By Michael J Jones

 

ON NOVEMBER 7 boxing lost one of its true greats in heavyweight legend “Smokin” Joe Frazier. The former undisputed champion passed away in a hospice in his native Philadelphia aged 67after a short illness. The tragic news came as a shock; news of his illness had only been made public a few days previously.

 

 

Early years

 

Joseph William Frazier was born on January 12 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina. The Frazier clan were farmers of cotton and watermelon and lived humbly. Father Rubin raised enough money to buy his family a black-and-white television set in the early 50’s, the Frazier’s would gather around the set to watch boxing matches along with neighbouring friends. Young Joe watched many classic fights; Sugar Ray Robinson and Henry Armstrong became the youngster’s earliest heroes. In later years, the up-and-coming Joe would try and fight like his idols; especially Armstrong with the bobbing and weaving, high-octane style.

Inspired by his new love of boxing, Joseph set up a makeshift punch bag in his father’s barn. He would pound the bag for over an hour a day, even after a gruelling day working on the farm. Frazier was a naturally strong, tough kid; smaller children from school would pay Joe a few cents or share their lunch to be protected by the burly young bruiser, nicknamed “Billy Boy”.

Just a year after Joe started his training regime he was involved in an accident that threatened to derail his fistic promise before it had even begun. Joe had playfully teased the family’s temperamental hog, not realising the gate to the pen wasn’t locked. Seeing the huge pig escape with ease, the startled lad broke into a sprint, tripping and landing awkwardly. As a result, the youngster was left permanently with an inability to completely extend his left arm. It was crooked, as if forever poised to throw a certain left hook…

 

Olympic success

 

By age 15 Joe had left the place he had grown up in to move North after an altercation with a white man threatened to turn ugly. Joe worked for Coca Cola for a while before starting his amateur career soon after. Joe won the Middle Atlantic Golden Gloves on three occasions and showed real promise before losing to the much-bigger Buster Mathis on points. In the Olympic trials for the 64’ Tokyo games, Joe was sure he’d get revenge over Mathis and book his place in team USA. However Mathis controversially edged the determined Frazier by another decision. The bitter 20-year-old was close to turning his back on boxing before being urged to continue by his team. Trainer Yancey Durham told the angry young fighter that if he kept in training for the games, he could be asked to step in if anything happened to Mathis. Frazier duly did and was rewarded when Buster suffered a hand injury and pulled out at late notice. Joe, who had already travelled to Tokyo to keep in training, stopped three opponents before edging ten-years-older German Hans Huber in the final. All the more remarkable considering Joe had picked up an injury to his left-thumb in the semi-final bout; he rarely threw his pet left hook in the final match and never with full power.

 

Turning pro

 

Fresh off his Olympic success, Frazier set about turning pro with the help of father-figure Durham. Yancey, known as “Yank”, organised the “Cloverlay group”, an assembly of local businessman who invested in Joe and allowed him to train full-time. One of the group was a young Larry Merchant, now a legendary colour-commentator for HBO.

On August 16 1965 Joe Frazier stopped one Woody Gross in the first round to make his pro bow. Gross was dropped heavily before the referee stepped in with the hapless foe doing just about everything to not get hit again by the tank-like prospect.

Just one year later (after ten more stoppage victories), the promising puncher, now residing in Philadelphia, took on his biggest test to date in tough Argentinean Oscar Bonavena. Bonavena, nicknamed “Ringo” for his rugged good looks, was much more seasoned than Joe at 21-2 (17). He was also coming off one of his best wins, a tough ten-round majority decision to the iron-chinned George Chuvalo.

Oscar was a deceptively tricky opponent who was durable and hit like a mule. The first was even but in the second the on-rushing Philadelphian walked onto a big right hand to the chin and fell heavily.

Note: Contrary to popular opinion, this wasn’t Joe’s first knockdown suffered; Mike Bruce had also turned the trick a few fights earlier.

The shaken Frazier rose quickly but was soon dropped again by a series of clubbing left hooks by the rampaging Argentine fighter. With the three-knockdown rule in effect, Joe did well to see out the round without suffering a further trip to the canvas.

Fortunately for the shell-shocked contender, Bonavena had punched himself out and Frazier swept most of the remaining rounds to win a split decision.

Now a bonafide contender and chasing a title shot at reigning champion Muhammed Ali, Frazier feasted on the likes of veteran opponents Eddie Machen, Doug Jones and Chuvalo before getting a vacant title shot at old amateur bogeyman Buster Mathis, now an unbeaten contender himself at 23-0 (17). With Ali on an enforced exile following his refusal to participate in the Vietnam War, Frazier and Mathis were paired for the New York State Athletic Commission heavyweight title.

 

Becoming champion

 

In a showdown at Madison Square Garden, Mathis used his better hand-speed to forge a points lead early in the fight before Frazier upped his work-rate, targeting his nemesis’ midsection. In the eleventh, with Joe ahead on two cards (even on the third), Frazier swarmed all over his 39 lbs-heavier-foe to force a stoppage. Frazier was a heavyweight champion at 24-years-old.

 

Later in 1968, Frazier fought Oscar Bonavena again, winning a clearer decision over fifteen tough rounds. Frazier out-worked his old foe through most of the early rounds before hanging on for the decision as Bonavena finished strongly. After the fight, Oscar stated “I’ll be heavyweight champion when Joe Frazier dies.” Frazier retorted “I’m going to live a long time.”

 

After beating Jerry Quarry by seven-round TKO in The Ring magazine’s “Fight of the Year”, Frazier looked toward a showdown with WBA champion Jimmy Ellis. Slick Ellis, trained by Ali’s chief second Angelo Dundee, had won the title by winning an eight-man elimination tournament to crown a new WBA champion. With this victory, Joe knew there was nobody else who could call themselves the champion (unless a certain rival from Louisville got his licence given back).

Afro-haired Ellis was a good fighter but Frazier was not to be denied in another bout at MSG. Ellis boxed and moved neatly for a few rounds as Joe slowly cranked up the pressure. In round four, Frazier swarmed all over Ellis as left hook after left hook clattered against the smaller man’s jaw. Jimmy couldn’t get out of the way and was dropped twice at the end of the round to be retired by his corner; “Smokin” Joe was now the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world as brave Jimmy suffered his first-ever stoppage loss.

 

Fight of the century

 

Joe Frazier had barely finished celebrating his win over Ellis when news of Muhammed Ali’s comeback started circulating. Even before his comeback win over Jerry Quarry, Ali spoke at length about how easily he would beat Frazier, proclaiming himself “the true champion.”

The two men famously shared a car-journey during Ali’s exile, where both verbally agreed to fight once the legal wranglings were settled with the cash-strapped former champion. Joe even gave his future rival some cash to tide him over during his problems and lobbied personally to President Nixon to have Muhammed’s licence reinstated. It is little wonder the verbal thrashing Ali would later dish out to Joe deeply hurt the proud Philadelphian before and during their epic three-fight series years later.

Once the fight was signed for March 8 1971, the public all over the world began speculating who would win the first-ever clash of two unbeaten heavyweight champions. Ali drummed up the showdown at every opportunity, often causing crowds to form around him as he shouted over and over “I’m going to destroy Joe Frazier.”

On one occasion, Ali actually spoke to Joe to say he was coming over to Frazier’s gym to make a scene for publicity. By the time Ali and his crowd of hundreds had gathered, the heavyweight jester set about Joe unmercifully with harmful remarks. The champion had to be restrained as his temper flared. Alas this was the first of many incidents that Frazier spent years scorning his legendary rival for. Frazier was naturally quiet and surly; he could never hope to match the far-more charismatic former champion for wit and humour.

Come fight time, with the whole world watching, Frazier unleashed his ferocity on his arch enemy. Muhammed boxed well early on, but his relentless foe just wouldn’t stop moving forward, winging punches to head and body. By the eleventh round, with the fight close on the scorecards, Ali tried to catch a breather on the ropes with near-disastrous consequences. Frazier caught his tiring prey with a series of thudding short punches to the jaw of Ali. As the stricken legend came off the ropes he did a drunken dance after absorbing a jolting left hook to the face and Frazier pounced. Joe chased Ali all around the ring, yet couldn’t quite land the finisher as the crowd screamed at the two gladiators.

The championship rounds were closely contested with both warriors marking up and giving the MSG crowd a true “Fight of the Century”. In the last, Ali tried to muster a strong finish, knowing that he was staring into his first-ever defeat. Frazier, badly marked up around the eyes and jaw, still kept up an incredible work-rate in a physically and mentally draining contest. Midway through the final stanza, Frazier broke from a clinch and launched a massive left hook which crashed violently against the jaw of “The Greatest”. Ali dropped very heavily, but amazingly was up quickly to see out the final seconds. At the final bell, Joe shouted at Ali through swollen and bleeding lips. Moments later he was awarded a deserved unanimous decision by scores of 9-6, 11-4 and 8-6-1. Frazier would spend an agonising nine days in hospital after the victory, and many more weeks recovering at home as he paid the price of his dramatic win. Some say Joe was never the same again after the punishing fifteen-rounder; they may be right.

 

“Big” George

 

Joe Frazier was now 27-years-old, 27-0 (23) and the undisputed king of the heavyweight division. After destroying Ellis and then Ali, there seemed no serious threat to his hard-earned titles. After scoring two easy stoppage victories in 72’, Frazier signed to defend against the young, unbeaten George Foreman in Kingston, Jamaica. Set for January 1973, Frazier was placed as firm favourite to vanquish George, who hadn’t beaten a notable contender in forging a 37-0 record. After winning a heavyweight Gold medal in the 1968 Olympic games in Mexico, Foreman had only been taken the distance on three occasions and was considered a strong, but crude, slugger; easy pickings for the unbeaten and seasoned champion.

In a contest Frazier later admitted being under-motivated for, the young Texan battered the much smaller champion all around the ring and destroyed him in just two rounds. Frazier was dropped halfway through the first round from a clubbing right to the head and never recovered, suffering five further trips to the canvas. The last knockdown came from a huge right uppercut that lifted the dazed Frazier clean off the canvas in a shocking display of power and strength from Foreman. George had stopped his last five opponents in two rounds but no-one could have predicted Joe Frazier would suffer the same fate.

 

The disposed champion would suffer more agonising misfortune later in the year. Just weeks after edging Joe Bugner in a ten rounder at Earls Court (in a tougher-than-expected slugfest), long-time trainer Yancey Durham died tragically of a heart attack. It was a terrible blow to Frazier; “Yank” had been with Joe since the very start of his boxing career and the two men had shared a close bond.

Assistant trainer Eddie Futch was asked to step-in as Joe’s full-time chief second. Futch, after careful consideration, agreed. He had been training rival heavyweight Ken Norton but decided Joe needed him more. As well as helping train Joe to score a famous victory over Ali, Eddie had also devised a superb game-plan for Kenny to upset “The Greatest” too. It was a partnership that stood firm until Frazier’s last mayor fight three years later.

 

In January 1974, Frazier and Ali met again over twelve rounds in a contest that was never going to come close to emulating the epic first bout. Ali, who had avenged the loss to Norton, was chasing a shot at George Foreman.

Ali shook up Joe with a minute left in the first, but the ref stepped in believing the round was over. By the time order was restored, Frazier had completely regained his senses. In the three fights and 41 rounds the two men shared in the ring together, that was the most hurt Ali ever had his tough nemesis.

The beaten fighter was bitter afterwards and scathing towards Ali’s tactics in the fight. Joe claimed Ali had held and smothered all night but was never penalised for his illegal tactics. Frazier also said for years afterwards he was sure he’d done enough to win that night.

 

Thriller in Manila

 

By the time the aging Joe came to face Muhammed again two years later, much had changed in the heavyweight division. Ali had beaten Foreman to regain the crown in a huge upset, while Joe worked his way back up to another title shot by beating old foe’s Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis again.

In October 1975 the two legends would declare war on each other in the final fight in their trilogy; “The Thriller in Manila”. Neither fighter was anywhere near their respective peaks, yet the two would put on arguably the greatest heavyweight title fight in boxing history.

Champion Ali taunted Joe horribly in the build up, even comparing his grizzled foe to a “Gorilla”. It was the final straw for the furious Frazier, who would only completely forgive his great rival in the months before his own death.

The fight was savage from the first bell. Ali, who had predicted an early stoppage victory, built an early lead before his tank-like opponent started “Smokin” from the fifth and sixth rounds.

With the sweltering Filipino heat blazing cruelly down on the two men, both fighters fought hard through exhaustion. In the thirteenth round, with Ali slightly ahead on the cards, Frazier started walking on to punches. With both eyes mere slits, Joe just couldn’t see the right-hands and left hooks thudding into his face time-and-time again. The reigning champion was also horribly tired and marked around the eyes; yet he kept the punches hammering home all through the penultimate round. By the bell Joe was looking close to collapsing; staggering to his corner. The end of the contest has been well-documented; Futch famously telling his beaten and blind fighter “Joe I’m going to stop it, but nobody will ever forget what you did here today.”

The fight was over before the fifteenth stanza. Ali stood to celebrate his punishing win before promptly slinking to the canvas as his extreme-fatigue set in.

It is a testament to Frazier’s raw courage that he complained about being stopped; insisting he could have continued and landed a fight-ending left hook.

 

Joe was to fight just twice more after his brutal beating to Ali; eight months later he was destroyed in a rematch with Foreman. Moving and countering carefully at the instruction of Futch, Frazier was doing much better until his powerful foe concluded matters in round five. Joe would later say about his final two defeats the constant swellings and injuries to his eyes severely impacted in both matches.

 

Joe Frazier’s last official fight was a one-fight comeback draw with decent Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings before calling it quits for good. Frazier came in at a blubbery 229 lbs and showed only flashes of the skills of his glory days. Joe walked away for good to concentrate on training fighters in his gym in Philadelphia, including his own son Marvis.

 

Life after boxing

 

In retirement the former champion steered his son into a world title fight with Larry Holmes who stopped the inexperienced contender in the very first round. Despite several decent wins over contenders such as James “Bonecrusher” Smith and Joe Bugner, Marvis would suffer an even more painful night when he faced a young, prime Mike Tyson. The younger Frazier was brutally wiped out in just 30 seconds. He never fought again.

 

Apart from Marvis several other fighters worked out at the Frazier’s gym such as Meldrick Taylor and Bert Cooper (who also used the famous “Smokin” nickname). The gym that was formerly known as the “Cloverlay gym” (after the management group), sadly closed in 2008. The building was in need of urgent renovations at a cost the Frazier family couldn’t ever hope to pay.

 

Joe was also a decent soul singer who formed his own band “Joe Frazier and the knockouts”. The group toured the States with some success. Frazier had a husky, deep voice and enjoyed singing almost as much as fighting. Legend has it the young Frazier would train hard to Otis Redding, Durham once stating “Joe works best to Otis”.

 

Despite success with his brooding gym and public appearances (including bit-parts in several movies and TV shows), Joe hit hard times financially as several business ventures failed to pay out the considerable sums invested. The generous former fighter was said to be too trusting and gave away a fortune over the years to people posing as his friends. It was a lesson the proud Philadelphian learned from as the years passed.

 

In 1989 Joe participated with fellow 70’s legends Ali, Norton, Foreman and Larry Holmes in the documentary “Champions Forever”. The five men recalled their careers and experiences in their boxing careers in an extremely touching and insightful look at the stories behind the titanic ring-battles. Frazier appeared humble and satisfied with his ring career in the program, yet rumours abounded he still was seething with the man that had taunted him so cruelly all those years earlier; Muhammed Ali.

 

Ali, now suffering from Parkinson’s syndrome and a shadow of his former flamboyant self, was named and shamed further in Joe’s 1996 autobiography “Smokin Joe”. Joe spoke at length of the repercussions of his former opponent’s lengthily insults, even explaining how his children had all been subjected to much ridicule at school by kids mimicking Ali. Joe also caused some controversy with some of his views, even appearing proud of the physical suffering his former tormentor was experiencing.

 

Muhammed’s treatment of Frazier hurt deeply, but in recent years Joe’s long-term bitterness eased towards Ali, appearing with “The Greatest” in many public appearances. Joe also seemed much more at ease talking about his legendary rival when questioned by fans and interviewers.

 

The end

 

In September of this year Joe Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer. The devastated family gathered around the dying ring legend in a hospice in Philly for the remaining days. On November 7 the final bell tolled over the former world heavyweight champion and the tributes poured out from all over the world. One of the first to speak was Muhammed Ali who said “The world has lost a great champion; I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration”.

Frazier’s funeral will be on November 14 and the turn-out is expected to be enormous as fighter’s from past and present, family, friends and colleagues all gather to say goodbye to “Smokin” Joe.

 

RIP “Smokin” Joe Frazier 1944-2011