Forty years ago Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought each other in 14 brutal rounds of fighting in Manila, the capital of the Philippines with Ali claiming victory.

After four decades, a look back on the fight revealed that both fighters suffered terribly after the match which affected the remaining years of their careers.

An AP report published by local newspaper The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that the savage matchup ended when Frazier's trainer halted the fight after he saw his fighter blind and clearly battered.

"It was the final time the two fighters would meet in a trilogy that transcended the sport of boxing. The last meeting would take place in the most unlikely of places and be a fight so epic it would live up to its name," added the same report.

During the fight, Ali reportedly threw big punches while Frazier tried to land his signature left hook.

"Ali took terrible punishment. In the sixth round, he hit him with a hook that almost made it look like his head was on a swivel. Joe just wouldn't stop," AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. was quoted by the Inquirer report as saying.

But it was noted that during the last round, Ali was certainly dominating the fight, almost destroying Frazier's face.

Ali's business manager Gene Kilroy said "God knows what might have happened if they hadn't stopped the fight."

According to AP, both fighters were not the same after their match, a clear indication that they were not able to return to their usual fighting selves.

"Unfortunately, it came at a great cost. Frazier would fight ineffectively just two more times, and Ali was a shadow of himself even as he continued to fight on," added AP.

Even Top Rank CEO Bob Arum recalled the match and tagged it as the "fight to the death."

"It was a brutal, brutal fight... In retrospect, I realize that all of these people played roles in this whole Ali saga and the three Ali-Frazier fights. There was so much public interest in it -- they became larger-than-life figures. They are people that are recognised as being characters, supporting characters, in this great saga that we all experienced. They were all larger than life," added the promoter of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated noted that Ali fought using a very smart technique, conserving his energy to unleash his strongest and best moves.

When Frazier died in November 2011, Ali reportedly tagged the former as " the greatest fighter of all time, next to me."