The world has lost an icon, a legend, a boxing superstar and a gentleman. Joseph William Frazier died last week after a brief stay in a hospice. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in September and passed away within a couple of months, aged 67.
Frazier came from a poor family and made his own heavy bag himself, when he was about six or seven. He filled it with corn cobs, rags and… bricks. Joe Frazier’s career took off in the mid-60s, following his Olympic gold in 1964. He will always be known for his vicious left hook, which interestingly drew its power from a childhood injury. The Frazier family kept a hog, and it once chased him, causing him to fall onto his left arm. The family could not afford medical treatment and so, the arm was left to heal naturally. It caused the arm to shorten, and he could never quite straighten it completely. As a result, the left hook was constantly cocked, ready to be thrown with aggression.
His professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976 with a one-fight comeback that ended in a draw in 1981. His record showed 32 wins, 4 losses and one draw, but he will always be remembered for the brutal trilogy of bouts with Muhammad Ali.
He was already undisputed World Champion when he beat Ali in the 1971 ‘Fight of the Century’ in New York. Frazier was in his prime, 27, at the time, and Ali was coming off the back of a three-year absence. The two detested each other, yet they also had the utmost respect for each other. Ali threw flurry after flurry in the opening rounds, but Joe soaked them all up and knocked Ali down twice, countering his standing uppercuts with vicious left hooks.
Two years later, he took on George Foreman and started out in his usual style, grunting, huffing, puffing, bobbing and weaving and throwing wild lefts. It was the wrong strategy and in one of the most brutal, short bouts ever, he was knocked down a total of six times in less than two minutes. He lost his belt.
Ali and Frazier had a rematch, which Ali won on points and this set up their brutal rubbermatch – the ‘Thrilla in Manila’. The bout was scheduled for 15 rounds but it was stopped in the 14th. Joe’s eyes were swollen shut, yet he still wanted to continue. During the match, Ali said to Joe: “They told me you were washed up,” and he replied: “They lied to you pretty boy.” After the match, Ali said it was the closest he had ever felt to death. The two had a strange relationship, often insulting each other in public, long after their retirement and then briefly reconciling. They finally buried the hatchet in 2009. But what defines Joe’s character was the fact that he protested against the stripping of Ali’s belt, despite the fact that they couldn’t stand each other at the time. He was one of the few that tried to ‘do the right thing’. A Hall of Famer and a legend. He will be sorely missed.