IT'S not quite Ali versus Frazier, but Rafa Benitez seems to be relishing his heavyweight battle with Sir Alex Ferguson.
After the The Thriller in Manila, talking about 'Much ado along the M62' does not have the same majestic ring to it.
But the pair are starting to resemble prize fighters slugging it out, disdain dripping from every swipe at each other.
All that's missing after their Press conferences is a standing count and towel around their necks.
Liverpool boss Benitez's much maligned 'facts' speech in January was little more than a gentle jab at Manchester United manager Fergie.
It was Liverpool's 4-1 win at Old Trafford last month that really caught his attention - and now both managers are taking turns to put each other on the ropes, searching for that elusive killer punch. We are not in the last round but at least it looks like we are going the distance.
The tit-for-tat battle of wits in every Press call is being matched by their teams performances on it.
Fergie's wishful claim Chelsea would bruise Liverpool with their midweek heroics proved premature, and Benitez wasted no time gleefully raising the stakes after this four-goal hammering of Blackburn.
Rafa said: "He is under pressure and he is nervous. That's why Ferguson talks about us."
That famous saying suggests the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
That's why any retort from Ferguson is now being welcomed as a sign of weakness. Whether it proves ultimately successful is still up for debate - but Liverpool are enjoying the scrap.
For once, they have reached the final stages without succumbing to an early title eliminator.
Fernando Torres took just five minutes to expose the folly of believing Benitez's men would wilt after their Chelsea woes.
His stunning volley ensured the potentially catastrophic absence of Steven Gerrard had minimal impact.
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce had nailed his colours to the Fergie mast by dismissing Rafa as a whinger and a moaner.
He ignored the fact that, for all the red herrings in a season of persistent outpourings, Benitez has had some valid causes for complaint.
When Torres doubled the lead with a towering header on 33 minutes, securing the points before half-time, Benitez must have been lamenting what might have been had the hitman been fit all season.
A glance towards his bench would not have made him feel much better.
Gerrard's unused sub role means he and Torres have started just 11 league games together this season.
Yet the duo have still contributed 24 of the Merseysiders' 59 Premier League goals. At that ratio, Benitez's men could have been out of sight had the pair stayed fully fit.
It is not Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink's deployment of Michael Essien that has proven the most effective nullification of the duo's threat but the continued nuisance of niggling groin and hamstring injuries.
Benitez might also moan that his side had to settle for only four goals on a dominant afternoon, especially as goal difference may yet prove crucial.
The Spanish perfectionist will privately regret his side did not smash abysmal Blackburn for six.
If, like Sir Alex, Allardyce was hoping his pre-match attack on Benitez would unsettle The Kop, he misjudged the mood on this poignant April afternoon.
Allardyce's bullishness in taking on Benitez pre-match was not matched by his players, who limped their way through the motions like a side that thinks safety is secure.
Such is the animosity between Allardyce and Benitez that they probably had to check they still had all their fingers after shaking hands at full-time. They have certainly pursued different paths since their last meeting on a grim day in Newcastle in November 2007.
Then, clad in his unfamiliar tracksuit, Benitez was as close to the sack as Allardyce proved to be at St James' Park.
Allardyce must have stared around Anfield yesterday, soaked in the atmosphere, looked at the empty seats in the away section and asked himself how his career plan has gone so badly wrong while Rafa's Lazarus impersonation goes from strength to strength.
Blackburn's survival is far from certain unless he gets key men back and there is a radical improvement on this performance.
Rovers did little more than Maypole dance around the hard-working but ineffective Christopher Samba for 90 minutes.
His late effort to force Pepe Reina into an easy save was one of their few efforts on target.
Despite easing off in the second half, Liverpool were still able to grab two more in the closing stages when Daniel Agger belted home a 30-yarder and sub David Ngog headed a 90th minute fourth.
On Anfield's emotional afternoon as they remembered Hillsborough's 20th anniversary, none of the regrets was of sporting significance.
With six games to go, to be still focusing on the league is what The Kop has been craving for years.
Fergie is going to have to work harder to make that Glasgow right hook of his connect if he's going to shake off this Liverpool challenge.
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