Next Stop, Manila

The preliminaries are finally over. Ever since he upset George Foreman in Zaire last October to regain the world heavyweight championship, Muhammad Ali has been beefing up his bank account at the expense of harmless opponents. First he played with Chuck Wepner in Cleveland for $1.5 million, then humiliated Ron Lyle in Las Vegas for $1 million. Last week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he pocketed $2.5 million with an easy 15-round decision over European Heavyweight Champ Joe Bugner. In fact, his toughest opponents in Kuala Lumpur were the sopping 118DEG under the ring lights and the near 100% humidity. Despite his weight (225 lbs.) and age (33), Ali showed impressive stamina, if not power, as he danced and shuffled through all but a few rounds.

Biggest Payday. What the champion had to announce after the fight, though, was far more interesting than the bout: on Oct. 1 in Manila, Ali will fight ex-Titleholder Joe Frazier. The purse, put up by the Philippine government, guarantees $4.5 million for Ali and $2 million for Frazier. Counting closed-circuit TV and other "ancillary" income, Ali should take home close to $8.5 million, Frazier $4.5 million--the biggest payday in the history of sport. As if they needed a down-to-earth incentive, the two fighters shook hands on a whopping $1 million personal bet. "It will be a thrilla in Manila," proclaimed Ali. If he gets by Smokin' Joe, Ali promises to fight George Foreman and Ken Norton, and apparently Foreman can hardly wait. Last week his manager, Leroy Jackson, was in Manila to propose a super multimillion-dollar package for an Ali-Foreman rematch, featuring, as sideshows, a golf tournament with Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller, and a tennis extravaganza that would include Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert. Trouble is, nobody but Foreman has as yet signed on.

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