Pack A Punch
Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazer, October 1, 1975. The Philippine Coliseum. It was the greatest fight of all time. It was the Thrilla in Manilla.
Ali had been taunting Frazer and calling him names. Each had defeated the other once before, Frazer winning in 1971 and Ali in 1973. They were angry. By 10:45 a.m., 28,000 spectators had filled the Coliseum and the battle was on.
Ali came out flat-footed, no dancing, confident of victory. He swung powerfully, and Frazer’s legs buckled three times in the first round. By the third round, Frazer was twice badly shaken, his head snapping back from Ali’s long lefts.
But in the fourth, Frazer seemed to find his range. He pummeled Ali. Ali spent the fifth round in his own corner taking Frazer’s body shots. By the sixth, Frazer was in close, pounding Ali’s body and unleashing his left hook on Ali’s head. Two of them caught Ali’s jaw, staggering him. Frazer beat on Ali for four more rounds. At the end of the tenth, they were even. Then in the eleventh, Frazer blasted Ali with blow after blow. It looked like the end.
But Ali dug down. He tagged Frazer with long right punches until blood trickled from Frazer’s mouth and bumps rose above his eyes. He sent Frazer’s mouthpiece flying in the thirteenth and nearly KO’ed him with a snapping right. In the fourteenth, Ali delivered nine straight right punches to Frazer’s head. When the bell sounded for the fifteenth Frazer didn’t answer. His manager told him, “Sit down, son. It’s all over. No one will ever forget what you did here today.”
Ali had retained his title and won the toughest fight of his life. “It was like death,” he said. “The closest thing to dying that I know of.”
Professional boxers know never to let their guard down. On the job, you need to do the same; an unguarded moment can result in an injury. That’s why, when you’re working with machines, you need to be extra cautious. They pack a punch, here’s how to block it:
*Always use machine guards, and never reach over or around them.
*Never reach blindly into a machine-you could reach an energized part.
*Keep watches, belts, necklaces and other conductive items away from machinery.
*Always wear the right PPE.
*Perform frequent safety checks.
*Lock out/tag out for repairs or maintenance.
*Stay alert-a deadly punch can come out of nowhere.
Machines Can Pack a Punch
*Copyright 2004 Harkins Safety (B-180)
