Joe Frazier

Joe Frazier (born January 12, 1944) is a world famous former boxer and world Heavyweight champion. Among other things, Frazier is famous for his trilogy of fights with Muhammad Ali, of which their third bout, the Thrilla In Manila has been considered by many to be boxing's greatest bout ever. Frazier's nickname is Smokin' Joe.

Frazier won a Gold medal in boxing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, after which he turned professional, defeating Woody Goss[?] by a knockout in the first round. He won three more fights that year, all by knockout.

In 1966, he kept on the winning road all the way, making nine fights, of which eight were knockout wins, the only man to last the distance with him being Oscar Bonavena[?]. He also beat Charlie Polite[?] and Eddie Machen[?] among others that year.

In 1967, Frazier won all four of his fights. He got to meet Doug Jones[?], who was beaten in six by knockout, and George Chuvalo[?], beaten in four, also by knockout, among others.

In 1968, Ali had left his world Heavyweight title vacant, and the New York commission decided to hold a fight between Frazier and Busther Mathis, the winner being recognized as world champion by the state of New York. Although the fight was not widely recognized as a world championship bout by boxing fans, nevertheless, Frazier went in there and won the fight by a knockout in 11. Then, he beat Manuel Ramos[?] of Mexico in two rounds to defend his 'title', and he also beat Bonavena in a rematch, also retaining that 'title', by a decision in 15, after being dropped twice in round one.

In what could be considered a weird twist, 1969 saw him defend his New York 'title' in Texas, beating Dave Zyglewicz[?] by a knockout in the first, and then box an exhibition at Times Square. He finished the year knocking out Jerry Quarry in seven, once again defending the New York 'title'.

In 1970, Frazier finally became a real world champion when WBA world Heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis[?] came to defend against Frazier at the Madison Square Garden and Frazier defeated him by a knockout in five rounds. Frazier was inmediately recognized as the undisputed world champion after that win. On his first defense, he went to Detroit to defend versus legendary world Light Heavyweight champion Bob Foster, who set a record of defenses at the Light Heavyweight division. Frazier retained the title by a knockout in two, and then came what was nicknamed the Fight Of The Century[?], his first fight with Ali. On March 8 of 1971, also at the Madison Square Garden, Frazier and Ali boxed their first of three epic bouts. In front of a world wide television audience, and an in-house audience that included such luminaries as Frank Sinatra (acting as a photographer for Newsweek magazine) and Woody Allen, Frazier dropped Ali in round 15, to secure a 15 round decision win and retain the title, inflicting Ali's first defeat as a professional. Around this time, many people in the Black community felt Frazier was not a backer of the Black community's ideologies and he began to be called an Uncle Tom supporter by many of the members of that community.

In 1972, Frazier retained the title twice, beating Terry Daniels[?] and Ron Stander, both four round knockout losers to Frazier.

Then came January 22 of 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, and it was Frazier's turn to lose his undefeated record, and world championship belt, against George Foreman, when Foreman knocked him out in two rounds. This was the first fight ever telecast on HBO Boxing. Frazier then returned to his winning ways with a 12 rounds decision win over Joe Bugner[?], who was at the time, a future challenger of Ali for the world title. This fight was held in London.

In 1974, the second fight of his trilogy with Ali took place, once again at New York, and Ali tied the score between them with a 12 round decision win over Frazier. He finished that year with another rematch, knocking Quarry out in five rounds.

1975 was once again, a year of rematches for Frazier, but this time around, they were accompanied by more travelling to far away countries. He met former world champion Ellis in Melbourne, Australia and came out the winner by a knockout in nine. That win made him again the number one challenger for the world crown, taken over by Ali after beating Foreman by knockout in eight at the Rumble In The Jungle[?]. Ali and Frazier met for the third time in Manila, the Philippines, and Ali took much of his time there to mock Frazier, nicknaming him The Gorilla and trying to aggraviate him at every chance he had. The fight, which was attended by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and by many thousand others, caused a widespread media frenzy and was seen live in many countries around the world. Ali retained his title by a knockout in the fourteenth round, but not before experiencing what he described as the closest experience to death he had ever been through.

In 1976, Frazier lost to Foreman in a rematch and retired. He then made a cameo appearance in the movie Rocky. He started dedicating himself to training many local boxers in his native Philadelphia, which eventually included many of his own kids.

In 1981, Frazier tried a comeback which lasted only one fight, drawing in ten rounds with Jumbo Cummings[?] in Chicago.

Ever since, Frazier, who likes to meet fans and sign autographs, has involved himself to different endeavours. Among the many of his sons that turned to boxing as a career, he helped train Marvis Frazier[?] become a challenger for Larry Holmes's world Heavyweight title, and now he also trains his daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde.

In 1990, Frazier joined Ali, Foreman, Norton and Holmes to appear on the cover of a boxing game starring them. The game, Champions Forever[?], was produced for the Sega and Nintendo game systems. He wrote an autobiography, and in 1996, he made some unfortunate comments about Ali carrying the Olympic torch[?] at the Atlanta Olympic Games, but he later apologized for it. And in 2000, Frazier, who suffers from diabetes, had a life threatening big toe infection, for which he required hospitalization.

Frazier had a record of 32 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 27 knockout wins. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

Frazier is still training fighters, and enjoying his earnings from his days as a boxer at his Philadelphia mansion. He and Ali have reportedly made an attempt to become reconciled in recent times.