(In 2023, the author released his now sold-out book Just A Lawyer Drawing Sports Icons, a collection of his widely praised illustrations featuring world-class athletes. Among those featured was bowling legend and Hall-of-Famer Paeng Nepomuceno, who also penned the foreword.
As the 50th anniversary of the historic “Thrilla in Manila” draws near, lawyer Jovi Neri shares his reflections on the final sports icon he illustrated for the book—none other than the legendary Muhammad Ali.
The “Thrilla in Manila”—the third and final showdown between undisputed heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and former champion Joe Frazier—was one of boxing’s most iconic bouts.
Held on October 1, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City (then still part of Rizal Province), the venue was temporarily renamed the “Philippine Coliseum” for the historic event. The brutal contest was won by Ali when Frazier refused to answer the bell after the 14th round. – Editor)
When I decided to draw Muhammad Ali as the final sports icon in my art book, I aimed for a fresh but meaningful portrayal of Ali from Thrilla in Manila because my dad, Julius, attended the fight.
I found this photo of Ali having just celebrated after he was informed that Frazier would not continue. This lasted only momentarily because Ali immediately went down to the canvas from exhaustion. This image is hardly used when the fight is remembered, perhaps because it was in a grainy black and white photo. This is where I was able to put some artistic input by creating the artwork in color and adding some highlights. However, the background charcoal portrait is not from the 1975 Manila fight, but is a quintessential Ali profile to frame the full body image properly.
My drawing may perhaps be the only portrayal of Ali in full color with both his arms raised in victory from Thrill in Manila because that shot only lasted for a few seconds. It may also be the only art from the fight drawn by a son of someone who watched it.
This year is the 50th anniversary of perhaps the greatest sporting event ever held on Philippine soil. So here I am sharing my artwork as a gesture of celebration to commemorate the event, and if the organizers or any boxing fans want to use it – I will happily share it for free.
Here’s an excerpt from the book.
“For all the countless things that made Muhammad Ali ‘The Greatest,’ it was the Thrilla In Manila fight against Joe Frazier in 1975 that hit home for me. The most popular athlete of that generation fought for the world title right here in the Philippines, making it probably the biggest sporting event ever held on Philippine soil. The fight became one of the greatest heavyweight battles ever because the protagonists slugged it out until they virtually emptied all they had left in their proverbial tank. Experts even conceded that both fighters were never the same after this fight.
The image I used of Ali’s arms raised in victory came from a black and white photo, which provided me some artistic leeway in colorizing it. Since that fight featured a later-period Ali, it was only logical to use a younger Ali for the background side portrait.
I had my personal reasons to draw Ali from this fight. Back in college, I used to go to Ali Mall, named after Ali himself, because that historic match took place just one block away in the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The other more compelling reason was that my father, Julius, a huge boxing fan, attended the fight. He was a thirty-year-old lawyer with three children, meaning I was not born yet, when he watched one of the greatest moments in all of sports. But here I am drawing a snapshot from an event my dad attended while using the skills I developed as a kid by drawing on his discarded legal paper drafts.
(Jovi Neri is a practicing lawyer from Cebu who draws, writes, and plays golf. His published articles spanning three decades have covered topics as diverse as art, pop culture, travel, sports, and music.
Golf is the sport where he won a men’s club championship, organized a junior golf program for seven years, and wrote a regular monthly magazine column. Art is his passion, where his illustrations have been featured in print, digital, and broadcast media.)