(With the 50th anniversary of Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier I one coming on Monday, David Payne (aka “The Boxing Writer”) gives us his take on why the greatness of their first battle still holds up half a century later. Enjoy this item that originally appeared on boxingwriter.co.uk)

‘I miss my father’ – Usyk breaks down in tears after undisputed win

I was born in the summer of 1973. Bawling my way in as a humbled United States left Vietnam, a few weeks before Nixon’s impeachment began and Great Britain joined the EEC it left last week.

I arrived broadly equidistant between Muhammad Ali’s back to back encounters with Kenny Norton. I like to refer to Kenny as Kenny, I don’t really know why. Perhaps I hope it implies friendship. On that basis, Mr. Norton would probably be more appropriate, but I digress.

Kenny was of course the strapping enigma the Champ could never quite resolve, in those two fights or in their trilogy bout in ’76.

By the time my interest in boxing was stirred, first by the emotive sight of Barry McGuigan walking through the mist and hot breath of Loftus Road to face Eusebio Pedroza in ’85 and then the amalgam of Tyson, Balboa and Herol, Muhammad Ali was no longer an active fighter.