Malakas Met “The Greatest”: Marcos’ Philippines and the Thrilla in Manila

Abstract

A look at newspaper coverage in the Philippines of the Thrilla in Manila provides a particularly clear window into the Marcos presidency and the Marcos vision of the Philippines. Having declared Martial Law in 1972, Marcos was able to curtail the freedom of the press in the Philippines. The major English language dailies from before the time of Martial Law ceased publishing, replaced by a group of English language papers over which the Marcos machine had more or less complete control. With the arrival of Ali, the heavyweight champion of the world, in September 1975, the Philippine press, ever loyal to Marcos, had a unique opportunity to gush over a visiting celebrity and praise the presidential administration. The coverage of the preparations for the title bout and the reporting on the fight itself provided many excellent illustrations of the image of a progressive Philippines, as well as the self-image of a dedicated leader that Marcos wished to project to both a domestic and international audience.