Remembering Joe Frazier fondly

Eighty-two years ago, Joe Frazier, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, was born in South Carolina.

As reigning heavyweight champion, Joe became even more famous, after inflicting Muhammad Ali’s first defeat in what was dubbed: Fight of the Century.

Short, compact, bobbing and weaving plus bursting with power, imbued wth fighting spirit, ”Smokin Joe” knocked down many opponents, especially with his devastating left hook, which often brought the show to a close, mighty early.
It was precisely the left hook that knocked Ali down in the fifteenth round at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1971 and sealed the victory in the so-called Fight of the Century.

Although he defeated Ali in that fight, Frazier lost the next two fights they had. He retired from boxing in December 1981 with a record of 32 wins with 27 knockouts, 4 losses and a draw.
Joe passed away in November 2011, a victim of cancer, but he will always be remembered, admired and beloved, as one of the best heavyweights in history. Courage, power, willpower and forever linked to Muhammad Ali. What a trilogy they fought!