Vale Smokin' Joe Frazier

[Ford Fairlane]

Smokin' Joe Frazier, world heavyweight boxing champion 1970-73 and probably Muhammad Ali's greatest adversary, is in hospice care with liver cancer.

Show all the heart you did in epic battles with Ali including the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, Smokin' Joe.

Boxing ex-world champion Joe Frazier has liver cancer

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Smokin' Joe Frazier, world heavyweight boxing champion 1970-73 and probably Muhammad Ali's greatest adversary, is in hospice care with liver cancer.

Show all the heart you did in epic battles with Ali including the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manila, Smokin' Joe.

Boxing ex-world champion Joe Frazier has liver cancer

Its sad the former champ is dying but its hard to feel sympathy for him after what he said about Ali's battle with Parkinsons.

Both men should have held their tongues and let their fists do the talking and they would be remembered a lot more fondly.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

There was a real animosity between them unfortunately (although it added to the spectacle). Ali said many cruel things about Joe too. Hopefully as they've aged they have put that behind them.

Ali has said he is praying for Joe.

I'm praying for my friend Joe Frazier - Muhammad Ali

Ali, 69, said: "The news about Joe is hard to believe and even harder to accept. Joe has a lot of friends pulling for him - and I'm one of them.

"Joe is a fighter and a champion and I am praying he is fighting now."

The former world heavyweight champion added: "My family and I are keeping Joe and his family in our daily prayers."

I'm praying for my friend Joe Frazier - Muhammad Ali

 

[PortBrillance]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

He's just passed away now. RIP

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Vale Smokin' Joe

Joe Frazier Dead

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

RIP Champ.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Boxing's most famous left hook.

[YOUTUBE]UUlL8UyvWnU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Big loss. RIP Smokin Joe.
I remember watching a documentary on their rivalry and it seemed even in is old age Joe was still not over the fact he lost to Ali, a bit sad.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Big loss. RIP Smokin Joe.
I remember watching a documentary on their rivalry and it seemed even in is old age Joe was still not over the fact he lost to Ali, a bit sad.

You reckon Frazier took it badly? George Foreman went nuts after Ali beat him in the Rumble In The Jungle.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

I think you might be thinking of the fight George Foreman lost to Jimmy Young footyhead.

After he lost that fight suffering from heatstroke, exhaustion and what he felt was a near death experience (I remember speaking in tongues being mentioned) Foreman stopped fighting to become a born again Christian minister.

He didn't fight again for 10 years.

I still remember George's demolition of Smokin' Joe in their world title bout in Kingston Jamaica. 6 knockdowns in two rounds of mayhem. I never saw anything like it.

George then destroyed the seemingly armour-plated Ken Norton in two rounds.

But Ali, the irrepressible, impossible Ali defeated the most fearsome heavyweight of his time.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

I think you might be thinking of the fight George Foreman lost to Jimmy Young footyhead.

After he lost that fight suffering from heatstroke, exhaustion and what he felt was a near death experience (I remember speaking in tongues being mentioned) Foreman stopped fighting to become a born again Christian minister.

He didn't fight again for 10 years.

I still remember George's demolition of Smokin' Joe in their world title bout in Kingston Jamaica. 6 knockdowns in two rounds of mayhem. I never saw anything like it.

George then destroyed the seemingly armour-plated Ken Norton in two rounds.

But Ali, the irrepressible, impossible Ali defeated the most fearsome heavyweight of his time.

I'm pretty sure it's the Ali factor...

If you watch the documentary fillum "When We Were Kings" which is the story of The Rumble In The Jungle it's explained quite clearly that George suffered chronic depression as a result of losing that fight to Ali.

I've got the DVD if you want a look sometime.

 

[Shaxx Attaxx]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

You reckon Frazier took it badly? George Foreman went nuts after Ali beat him in the Rumble In The Jungle.

Unfortunately this documentary wasn't that long ago, he would of been in his late 50s at least (I think)

 

[Ford Fairlane]

I'm pretty sure it's the Ali factor...

If you watch the documentary fillum "When We Were Kings" which is the story of The Rumble In The Jungle it's explained quite clearly that George suffered chronic depression as a result of losing that fight to Ali.

I've got the DVD if you want a look sometime.

I have that one too. Ali did mess George's head up. He had a few fights after a year off, won without looking like the monster he was pre-Ali then the Young loss finally tipped him over the edge.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

From BBC's Ben Dirs

Smokin' Joe elevated to greatness by Ali rivalry

Olympic gold-medalist. Undisputed world heavyweight champion. Twelve world-title fights. A 73% knockout record. Arguably the best left hook in history. All this with a gammy arm and while blind in one eye. You see, it can be done, outlining Joe Frazier's greatness without mentioning 'the other one'. Ah well, I very nearly managed it.

Smokin' Joe elevated to greatness by Ali rivalry

 

[PortBrillance]

Ford, are you a fan of Frazier's?

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Probably moreso a fan of Ali back in the day when I closely followed boxing but you cannot have anything but the utmost respect for the warrior that was Joe Frazier.

I still remember his fight against Jimmy Ellis in Melbourne in 1975 before the Thrilla in Manila.

 

[Eddie Dingle]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

Unfortunately this documentary wasn't that long ago, he would of been in his late 50s at least (I think)

The documentary was filmed at the time and all footage used in it was current at the time. It was due to legal reasons (?) the fillum wasn't released until much later. (1997 in Australia I think).

 

[Burningleviathan]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

I think Frazier was more upset about the comments Ali use to make about him than the loss. Though I'm sure it compounded it.

Good story about it here
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7208921/re-examining-ghosts-manila

Never got into boxing, but it seems a sad loss.

 

[Asgardian]

From diagnosis to death, damn that was fast ...

RIP Joe, one hell of a fighter.

 

[Ford Fairlane]

Re: Smokin' Joe Frazier sick

I think Frazier was more upset about the comments Ali use to make about him than the loss. Though I'm sure it compounded it.

Good story about it here
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7208921/re-examining-ghosts-manila

Never got into boxing, but it seems a sad loss.

Thanks for that link, good read. The link embedded in the article of Mark Kram's Sports Illustrated review of the Thrilla in Manila was also a stirring read.

The Thrilla in Manila is on youtube (6 parts). The commentary doesn't capture the drama that truly unfolded that night.