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I'm still stinging from the passing of Smokin Joe Frazier. Joe was not initially one of my favorite fighters. In the buildup to the "Fight of the Century", Joe was cast as the villan, with Ali the preferred choice. At 10 years old, I was amused and delighted at Ali's antics at the expense of Joe Frazier. Ali defined the parameters. He was pretty, handsome, fast, agile, positive, charismatic, good. Frazier was ugly, ignorant, flat-footed, slower, negative, solemn, and bad. Ali had a style that was good to look it. Frazier's style was ugly. Looking over Frazier's record at that time, with all those knockouts, I couldn't help but feel that Ali was in for the fight of his life. My worst nightmare came true when the morning after the fight, I awoke to see a front page photo of Frazier standing over Ali in the 15th round having just delivered the "left hook from hell." Ali laid there flat on his back with his feet high in the air. Frazier had accomplished the impossible.
I didn't become a fan of Frazier after that fight. I hated him for what he did to my hero Ali. While I rooted for Ali with each fight in his comeback, I despised Frazier with each fight. When Frazier was annihilated by Foreman, I enjoyed that beating. When he lost to Ali in their second fight, I knew Ali would be in for another tough night, but I was glad Ali prevailed. By the time Ali and Frazier fought a third time, I had begun to see Frazier in a more respectable light. When he lost to Foreman for the second time, it was then that I began to take a critical look at Frazier. By the time of his death, I had come to admire and appreciate the man that Frazier was, and felt that he was a man of greate substance and character.
I always thought Frazier was a one-armed fighter, but that one arm was hell. He never bad-mouthed his opponents. Never called them "Uncle Tom" or "ignorant" or "ugly" or "dumb." He had a great deal of respect for the sport, all fighters, and for his place in it. He became a champion and acted like one until he died. He was gracious and respectful, proud and dignified till the end.
Boggles the mind that the city of Philadelphia has a statute of Rocky Balboa, a fictional movie character, but doesn't have a statute of Smokin Joe Frazier. More than any other fighter, Frazier epitomized that city: tough, workmanlike, powerful foundation and inner core, strength and resolve, a man of quiet quality, and a ferocious champion inside the ring and out.
Rest in peace, Smokin Joe. You added much to this world and you will be missed.
During the middle 60's Ali was certainly a hero to the youth, particularly the anti-Vietnam crowd. As that fight had built up, I felt it became a black/white thing, and it shouldn't have. I have a couple friends who saw the fight on closed circuit, they told me celebrities galore were in the crowd. There was a reason boxing fans and reporters dubbed this fight as "The Fight Of The Century." Surprisingly famed actor Burt Lancaster did the color commentary on the fight. I only got to hear it on the radio.
But that fight was talked about for weeks, months. There was no Fox Sports, ESPN, or anything like that. ABC was basically the vehicle for promoting and televising the sport and Howard Cosell was leading the commentary on it.
Joe Frasier Rest in Peace Champ. " I always bring out the best in men I fight, but Joe Frasier, I'll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I'm gonna tell ya, thats one helluva man, and God bless him."- Muhammad Ali
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Ali attends Frazier's funeral
