Joe Frazier, who has died aged 67, was one of the great heavyweight boxers of his era, and will forever be remembered for his epic trilogy of fights with Muhammad Ali in the 1970s, the third of which — the so-called “Thrilla in Manila” — is widely regarded as the best fight of all time.
Joe Frazier who died from cancer aged 67
Early in the seventh round of the bout — which took place in the Philippines on October 1 1975 – Ali and Frazier went into a clinch during a momentary lull in the breathtaking action. “They told me Joe Frazier was washed up,” murmured Ali through bleeding lips. Frazier, his swollen eyes reduced to mere slits, grinned mirthlessly. “They lied”, he replied — delivering another monstrous hook to the champion’s body.
Known as “Smokin Joe” because of his relentless all-action style, Frazier was not a great knockout artist but wore opponents down with his remorseless attacking approach. The most famous weapon in his arsenal was his feared left hook. It was one such blow which floored Ali in the final round of their first encounter – which itself had become known as “The Fight Of The Century” – at New York’s Madison Square Garden on March 8 1971.
Frazier never forgave Ali for branding him “an Uncle Tom” in the build-up to these contests, nd remained convinced that his time spent in his great foe’s shadow meant he never earned the respect he deserved.
Despite repeated attempts to heal their rift, Frazier’s deep enmity towards Ali frequently resurfaced in later decades. After watching his great rival, by now stricken by a form of Parkinson’s Disease, struggle to light the Olympic flame at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Frazier commented: “I think it was a slap in the face for boxing. He [Ali] was a draft dodger. If they’d asked me, hell, I’d have run all the way up there and lit the flame.” To his obvious disappointment, Frazier had never been asked.
In 1978 Frazier appeared on a This Is Your Life tribute to Ali in which he referred to him as “a great guy”. But Frazier’s autobiography, published in 1996, revealed his true feelings: “People ask me if I feel bad for him,” he wrote. “Fact is, I don’t give a damn.”
The youngest of seven sons born into a poor Baptist family at Beaufort, South Carolina, on January 12 1944, Joe Frazier’s first job was picking vegetables grown by prosperous, white landowners; he had learned to drive a tractor aged seven, and drove a car from the age of eight. Although as a child he was a feared streetfighter, his mother refused to allow him to play American football for fear of his being injured.
Having dropped out of high school and married at 15, he migrated north and was working in a Philadelphia slaughterhouse when he took up boxing in order to lose weight.
Having been spotted by the veteran trainer “Yank” Durham, as an amateur Frazier enjoyed a run of successes which finally came to an end when he was defeated by Buster Mathis in the US Olympic trials of 1964. Mathis broke his thumb, however, so it was Frazier who journeyed to the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the gold medal at heavyweight. Turning professional on his return, he fought his way up the rankings after winning his first 11 fights by knockout. On March 4 1968 he knocked out Mathis to claim New York’s version of the world title.
On the short side for a heavyweight at 5ft 11.5in and 205lb, Frazier was nevertheless sturdily built and relentlessly pressurised opponents for every round, never taking a backward step and hooking viciously with his feared left hand. Stopping the white hope Jerry Quarry in seven rounds in New York in June 1969 enabled Frazier to fight for the undisputed world crown. On February 16 1970 he halted Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden to become champion.
Although Ali had been stripped of the crown following his refusal to undertake military service in Vietnam, he was still widely regarded as the legitimate champion. Frazier’s points victory in the first of their memorable battles at Madison Square Garden the following year suggested that the Philadelphia fighter was destined for a long reign. Watched by a massive worldwide television audience, the first of the Ali-Frazier trilogy was a huge event which changed boxing forever.
Although Ali excelled at psychologically unsettling his opponents, Frazier refused to be cowed. The fight was even in the early rounds, but Ali’s cornermen noted with rising alarm that he was taking more punches than ever before.
A searing Frazier left hook in the 11th signalled that the tide had turned. Four more rounds followed – each more savage than the last. In the final round Frazier downed Ali with arguably the most vicious left hook he had ever delivered. Although Ali beat the count and survived to the final bell, the night was Frazier’s.
“When he went down, we were both dead tired,” said Frazier. “Fifteen rounds; that’s how long we’d been fighting. And the only thing going through my mind when he got up was what was going through my mind all night: throw punches – just throw punches.”
Despite his triumph (after the fight both men were admitted to hospital), Frazier remained the bewildered target of some vitriolic criticism. Derided by Ali’s supporters for his apparent reluctance to defend his titles, Frazier came to be regarded by some as the antithesis of his great rival’s black militancy and anti-war views. Much to Frazier’s fury, Boxing Illustrated even posed the question: “Is Joe Frazier a White Champion in a Black Skin?” The champion subsequently found himself alienated from much of the black community.
Humiliatingly dubbed “a gorilla” in public by Ali on several occasions, Frazier rapidly wearied of playing the unwilling stooge. Some of Ali’s stinging rejoinders hurt him until the day he died. “All I ever wanted that man to do was apologise to me,” Frazier once reflected. “He told my son Marvis that he never meant what he said about me, but he never told me.”
Following a brace of easy title defences, Frazier lost both his crown and his undefeated record in sensational fashion in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22 1973, when the towering George Foreman knocked him out in two rounds — one of his sledgehammer blows actually knocking the champion off his feet. A rueful Frazier, who was floored six times, later reflected: “I fought a dumb fight. I kept getting up.”
Frazier recaptured his winning ways by outpointing Britain’s Joe Bugner at London’s Earl’s Court six months later, and in the run-up to his second fight with Ali ended up wrestling with his rival on the floor of a television studio. On January 28 1974 Ali emerged a clear points victor of their eagerly anticipated rematch at Madison Square Garden, but Frazier’s subsequent knockout victories over Quarry and Ellis set the stage for the “Thrilla in Manila”.
By now Ali had sensationally reclaimed the world crown from George Foreman at the age of 33. Holding up the belt in front of Frazier at a pre-fight press conference, he announced: “It will be a killa, a chilla and a thrilla when I get the gorilla in Manila.” Frazier did not see the funny side, and later recounted how his children were taunted by the nickname at school.
Following a contest of frightening intensity, Ali clinched the deciding match of the rubber when Eddie Futch, Frazier’s trainer, pulled his battered fighter out after 14 rounds. Ali, who later described the fight as “the closest thing to death”, was ahead on points but seemingly on the brink of collapse at the time of Futch’s humane intervention. “Sit down, son, it’s all over,” Futch famously told Frazier. “But no one will ever forget what you did here today.” Frazier never truly forgave him.
“Of all the men I fought,” Ali would recall, “the roughest and the toughest was Joe Frazier. He brought out the best in me and the best fight we fought was in Manila. Joe Frazier is a good man. I couldn’t have done it without him and he couldn’t have done what he did without me. And if God ever calls me to a holy war, I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me.”
Frazier was unable to reproduce the passion of that heroic losing performance. Eight months later he again took on Foreman — only to end up announcing his retirement after being stopped in round five.
For a time he toured and recorded with a singing group called The Knockouts before launching a brief comeback at 37. On December 3 1981 Frazier fought out a lacklustre 10-round draw against the former convict Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings. It was the final act of a 37-fight career in which he had won 32, drawn one and lost only four.
The former champion later steered his son, Marvis, to an unsuccessful heavyweight title challenge against Larry Holmes, in November 1983.
In June 2001 Frazier Snr attended a much-publicised event dubbed “Ali-Frazier IV” at Verona, New York, when his daughter Jacqui fought Ali’s daughter Laila over eight rounds. Frazier watched from ringside as Ali boxed her way to a narrow points win.
Inducted into boxing’s International Hall of Fame in 1990, Joe Frazier, whose marriage was dissolved, is survived by eight children.
Joe Frazier, born January 12 1944, died November 7 2011
Having dropped out of high school and married at 15, he migrated north and was working in a Philadelphia slaughterhouse when he took up boxing in order to lose weight.
Having been spotted by the veteran trainer “Yank” Durham, as an amateur Frazier enjoyed a run of successes which finally came to an end when he was defeated by Buster Mathis in the US Olympic trials of 1964. Mathis broke his thumb, however, so it was Frazier who journeyed to the Tokyo Olympics, where he won the gold medal at heavyweight. Turning professional on his return, he fought his way up the rankings after winning his first 11 fights by knockout. On March 4 1968 he knocked out Mathis to claim New York’s version of the world title.
On the short side for a heavyweight at 5ft 11.5in and 205lb, Frazier was nevertheless sturdily built and relentlessly pressurised opponents for every round, never taking a backward step and hooking viciously with his feared left hand. Stopping the white hope Jerry Quarry in seven rounds in New York in June 1969 enabled Frazier to fight for the undisputed world crown. On February 16 1970 he halted Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round at Madison Square Garden to become champion.
Although Ali had been stripped of the crown following his refusal to undertake military service in Vietnam, he was still widely regarded as the legitimate champion. Frazier’s points victory in the first of their memorable battles at Madison Square Garden the following year suggested that the Philadelphia fighter was destined for a long reign. Watched by a massive worldwide television audience, the first of the Ali-Frazier trilogy was a huge event which changed boxing forever.
Although Ali excelled at psychologically unsettling his opponents, Frazier refused to be cowed. The fight was even in the early rounds, but Ali’s cornermen noted with rising alarm that he was taking more punches than ever before.
A searing Frazier left hook in the 11th signalled that the tide had turned. Four more rounds followed – each more savage than the last. In the final round Frazier downed Ali with arguably the most vicious left hook he had ever delivered. Although Ali beat the count and survived to the final bell, the night was Frazier’s.
“When he went down, we were both dead tired,” said Frazier. “Fifteen rounds; that’s how long we’d been fighting. And the only thing going through my mind when he got up was what was going through my mind all night: throw punches – just throw punches.”
Despite his triumph (after the fight both men were admitted to hospital), Frazier remained the bewildered target of some vitriolic criticism. Derided by Ali’s supporters for his apparent reluctance to defend his titles, Frazier came to be regarded by some as the antithesis of his great rival’s black militancy and anti-war views. Much to Frazier’s fury, Boxing Illustrated even posed the question: “Is Joe Frazier a White Champion in a Black Skin?” The champion subsequently found himself alienated from much of the black community.
Humiliatingly dubbed “a gorilla” in public by Ali on several occasions, Frazier rapidly wearied of playing the unwilling stooge. Some of Ali’s stinging rejoinders hurt him until the day he died. “All I ever wanted that man to do was apologise to me,” Frazier once reflected. “He told my son Marvis that he never meant what he said about me, but he never told me.”
Following a brace of easy title defences, Frazier lost both his crown and his undefeated record in sensational fashion in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22 1973, when the towering George Foreman knocked him out in two rounds — one of his sledgehammer blows actually knocking the champion off his feet. A rueful Frazier, who was floored six times, later reflected: “I fought a dumb fight. I kept getting up.”
Frazier recaptured his winning ways by outpointing Britain’s Joe Bugner at London’s Earl’s Court six months later, and in the run-up to his second fight with Ali ended up wrestling with his rival on the floor of a television studio. On January 28 1974 Ali emerged a clear points victor of their eagerly anticipated rematch at Madison Square Garden, but Frazier’s subsequent knockout victories over Quarry and Ellis set the stage for the “Thrilla in Manila”.
By now Ali had sensationally reclaimed the world crown from George Foreman at the age of 33. Holding up the belt in front of Frazier at a pre-fight press conference, he announced: “It will be a killa, a chilla and a thrilla when I get the gorilla in Manila.” Frazier did not see the funny side, and later recounted how his children were taunted by the nickname at school.
Following a contest of frightening intensity, Ali clinched the deciding match of the rubber when Eddie Futch, Frazier’s trainer, pulled his battered fighter out after 14 rounds. Ali, who later described the fight as “the closest thing to death”, was ahead on points but seemingly on the brink of collapse at the time of Futch’s humane intervention. “Sit down, son, it’s all over,” Futch famously told Frazier. “But no one will ever forget what you did here today.” Frazier never truly forgave him.
“Of all the men I fought,” Ali would recall, “the roughest and the toughest was Joe Frazier. He brought out the best in me and the best fight we fought was in Manila. Joe Frazier is a good man. I couldn’t have done it without him and he couldn’t have done what he did without me. And if God ever calls me to a holy war, I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me.”
Frazier was unable to reproduce the passion of that heroic losing performance. Eight months later he again took on Foreman — only to end up announcing his retirement after being stopped in round five.
For a time he toured and recorded with a singing group called The Knockouts before launching a brief comeback at 37. On December 3 1981 Frazier fought out a lacklustre 10-round draw against the former convict Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings. It was the final act of a 37-fight career in which he had won 32, drawn one and lost only four.
The former champion later steered his son, Marvis, to an unsuccessful heavyweight title challenge against Larry Holmes, in November 1983.
In June 2001 Frazier Snr attended a much-publicised event dubbed “Ali-Frazier IV” at Verona, New York, when his daughter Jacqui fought Ali’s daughter Laila over eight rounds. Frazier watched from ringside as Ali boxed her way to a narrow points win.
Inducted into boxing’s International Hall of Fame in 1990, Joe Frazier, whose marriage was dissolved, is survived by eight children.
Joe Frazier, born January 12 1944, died November 7 2011
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