Joe Frazier

Today the 12th January 2009 is the 65th Birthday of one of my favourite boxers ever. I will just concentrate on his boxing career as this is a boxing blog. Joe for me summarised a swarming fighter using his bobbing and weaving to great effect to get close to an opponent then unleashing his great left hook to the body and the head.

Born Joseph William Frazier on the 12th January 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina. He was born to two poor farmers. Joe worked the feilds with his parents. He was noticed as a promising Boxer by Yank Durham an ex-Middleweight from Philidelphia. With Durham and his assistant Willie Reddish, Frazier became an outstanding amatuer this culminating in him winning the Heavyweight Gold Medal in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

After winning the medal 'Smoking' Joe. as he was know called, quickly turned pro trained by Yank Durham and backed by Cloverlay a group of businessmen. Frazier then started a meteoric rise to the top. Winning his first 11 fight by KO.

He then ran into the tough contender Oscar Bonavena in only his 12th fight. Joe was winning the fight till walking on to a right hand from Bonavena that sent him crashing down heavily in the second. Joe was hurt but bravely got up but was put down again by more of a push than a punch but got up and survived the round. JUST. Joe then came back brilliantly slipping Oscar's jab and punishing him with a left hook to the body and head and eventually won the fight on a razor thin split desicion over ten rounds.

Joe wasnt matched easy on his rise to the top in his next fight he fought the tough challenger Eddie Machen whom he stopped on a TKO in round 10 in a fight he was dominating. Joe then fought another eight times before getting a shot at the NYASC 'World' title.

Joe fought the challenging fighter of Buster Mathis for the title stripped from Muhammed Ali for his refusal to fight in the Vietnam war. The fight was for the vacant NYASC 'World' title. Joe won the title with an 11th round TKO.

Joe fought Manuel Ramos in his first defence on 24th June 1968 of the NYASC 'World' title. Joe was truly 'Smoking' in this fight starting fast and dropping Ramos twice in the second before the referee Arthur Mercante stopped the fight.

Joe then made three more defences of his crown against Bonavena, Dave Zyglewicz and Jerry Quarry respectivly before unifying his title by beating Jimmy Ellis for the vacant WBA and WBC 'World' titles. Joe knocked out Ellis with a perfectly timed left hook to the chin in the fifth round.

Joe then defended his new Undisputed Title against Bob Foster KOing him in two rounds before fighting Muhammed Ali.

Alot is mentioned of the pre fight talk of Frazier-Ali but i will saty out of it and concentrate on the fight. The fight was made for third of August 1971. Frazier fought the fight of his life slipping Ali's jab and constantly pressuring Ali forcing him on to the end of his damaging left hooks. Frazier was winning the fight and in the last round decked Ali with a leaping left hook to the chin which was the pinnacle of the great fight. Ali got up but lost the fight via a unanimous desicion to Frazier.

After his fight with Ali, Frazier seemed to have lost his desire and heart to fight as if his goals had been achieved. However, this did not stop him making to more defences of his crown before facing George Foreman.

George Foreman won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1968. He was a menacing, hard punching slugger who had worked his way to a shot at the world crown by destroying everyone in front of him.

Frazier came out at Foreman and was almost instantly decked but got up and was decked agian. He was knockdown 3 times in both the first and second but got up from them all showing his heart but the referee stopped the fight after the sixth knockdown.

Frazier came back from the defeat with a 12 round unanimous desicion over the defensice fighter Joe Bugner. It was a relativly dull fight with the highlight of Frazier knocking down Bugner in the 10th.

After beating Bugner, Frazier had a rematch with Ali but this match did not live up to the first meeting as there was no title on the line and it wasnt as intense. Ali won a well deserved unanimous desicion.

After Ali, Frazier stopped two old foes in the form of Quarry and Ellis in the 5th and ninth rounds respectivly. Thus setting him up for a rubber match against Ali in Manilla.

The thrilla in Manilla was in my eyes the bes fight between Ali and Frazier. Frazier was considered a safe option for Ali as many believed Joe was passed it. However, Joe grasp this chance in both hands and trained like a demon whereas Ali had a lax training routine spending alot of time with his Girlfreind. The fight itself was exhilarating Ali won the first 5 rounds through his better boxing but then the fight changed. Ali decided to go on the ropes and let Frazier tire himself out on him. However, Joe was hiting Ali cleanly and was using his right hand alot more than he usually did what confused Ali. From the 6th round onward Joe's eye was swelling and in the 11th it completly shut and Ali took advantage of this and pummeled a game ever going forward Joe with Right hands. Until Joe's trainer Eddie Futch pulled Joe out of the fight at the start of the 15th round with Joe down on the cards by afew points. Joe's bravery in that figth was something else.

After Manilla, Joe got to fight Foreman again but was stopped in the fifth after being down twice in a one sided affair.

However, Foreman wasnt the end of Joe. Joe came back 5 years after his last figth and got a draw against the prospect Jumbo Cummings.

Joe was a brave warrior with heart to spare. He had a bobbing and weaving style that pressured opponents. He had a great left hook he used to the head or body to equal effect. He was also a great Heavyweigth champion and a true gentleman.