Muhammad Ali was known for his tendency to recite poems and make predictions before his fights -- "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can't hit what the eyes can't see." He also gave his opponents unflattering nick names. He referred to Sonny Liston as "the big ugly bear," George Chuvalo as "the washerwoman," Floyd Patterson as "The Rabbit," and Earnie Shavers as "The Acorn." But his most strong nicknames was reserved for his fiercest rival Joe Frazier. He first dubbed Frazier "Uncle Tom." Later on in the lead-up to the Manila fight , Ali nicknamed Frazier "The Gorilla" and used this as the basis for the rhyme " It will be a kila and a thrilla and a chilla when I get the Gorilla in Manila."