Joseph William Frazier was born on January 12, 1944. Joe dropped out of school at age 13, but on March 8, 1971 Smokin' Joe dropped Muhammad Ali in Round 15. He would defend his title, that night via decision over Ali.
"Smokin'" Joe Frazier in one night lost his Olympic Trial match to Buster Mathis, and nearly lost his will to continue on as a fighter. In
one other night Buster Mathis, whom later broke
one of his hands, and unable to represent America in the Tokyo Olympic Games, was replaced by a more determined than ever Joe Frazier. In
one night Joe Frazier remembered his uncle telling him as a youngster, that
one day he would be the next Joe Louis!
One night Smokin' Joe went on to win the 1964 Olympics! Joe had a few other good nights after that
one. Joe Frazier avenged his trial loss by defeating Mathis as a pro, and then after boycotting (protesting in support of the boxing commission to reconsider reinstating Ali) a Heavyweight elimination tournament, he would gain the Heavyweight crown from Jimmy Ellis in 1970. He held the title for three years, handing Ali his first loss, and defending his title one other time before losing it against Big George Foreman!
Joe Frazier in his storied career was the David of the boxing world filled with Goliath's! He wasn't chiseled like a Greek statue, didn't have the defined muscular look of a Mike Tyson. He wasn't the fastest man in the ring, he wasn't the strongest, or even the most athletic in the ring at times. What was Joe Frazier, and what made him a champion? Heart and plenty of it! Joe possessed a heart, work ethic, and toughness that didn't know how to back down from a challenge.Joes threw every punch with conviction. Joe aimed to hurt you with every punch! From his jab to his patented left hook, Joe didn't know how to throw and easy punch, and aimed to set you down with each one of his punches. Joe fought 37 times as a professional, and won 32 of the 37. He only lost to two men... George Foreman (twice) and Muhammad Ali (twice). His last boxing match ended in a draw. Once a kid who fled the segregated dirt roads of South Carolina became a man that helped 10's of thousands of kids escape the rough paved streets of Philadelphia. Joe may have lost to Ali and Foreman in the ring, and had a draw in his last boxing match, but he ultimately won his last fight. Some will say that he lost the fight to cancer, I say he won, because as his brother, I know that Joe Frazier is with the Lord, and there's no way you can lose when you're with God, or when God's with you. God bless the Frazier family during this difficult season....
