freddie Roach took notice of Ricky Hatton’s “Hitman" ring tag and how it perfectly foretells Hatton’s fate against his prized pupil Manny Pacquiao.

“Hitman is an accurate name for Hatton because on May 2, Hatton is going to get hit, man, and a lot!" Roach was quoted in a report by doghouseboxing.com.

The Hall of Fame trainer once more reiterated his confidence that Pacquiao would run over Hatton, whom he described as a “one-dimensional" slugger.

“I told Manny I would be disappointed if the fight lasts longer than three rounds," he said.

Roach has been engaged in a verbal tussle with Hatton’s equally outspoken trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. in the lead-up to the “Battle of East and West" card and in his latest tirade, turned a little poetic just like Senior.

“Ricky Hatton is like the Manchurian Candidate, but since he is from Manchester, England I’ll call him the Mancunian Candidate," he said, referring to a Cold War-era novel and film about a son of a prominent political family who is brainwashed to become an unwilling assassin for the communists.

“I know Floyd is trying to deprogram Ricky from being a one-dimensional puncher, but it’s too late to try and brainwash a fighter who has close to 50 fights during a 12-year professional career. The fact is Floyd couldn’t program a VCR much less a fighter with so many bad habits ingrained into him," he added.

Roach’s confidence comes from Hatton’s come-forward style and questionable defense, which he claimed suits his faster, more skilled ward. He said Hatton, despite claiming improvement in other aspects, would eventually revert to his slugger-style once he gets hit by the Filipino pound for pound king.

These factors have led Roach to firmly believe that the “Pacman" is going to do what he does best - gobble up Hatton’s Ring Magazine and IBO junior welterweight title when they meet two weeks from now in Las Vegas. –GMANews.TV

Breaking News: Scientists discover a nearly Earth-sized planet

HATFIELD, England – In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed in Tuesday on two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size. The other is in the right place. European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese 581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese 581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life.

"The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone,'" said Michel Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland.

An American expert called the discovery of the tiny planet "extraordinary."

Gliese 581 e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth — while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, which NASA says could swallow more than 1,000 Earths.

Gliese 581 e sits close to the nearest star, making it too hot to support life. Still, Mayor said its discovery in a solar system 20 1/2 light years away from Earth is a "good example that we are progressing in the detection of Earth-like planets."

Scientists also discovered that the orbit of planet Gliese 581 d, which was found in 2007, was located within the "habitable zone" — a region around a sun-like star that would allow water to be liquid on the planet's surface, Mayor said.

He spoke at a news conference Tuesday at the University of Hertfordshire during the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science.

Gliese 581 d is probably too large to be made only of rocky material, fellow astronomer and team member Stephane Udry said, adding it was possible the planet had a "large and deep" ocean.

"It is the first serious 'water-world' candidate," Udry said.

Mayor's main planet-hunting competitor, Geoff Marcy of the University of California, Berkeley, praised the find of Gliese 581 e as "the most exciting discovery" so far of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system.

"This discovery is absolutely extraordinary," Marcy told The Associated Press by e-mail, calling the discoveries a significant step in the search for Earth-like planets.

While Gliese 581 e is too hot for life "it shows that nature makes such small planets, probably in large numbers," Marcy commented. "Surely the galaxy contains tens of billions of planets like the small, Earth-mass one announced here."

Nearly 350 planets have been found outside our solar system, but so far nearly every one of them was found to be extremely unlikely to harbor life.

Most were too close or too far from their sun, making them too hot or too cold for life. Others were too big and likely to be uninhabitable gas giants like Jupiter. Those that are too small are highly difficult to detect in the first place.

Both Gliese 581 d and Gliese 581 e are located in constellation Libra and orbit around Gliese 581.

Like other planets circling that star — scientists have discovered four so far — Gliese 581 e was found using the European Southern Observatory's telescope in La Silla, Chile.

The telescope has a special instrument which splits light to find wobbles in different wavelengths. Those wobbles can reveal the existence of other worlds.

"It is great work and shows the potential of this detection method," said Lisa Kaltenegger, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. - AP

No surgery for Yankees Xavier Nady; hopes to return in 4-6 weeks

BY Mark Feinsand
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Updated Tuesday, April 21st 2009, 4:04 PM

Xavier Nady will not require Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his injured right elbow, but the outfielder will not return to the lineup for at least another month.

The latest round of test results were examined by noted orthopedist and Angels team physician Dr. Lewis Yocum - the same doc that performed Nady’s elbow surgery more than seven years ago - early on Tuesday, with a diagnosis of a partial ligament tear coming down in the afternoon.

Nady remains on the 15-day disabled list. He is hoping to return in 4-6 weeks.

"Obviously I wanted to avoid surgery if possible," Nady said. "I hope going this route works out."

Nady, who injured his elbow last Tuesday night against the Rays, went through a series of tests during the past week to determine the extent of the injury. Nady said he felt a sharp pain while making a throw in the seventh inning of that game, removing himself from the field after the half-inning was over.

Nady had believed he would require surgery after his first MRI, telling teammates he was headed for an operation that would end his season. Nady underwent Tommy John surgery on the same elbow in Sept. 2001.

Miss USA controversy: Carrie Prejean says gay marriage answer cost crown, but she'd say it again

BY Lauren Johnston
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, April 21st 2009, 9:50 AM



Miss California Carrie Prejean is disappointed she didn't win the Miss USA pageant after her answer to question on gay marriage from blogger Perez Hilton sparked controversy, but says she's proud she stayed true to her beliefs and wouldn't change the response – even though she believes it cost her the crown.

Prejean, who was first runner up, appeared Tuesday morning on NBC's "Today" show and when host Matt Lauer asked if she'd alter her answer if given a "do-over," she said no.

"I did not want to offend anybody, but I think with that question specifically, it's not about being politically correct, for me it was being biblically correct," she told Lauer.

During Sunday night's competition, Hilton asked Prejean if she felt all states should move toward allowing same-sex marriage - to mirror the efforts of states like Vermont and California.

She said, "I think it's great that Americans are able to choose one or the other ... same sex marriage or opposite marriage," then added, "I believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman ... that's how I was raised."

Hilton later ranted about Prejean on his celebrity blog and called her some nasty names.

Hilton went on CNN's Larry King Live Monday night while Prejean spoke about the incident the same night to Fox News - fielding questions on whether she thought her answer cost her the crown.

"Out of all the topics I studied up on, I dreaded that one. I prayed I would not be asked about gay marriage. If I had any other question, I know I would have won," she said in the Fox News interview.

Hilton told King he hadn't bashed Prejean for her beliefs, but felt a candidate for Miss USA should offer more inclusive answers.

Hilton has extended Prejean an invitation to discuss the matter over coffee, but she has not accepted.

Prejean appeared at peace with the outcome Monday in her chat with Lauer - again referencing her faith and saying she was proud of herself for advancing so far in the competition.

And as for her close brush with taking the crown?

"It wasn't what God wanted for my life that night," she told Lauer.

FBI's newest 'Most Wanted' terrorist is American

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer Devlin Barrett, Associated Press Writer – Tue Apr 21, 2:50 pm ET




WASHINGTON – A fugitive animal rights activist believed to be hiding outside the United States has become the first domestic terror suspect named to the FBI's list of "Most Wanted" terrorists.

Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 31-year-old computer specialist from Berkeley, Calif., is wanted for the 2003 bombings of two corporate offices in California.

Authorities say San Diego has unusual tattoos, including one that shows a burning field and proclaims, "It only takes a spark."

FBI Assistant Director Michael Heimbach announced San Diego's addition to its "Most Wanted" terrorists list at a press conference Tuesday.

Authorities believe he has fled the United States.

In the global search for the suspect, Heimbach said the FBI has spoken to officials in Germany, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, France, Spain Denmark, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines, and Chile.

He has ties to Germany, and may be living in Costa Rica, officials said.

"The leads have gone stale on us, so now we're seeking the public's awareness," said Heimbach.

San Diego is the 24th person on the bureau's wanted terrorist list, and the only domestic terror suspect.

The move to add a domestic, left-wing activist to the list comes only days after the Obama administration was criticized for internal reports suggesting some military veterans could be susceptible to right-wing extremist recruiters or commit lone acts of violence. That prompted angry reactions from some lawmakers and veterans groups.

An arrest warrant was issued for San Diego after the 2003 bombings in northern California of the corporate offices of Chiron Corp., a biotechnology firm, and at Shaklee Corp., a nutrition and cosmetics company. The explosions caused minor damages and no injuries.

A group calling itself "Revolutionary Cells" took responsibility for the blasts, telling followers in a series of e-mails that Chiron and Shaklee had been targeted for their ties to a research company that conducted drug and chemical experiments on animals.

Officials have offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture, five times the reward amounts offered for other so-called eco-terrorists wanted in the U.S.

The FBI says animal rights and environmental extremists have been responsible for over 1,800 criminal acts and more than $110 million in damages. Currently, the bureau is investigating 170 animal rights or environmental extremism incidents.

Law enforcement officials describe San Diego as a strict vegan who possesses a 9mm handgun. On his abdomen, he has tattoo images of burning and collapsing buildings.

The FBI's "Most Wanted" terrorist list is distinct from the much longer-running "Ten Most Wanted" list. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is on both.

There is another American already on the terrorist list, but he is wanted for his work overseas for al-Qaida. Adam Yahiye Gadahn grew up in California but moved to Pakistan and works as a translator and consultant to al-Qaida.

Ted Failon's wife dies

Trinidad Etong, wife of ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon Etong, passed away at 8:50 pm Thursday night after suffering from a gunshot wound to the head that her family said was self-inflicted more than a day earlier.

ABS-CBN vice-president for Manila Radio and Sports Division Peter Musngi, who was in the Intensive care unit (ICU) of the New Era Hospital in Quezon City where Trina was being treated, told DZMM that the patient's condition turned for the worse at 8:25 pm after her blood pressure went down.

He said at least six medical attendants tried to save the patient but nothing happened.

Musngi said Failon has called for a priest who will administer the final blessings for his 45-year-old wife.

"Ted is inconsolable," Musngi said. "He is both sad and angry."

Shortly before Trina’s death, members of the Quezon City Police District-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit arrested two of her relatives for alleged obstruction of justice.

Police are still investigating whether Trina committed suicide or was a victim of foul play.

Pacquiao, Hatton trainers predict wins, again

By Jun Medina, Special Correspondent

Their trainers are both predicting an early finish, but protagonists Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton are generally keeping their thoughts to themselves, focusing on the final days of training camp as their May 2 clash in Las Vegas nears.

Pacquiao’s coach, Freddie Roach, predicts the fight would be “sweet and easy,” with PacMan’s hand being raised in victory in three rounds.

Not to be outdone, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Hatton’s new trainer, counters that the megabuck match-up won’t reach the third round because The Hitman will finish the job in the first or second round.

Roach and Mayweather may sound like they are just hyping what is considered the biggest and richest boxing event so far this year, but their big claims actually reflect their respective strategies.continue>>>

Bayless to call shots for Pacquiao-Hatton fight

MANILA, Philippines – Veteran referee Kenny Bayless will be the third man on the ring when Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton clash for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) light-welterweight crown on May 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bayless has worked on previous Pacquiao and Hatton fights in the past.

He called the shots when Pacquiao fought Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super-featherweight title last year and during the second installation of the Filipino ring icon’s trilogy showdown with Eric Morales in 2006.continue>>>

Silva looks to make history

UFC 97 is LIVE on PPV April 18!
In the main event of UFC 97: Redemption, UFC world middleweight champion and pound for pound kingpin Anderson “The Spider” Silva readies himself for what could be the most important fight of his career as he takes on grappling specialist Thales Leites. With four title defenses to his credit and eight straight Octagon victories, Silva looks to become the first UFC titlist to defend his crown for a record five times. Although he is on the cusp of making history, the challenger Leites presents a dangerous fight for “The Spider” and has an upset on his mind.read more>>>

Pacquiao pays tribute to De La Hoya

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao wished Oscar De La Hoya all the best in life shortly after the Golden Boy announced his retirement from boxing Tuesday.

“I am very happy for Oscar and his family,” Pacquiao said in a statement. “I think he made the correct decision.”

Pacquiao, currently the consensus No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the planet, turned out to be De La Hoya’s final opponent. Pacquiao thoroughly beat De La Hoya last December, handing the Golden Boy his fourth loss in his last seven outings.continue

It has been a fantastic ride for Ciara

Like Madonna, one of her role models, Ciara (pronounced Sierra) prefers to be known without a surname. Her full name is Ciara Princess Harris, born in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, 1985; the only child of Carlton and Jackie Harris. She grew up on army bases in Germany, New York, Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada.continue

Aubrey spills her secret

• The comedienne’s loss turned out to be a sexy starlet’s gain. Remember how the comedienne went all over town announcing that she was getting married to her Fil-Am boyfriend who, according to Funfare’s DPA, comes from a decent family? The guy is getting married soon, all right, not to the comedienne but to the now US-based sexy starlet. Did the guy uncover something unpleasant in the comedienne’s past?

• This happened decades ago but recalled with amusement by those in the know. When a Hollywood hunk (famous for “historical” roles) came to promote his movie, an actress noted for her classic beauty openly flirted with him. The actor politely told her, “You are a very beautiful lady but I’m sorry, my wife is with me.” Nothing happened.

• A now retired bold starlet had a “magical” way of finding money. Everytime she and her live-in actor-boyfriend ran out of cash, she would ask permission to go out in the middle of the night and come back a few hours later loaded with, yes, money. “Magical,” isn’t it? The boyfriend knew where the money was coming from...did you?

* * *

read more here

Simon Cowell may leave ‘American Idol’

Hard-nosed judge says his three shows require too much travel

Access Hollywood
updated 9:27 p.m. ET April 12, 2009

LONDON - Every week, millions of viewers tune in to “American Idol” to hear what Simon Cowell has to say — but according to the Mirror, the no-nonsense judge may be planning on leaving the show.

“Most people do one show a year and I do three and they involve a lot of traveling. One may have to go,” Cowell, 49, told the paper on Saturday. “I don’t know which one. That is the problem, I like all of them. I can’t imagine not doing ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and I can’t imagine not doing ‘X Factor.’ But I guess America is more likely to go because I have got one year under contract. Maybe that will be the end.”

According to the paper, Cowell may make four transatlantic flights a week during the summer to keep up with “American Idol” and his two British shows, “X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent,” in which he also serves as a judge.

'La Cobrita' out to unseat Pinoy 'Flash'

Updated April 14, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Raul Martinez and Ulises Solis, a pair of Mexican fighters who flew in from Los Angeles yesterday, vowed to put on a good show against their Pinoy opponents on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Martinez, nicknamed “La Cobrita” and undefeated in 24 bouts, will try to dethrone Nonito Donaire Jr. as the IBF flyweight champion in the main event of the card dubbed “The Flash and the Furious.”

Solis, whose younger brother, Jorge Solis, fought and lost to Manny Pacquiao in San Antonio, Texas, two years ago, will try to defend his IBF light-flyweight crown against Fil-Am Brian Viloria.

“It’s going to be a good fight. Win, lose or draw, Nonito will remember me after this fight,” Martinez told scribes who paid him a visit at the Manila Hotel, his home for the next few days.read more>>>

Zac Efron keeps partying under control

Access Hollywood
updated 10:36 p.m. ET April 13, 2009

LOS ANGELES - Zac Efron may be making the leap from teen-dream to grown-up movie star with this weekend’s release of “17 Again,” but don’t expect him to cut loose any time soon.

The 21-year-old star told GQ’s May 2009 issue that although he enjoys having alcohol in private with pals, he has no plans to put his partying on parade.

“It’s common sense. If you’re gonna be drunk with your friends, don’t get wasted at the Chateau Marmont and hook up with some famous chick,” he told the mag. “It’s not rocket science.” read more>>>

PROMISES, PROMISES: Is Obama dog a rescue or not?

By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer Sharon Theimer, Associated Press Writer – Mon Apr 13, 7:41 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Is Bo a rescued dog or not? Did President Obama keep or break a campaign promise in picking the purebred as the family's new pet?

The twists and turns of the Portuguese water dog's route to the White House make for the kind of intrigue that political junkies and the highly opinionated dog world delight in.

Barack Obama and his wife Michelle said during the presidential campaign that they had promised their two girls a dog after the election.continue>>>

AP Interview: Joe Frazier still simmering over Ali

By DAVE SKRETTA,AP Sports Writer AP - Saturday, April 11NEW YORK - Muhammad Ali described his third and final fight with Joe Frazier as "death."

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"Closest thing to dyin' that I know of," he said.

Frazier recalls their brutal matchup outside Manila as something much less grandiose.

"We just did our job," he said.

The two great heavyweights always have been the ying and yang of boxing. Why should things change nearly 35 years later?

Now 65 and walking with the use of a cane, the slightly stooped Frazier reflected on the iconic fight in Quezon City in 1975 during a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. He also talked about the contentious relationship between the starring characters, which is the subject of the new HBO documentary "Thrilla in Manila" premiering Saturday night.

"I don't think Manila was my greatest fight," Frazier said forcefully.

He ticks off several others in vivid detail, from the Golden Gloves to his gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, to the "Fight of the Century" _ when he beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to retain the heavyweight title.

"The greatest fight was '71, when we were all undefeated," he said. "There was more money, more people. I don't know why they make this one out to be the biggest fight."

When it comes to his longtime foil, Frazier is sympathetic to the suffering Parkinson's disease has caused Ali. But as a Christian, Frazier said, he isn't surprised by it, either.

"I'm sorry that he is the way he is, but I didn't have too much to do with it. It was the good man above," Frazier said. "Maybe I did have a little to do with it, but God judges, you know what I'm saying? We don't have the power to judge that the man has above."

Frazier believes that Ali's arrogant boasts of "I am the greatest!" were "a slap in the Lord's face," and that he did the same to his family when he changed his name from Cassius Clay to reflect his Muslim beliefs.

"I respect him as a guy who did a fine job in the fight game," Frazier said. "I don't think he really loves me. I didn't like nothing he done, you know?"

That lingering tension can be traced to their epic trilogy, which turned former friends into enemies and culminated with an event that became as much about politics as prizefighting.

Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos actively sought their 1975 bout to divert attention from the social turmoil that was raging in his country, and promoter Don King _ ever one to put on a spectacle _ consented to holding the fight at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was the rubber match between two bigger-than-life heavyweights on the decline, Ali having beaten Frazier in their 1974 rematch. Following that bout, the tongue-whipping Ali regained the title by beating George Foreman in Zaire, the famed "Rumble in the Jungle."

Frazier was hanging on for one more shot at the title _ and one more at Ali.

The animosity that grew over the pair's first two fights reached a climax when, after the Philippines bout was announced, Ali pulled out a black rubber gorilla and famously launched into a poem: "It will be a killa and a chilla and a thrilla, when I get the gorilla in Manila."

"He kept saying, 'Joe Frazier, I'm going to whup you,'" Frazier recalled, still pained by the race-baiting attacks. "I said, 'Alright, I'm going to wrap your butt up.' People loved him on the basis of his noise."

The fight was scheduled for 10:45 a.m. to accommodate television in the United States, and the morning broke hot and humid. Thousands of people packed the arena, filling even the aisles, and for 14 rounds the two titans clashed _ Ali winning the early rounds, Frazier asserting himself over the middle rounds.

Ali staggered Frazier in the 12th, then again in the 13th, one clean punch knocking his mouthpiece into the crowd. Frazier's left eye was swollen shut, his right eye closing. Even though the scorecards were virtually tied, and against Frazier's objections, his trainer Eddie Futch called a stop to the fight.

After throwing his arms up in celebration, an exhausted Ali collapsed to the canvas.

Ali later tried to make amends, calling the mocking use of a gorilla a promotional ploy, and said if "God ever calls me to a holy war, I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me."

But the wounds ran deep, and while the two men have alternated apologies with attacks over the years, their relationship is still raw.

"I don't mind people want to think Muhammad is the greatest fighter around," Frazier said. "Everybody wants to make him great because of his mouth, that he was the best. He was good, but that doesn't make him great. I proved that."

While the aftermath of a career spent inside the ring left Ali a broken man physically, it left Frazier broken financially.

He lost much of his hard-won fortune in real estate dealings gone awry, and gave away untold thousands of dollars, generous to a fault. While contemporaries like Foreman and Larry Holmes _ and yes, Ali _ are living comfortably, Frazier has only a humble Philadelphia apartment.

He hangs around the gym and spends time with young fighters, but he's no longer interested in the sport at its highest level. There are too many so-called champions in too many weight divisions, and the heavyweights _ long considered the most glamorous _ have become a joke.

The sport's popularity has waned considerably from the days of his historic battles with Ali, when the "sweet science" was forefront in newspapers and the American psyche. Now, boxing has become a niche sport followed mostly by the devoted.

"It just doesn't interest me anymore, the guys aren't exciting anymore," Frazier said, while holding out hope that its luster might one day be restored.

"Sure it bothers me. I'm going to wait until (President Barack) Obama gets a little quiet in Washington, and then I'm going to see if he has a meeting with me, or take a few guy with me, and seen and be heard about it.

"Let's see if we can get this back to where it needs to be."

Perhaps back to where it was in 1975.