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Sylvester Stallone used his style for Rocky. Toe to toe, straight ahead.
He had class and pride and was more than willing to exchange a punch to his head for punch to his opponent's head.
The media exploited him and Ali used that to his advantage, calling him an Uncle Tom, Great White Hope, etc. It was ugly. Ali saw it as a way to gain an edge, but character assassination is a low blow and he knew it. Ali went that low because he needed that edge, he was scared. Ali said he had come close to death in the first fight.
Though deeply hurt, eventually, Frazier tacitly forgave Ali. When you consider how easily people turn on each other, over a little money or the smallest slight, and compare it to what Joe went through, that's what made Frazier an exceptional man.
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