By Emmerson Campbell
“Smokin’ Joe” Frazier, heavyweight boxing gold medallist at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and world heavyweight boxing champion from 1970 to 1973 lost his battle with liver cancer last Monday, but his legacy will forever be in the hearts of boxing buffs.
Frazier amassed a career record of 32 wins, four defeats, and one draw. He retired after a second loss to George Foreman in 1976, and then came out of retirement for a fight in 1981 before finally ending his career. His only losses were to Muhammad Ali and Foreman.
He is eternally linked with Ali thanks to their trilogy of fights in the 1970s, among the most famous in the history of the sport.
Stabroek Sport caught up with former boxer and promoter Keith Bazilio, veteran trainer George ‘Canchie’ Oprecht and Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) executive Keith Campbell, three knowledgeable boxing buffs who spoke about Frazier.
Bazilio mentioned that Frazier was a great boxer with tremendous skill and power and would be in his list of top ten heavyweights of all time.
“Frazier came to prominence when Ali was incarcerated and dominated the heavyweight division. He was called ‘Smokin Joe’ because of the way he bobbed and weaved and the speed he fought with.”
“He had all the punches in his arsenal not to mention his devastating left hook. Frazier was very good, very strong, he was like a much more skilful Mike Tyson. Even though he never truly got the recognition he deserved he was respected by all. He would definitely be in my top ten of all-time great heavyweights.”
Campbell said that any young boxer who would like to be successful in the sport should read about Frazier because of how he lived his life. “Frazier was the embodiment of how any champion should live their life. He got married at the age of 16 and he never separated from his wife for any human being – that is an accomplishment. Joe grew up a poor man but boxing made him rich and famous, he is a role model for boxers because most of the people who take up boxing come from a poor background. Boxing and sport in general is an avenue that can be used to provide a comfortable income and livelihood for sportsmen and women.”
Oprecht described Frazier as a warrior and a legend.
“He was a legend – he was one of the best inside fighters, very skilful, very good boxer. He is among the greatest of the heavyweights, he was a warrior. He fought at the Olympics with a broken thumb and still won the gold so that speaks a lot about his courage. In his last fight with Ali his corner stopped the fight before the start of the 15th round because both of his eyes were swollen shut but Frazier was not pleased and went on bad because he wanted to continue, that shows the type of warrior he was.”
“Frazier had the most powerful left hook in history, that is the left hook he dropped Ali with in the first fight. Boxing has lost one of the great legends.”
Frazier won the world heavyweight title in 1970, knocking out champion Jimmy Ellis, after Ali had been stripped of the championship in 1967 for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War due to his Muslim beliefs.
Ali was reinstated in boxing and met Frazier on March 8, 1971 at New York’s Madison Square Garden in a bout billed as “The Fight of the Century”.
Frazier sent Ali to the canvas with a left hook in the 15th round. Ali got up but Frazier won by unanimous decision.The brutal encounter left both men hospitalized. Frazier later lost his title in 1973 to hard-hitting George Foreman. The second Ali-Frazier fight on January 28, 1974, again at Madison Square Garden had no title at stake but whipped up huge interest after both had been fined for a TV studio confrontation in the build-up.
Ali won his second fight against Frazier on a 12-round decision and then went on to beat Foreman to reclaim the heavyweight title.
He defended it in the third Frazier fight on Oct. 1, 1975, in an encounter in the Philippines known as “The Thrilla in Manila” — one of the most famous sporting events of the 20th century. After the fight the beaten Frazier said he had hit Ali with punches “that would have knocked a building down.”
Despite their differences Ali’s respect for Frazier grew after their third fight and he described his opponent as “the roughest and toughest” he had ever fought.
“If God ever calls me to a Holy War I want Joe Frazier fighting beside me,” Ali was quoted as saying in his biography.
Frazier will always be remembered for his role in a golden era for the heavyweight division.
