The passing of boxing legend Joe Frazier evokes so many memories, inside the ring and out, in victory and in defeat.
Thanks to the miracle of Youtube, yesterday I watched Frazier win the heavyweight title over Jimmy Ellis from February of 1970, winning with a rapid sequence of punishing blows when Ellis was trapped against the ropes.
A year later, in what I remember of as being the first highly promoted sporting event of my lifetime, Frazier stopped Muhammad Ali on March 8th at Madison Square Garden in what was dubbed as the ” Fight of the Century. “
Frazier & Ali who existed in one of the greatest sports rivalries of the 70’s, maybe of all time, would meet two more times with Ali winning in 1974 in New York and also winning the gruelling ” Thrilla in Manila ” in October of 1975.
Strangely, the two losses to Ali cemented Frazier’s claim to greatness, as the blows he delivered and the punches he endured made the Rocky movies look like a pillow fight.
Joe Frazier is also linked to a famous call from broadcaster Howard Cosell from January 22nd 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica when George Foreman beat Frazier for the heavyweight title
Joe Frazier couldn’t beat George Foreman, nor Muhammad Ali in the mid 70’s, and 35 years later, he also couldn’t beat liver cancer
I’m Fred Wallace