Filipinos mourn ‘Thrilla in Manila’ hero

Manila: Filipinos in this boxing-crazy nation are grieving the passing of Muhammad Ali, which brought fond memories of the 1975 epic “Thrilla in Manila” fight between Ali and Joe Frazier. Sports commentator Ronnie Nathanielsz, who was assigned by then-dictator Ferdinand Marcos to act as government liaison to Ali for the bout, said Saturday: “We lost a hero, a peacemaker and a truly charismatic human being.”

Roel Velasco, who won the bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, thanked Ali for helping inspire him to become a boxer, saying “it’s sad to see one of the world’s greatest boxers go.”