“Smokin” Joe Frazier passed away on Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer.
Joe Frazier Dies At Age 67, Leaves Career Full Of Highlights
Frazier was 67 years old.
Born in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1944, Frazier won gold at 1964 Olympics in Tokyo before turning pro the following year. Frazier had a career record of 32-4-1, winning 27 bouts by knockout, and won Muhammad Ali’s vacated WBA Championship in 1970.
Frazier successfully defended his title against Ali in the “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in 1971, the first of three epic matches between the two boxing legends that culminated in Ali’s win over Frazier in the “Thrilla In Manila” in 1975.
"I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration. My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones," Ali said in a statement released on Monday night.
Scott Christ, Founder and Managing Editor of Bad Left Hook, had this to say of Frazier when word of his passing spread on Monday night:
”I’m not someone who is old enough to truly romanticize this era of boxing, but as much as I don’t want to do the cliche, “They don’t make fighters like that anymore” sort of thing, this much is true: Joe Frazier was a special fighter. He was humble, he was true to himself and what he believed, he was powerful, relentless, and he had no fear between the bells.”
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