Buster Mathis
Statistics
Real name	Buster Mathis
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Reach	76 in (193 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1943-06-11)June 11, 1943 Sledge, Mississippi
Died	September 6, 1995(1995-09-06) (aged 52) Grand Rapids, Michigan
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	34
Wins	30
Wins by KO	21
Losses	4
Draws	0

Buster Mathis (June 11, 1943 - September 6, 1995) was a boxer who had a very successful career as an amateur heavyweight boxer. He qualified for a spot in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. However, he was injured and was unable to compete there. Instead of him, the fighter Mathis beat in the Olympic Trials went to the Olympics. This fighter was the legendary Joe Frazier, who went on to win the gold medal.

Pro career[link]

Mathis turned professional in June 1965 with a second round knockout victory over Bob Maynard. Buster Mathis went on to win his next 22 contests as well and qualified for a shot at the New York State Athletic Commission World Heavyweight Title, which had become vacant after Muhammad Ali was stripped of the title for refusing to be drafted into the United States army. The fight was to be held March 4, 1968 in New York's Madison Square Garden and the fighter he had to beat for the championship was Joe Frazier, his old nemesis. Mathis made a promising start to the contest but could not keep up with the lighter Frazier and lost the fight by an 11th round knockout.

Buster Mathis continued to fight in the following years, outpointing highly regarded ironman George Chuvalo, but losing on points to Jerry Quarry - a fight Mathis was favoured to win. Mathis retired after losing to Quarry in 1969, but returned in 1971 to box Muhammad Ali for the NABF belt, losing on points over 12 rounds. Ali was later criticized for not finishing Mathis in the final rounds of the fight.^[1]

After Mathis was knocked out in three rounds in August 1972 by fast-rising puncher Ron Lyle, he decided to retire for good from boxing. Mathis suffered from various health problems in later years, such as diabetes and kidney problems. He suffered a heart attack and two strokes. His compulsive eating had ballooned his weight to 550 pounds and, in 1995, he died of a heart attack at age of 52.

He won 30 fights (21 by KO) and lost 4 (with Frazier, Jerry Quarry, Ali and Lyle).

Personal[link]

His son Buster Mathis Jr. was to later become a successful fighter, and was to take on Mike Tyson in 1995. His son Cole, was born in China in 1992, in Shanghai.

External links[link]

• Professional boxing record for Buster Mathis from BoxRec

Notes[link]

George Chuvalo
Chuvalo at the River Rock Casino in April, 2010
Statistics
Real name	Jure Čuvalo
Rated at	Heavyweight
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1937-09-12) September 12, 1937 (age 74) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Stance	orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	93
Wins	73
Wins by KO	64
Losses	18
Draws	2

George Louis Chuvalo, also known as Jure Čuvalo CM (born September 12, 1937) is a retired Croatian-Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked off his feet in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He is often considered to have had the greatest chin in the history of boxing and to be one of its most durable fighters. He was Canadian heavyweight champion as both an amateur and a professional, and twice fought for versions of the professional world's heavyweight title. He had a long career and fought nearly all the top fighters in the heavyweight division.

Early life and career[link]

Born in Ontario to Croatian parents from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stipan and Katica (born Kordić) Čuvalo, father from Proboj and mother from Grljevići near Ljubuški. Chuvalo grew up in The Junction district of west Toronto, and had one sibling, Zora. Chuvalo attended St. Michael's College School between 1950 and 1953 following which he attended Humberside Collegiate Institute and became one of the best-known amateur boxers in Toronto, fighting out of the Earlscourt Athletic Club.

Chuvalo became Canadian amateur heavyweight champion in May 1955, defeating Winnipeg's Peter Piper with a first-round KO in a tournament final in Regina, Saskatchewan. Chuvalo finished his amateur career with a 16-0-0 record, all by KO within four rounds.Nicknamed "Boom Boom", Chuvalo turned professional in 1956, knocking out four opponents in one night to win a heavyweight tournament held by former world's champion Jack Dempsey at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on April 26, 1956.^[1] Rocky Marciano was one of his trainers in his early career.

Versus Patterson[link]

Chuvalo also lost a close decision to former champion Floyd Patterson in a bout that The Ring named fight of the year for 1965. Patterson described it as one of the toughest contests of his own career.

The two Ali fights[link]

However, Chuvalo is best known for his two fights against Muhammad Ali. He went the distance both times, in each case losing the decision by a wide margin on the scorecards. The first fight, on March 29, 1966, was for Ali's world title. "He's the toughest guy I ever fought", said Ali of Chuvalo after the fight.^[2] Ali's cornerman, Angelo Dundee, said, "He never stopped coming on ... you've got to admire a man like that."^[2] Various articles over the years detail that Ali had painful ribs for weeks after the contest. The second Ali fight was in 1972. Ali—then between his world championship reigns—won an easy decision. It was the last major fight of Chuvalo's career.

Versus Frazier & Foreman, plus other fights[link]

Future world champions Joe Frazier and George Foreman, despite being big punchers, were unable to knock Chuvalo down, but they were the only two fighters to ever stop him, scoring technical knockout (TKO) victories. Ring Mag reported Frazier nearly closed both Chuvalo's eyes and also cracked one of the man's cheek bones.

Foreman, regarded as one of the hardest hitters in boxing history, mauled Chuvalo with a wicked jab and some truly thunderous big punches breaking Chuvalo's nose. Yet, in his typical display of toughness, when the referee stopped the fight in the third round, Chuvalo said to him, "What are you, nuts?".

Beats Quarry and Jones[link]

One of Chuvalo's biggest victories was a seventh-round knockout of contender Jerry Quarry on December 12, 1969. Afterwards Quarry complained of a fast count but Chuvalo responded 'It must have been a good punch'.

He got an eleventh-round knockout against contender Doug Jones on October 2, 1964 notably using the boxing technique 'kill the body and the head dies' . Chuvalo also defeated notable fighters such as Howard King, Canadian champion Bob Cleroux, Yvon Durelle, Willi Besmanoff, big hitting Mike DeJohn, Cleveland Williams, and Manuel Ramos.

Chuvalo was the number one contender for the British Empire heavyweight title for many years but champion Henry Cooper did not fight him.

Versus two other world champions[link]

He lost to WBA heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell in 1965 and to former WBA champion Jimmy Ellis in 1971, with both of those fights taking place at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Personal life[link]

Chuvalo lost three sons, Jesse Chuvalo in 1985 to suicide, Georgie Lee Chuvalo in 1993 to a drug overdose and Steven Louis Chuvalo in 1996 to drug overdose. He lost his wife to suicide after the second son died. His remaining son, Mitch, became a teacher at University of Toronto Schools and married his wife from El Salvador, Ivania, with whom he is raising two boys, Aaron and Elijah.

George is married to his second wife, Joanne Chuvalo, and is stepfather to her two children, Jesse and Ruby. George and his wife tour high schools speaking about the devastation of drug use to teens. They have a summer home in Midland, Ontario.

Tributes and other appearances[link]

Chuvalo was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1998 and was awarded a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2005.

Former Ottawa Senators goalie Ray Emery has a picture of Chuvalo painted on his goalie mask.

Chuvalo appeared as the ill-fated arm-wrestler in the 1986 re-make of The Fly.

To mark the 40th anniversary of his July 19, 1967 fight against Joe Frazier, he and Frazier held a gala in Toronto, raising money for different charities.

On August 14, 2008, Chuvalo's kitchen was the featured renovation project on the Canadian TV series Holmes on Homes in an episode titled "Kitchen Knockout." ^[3]

Chuvalo was featured as part of the 2009 documentary film Facing Ali, in which notable former opponents of Ali (Chuvalo fought Ali twice) speak about how fighting Ali changed their lives.

During April 2010, George was a special guest at the BC Golden Gloves tournament held at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford, BC. ^[4] The event was co-hosted by Boxing BC and the Capital City Boxing Club

Chuvalo also appeared on The Mercer Report that aired October 5, 2010 on CBC, which featured Rick Mercer visiting Chuvalo at his boxing gym in Toronto.

On December 17, 2011, he came to Sarajevo to attend revealing of a statue in his honor in Ljubuški on Sunday, December 18, 2011.^[5]

Chuvalo appears on the cover art of Canadian post-grunge alternative rock band Our Lady Peace (OLP)'s eighth studio album Curve. He has the distinction of being the only person other than Saul Fox and the band members themselves to appear on an OLP album cover. He further contributes spoken word vocals to the final song on the album, "Mettle".

Professional boxing record[link]

73 Wins (64 knockouts, 9 decisions), 18 Losses (2 knockouts, 16 decisions), 2 Draws [1]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	73-18-2	George Jerome	TKO	3 (12)	11/12/1978	St. Lawrence Market, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title. This was Chuvalo's last bout, ending a 20 year career as a pro.
Win	72-18-2	Earl McLeay	TKO	1 (12)	08/12/1977	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title. McLeay knocked out by a straight right hand.
Win	71-18-2	Bob Felstein	KO	9 (12)	07/03/1977	North York Centennial Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Won vacant Canada Heavyweight title.
Win	70-18-2	Mike Boswell	KO	7 (10)	30/10/1973	Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, United States
Win	69-18-2	Tony Ventura	TKO	3 (10)	25/09/1973	Twin Rinks, Cheektowaga, New York, United States
Win	68-18-2	Charlie Boston	KO	2 (?)	05/09/1972	Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Win	67-18-2	Tommy Burns	KO	1 (?)	10/08/1972	Nelson, British Columbia, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title.
Loss	66-18-2	Muhammad Ali	UD	12	01/05/1972	Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	For NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	66-17-2	Jim Christopher	KO	2 (10)	21/02/1972	Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Win	65-17-2	Charley Chase	TKO	6 (12)	28/01/1972	Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title. Fight was stopped after Chase suffered a broken right hand.
Win	64-17-2	Cleveland Williams	UD	10	17/11/1971	Astrodome, Houston, Texas, United States
Loss	63-17-2	Jimmy Ellis	UD	10	10/05/1971	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	63-16-2	Charles Couture	KO	2 (10)	11/12/1970	Austintown Fitch High School Gym, Youngstown, Ohio, United States
Win	62-16-2	Tony Ventura	TKO	4 (10)	05/11/1970	Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	61-16-2	Tommy Burns	KO	1 (10)	24/10/1970	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Win	60-16-2	Mike Bruce	KO	2 (10)	15/08/1970	Kosevo Stadium, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Loss	59-16-2	George Foreman	TKO	3 (10)	04/08/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Corner stoppage. Chuvalo was rocked by a left hook and was taking punches in the corner without responding.
Win	59-15-2	Charlie Reno	KO	3 (10)	30/06/1970	Seattle, Washington, D.C., United States	Reno was knocked down four times in the 3rd round.
Win	58-15-2	Gino Ricci	TKO	1 (10)	10/05/1970	Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Win	57-15-2	Willie Tiger	KO	10 (10)	01/05/1970	Fairgrounds, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win	56-15-2	Jerry Quarry	KO	7 (10)	12/12/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	In round 7 Quarry was knocked down by a left hook on the top of the head. He rose at the count of 3, but decided to take a knee, he got up at the count of 10 instead of 9 and referee Zach Clayton declared the fight over at 2:59.
Win	55-15-2	Leslie Borden	TKO	3 (?)	16/11/1969	Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada
Win	54-15-2	Stamford Harris	TKO	3 (?)	08/09/1969	Exhibition Pavilion, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Loss	53-15-2	Buster Mathis	UD	12	03/02/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	53-14-2	Dante Cane	TKO	7 (10)	12/11/1968	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	52-14-2	Manuel Ramos	TKO	5 (10)	26/09/1968	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Ramos down in the 5th round.
Win	51-14-2	Vic Brown	TKO	3 (10)	17/09/1968	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Brown signalled to the referee that he had enough, after he was knocked down twice in the 3rd round.
Win	50-14-2	Levi Forte	TKO	2 (10)	03/09/1968	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	49-14-2	Johnny Featherman	KO	1 (12)	30/06/1968	Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Win	48-14-2	Jean-Claude Roy	UD	12	05/06/1968	Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada	Won Canada Heavyweight title. Joe Louis was the referee. There were no knockdowns and neither fighter was in serious trouble.
Loss	47-14-2	Joe Frazier	TKO	4 (10)	19/07/1967	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	47-13-2	Archie Ray	TKO	2 (10)	22/06/1967	Adams Field House, Missoula, Montana, United States
Win	46-13-2	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	3 (10)	27/05/1967	Cocoa, Florida, United States
Win	45-13-2	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	3 (10)	04/04/1967	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	44-13-2	Buddy Moore	KO	2 (10)	20/03/1967	Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, United States
Win	43-13-2	Dick Wipperman	TKO	3 (10)	22/02/1967	Armory, Akron, Ohio, United States	Wipperman was knocked down three times in the 3rd round.
Win	42-13-2	Vic Brown	KO	4 (10)	16/01/1967	Four Seasons Arena, Walpole, Massachusetts, United States
Win	41-13-2	Willie McCormick	KO	3 (10)	16/12/1966	Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Win	40-13-2	Dave Russell	TKO	2 (10)	28/11/1966	Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Win	39-13-2	Boston Jacobs	TKO	3 (10)	21/11/1966	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win	38-13-2	Dick Wipperman	TKO	5 (10)	12/10/1966	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Win	37-13-2	Bob Avery	TKO	2 (15)	15/09/1966	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada	Chuvalo walloped Avery to the canvas five times before the referee stopped the bout.
Win	36-13-2	Mel Turnbow	KO	7 (10)	16/08/1966	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Loss	35-13-2	Oscar Bonavena	MD	12	23/06/1966	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	35-12-2	Levi Forte	TKO	2 (10)	15/05/1966	Miner's Forum, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada	Forte's corner threw in the towel.
Loss	34-12-2	Muhammad Ali	UD	15	29/03/1966	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Wor World Heavyweight title.
Loss	34-11-2	Eduardo Corletti	PTS	10	25/01/1966	Olympia, Kensington, London, United Kingdom
Win	34-10-2	Joe Bygraves	PTS	10	07/12/1965	Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London, United Kingdom	Bygraves down in the 10th round.
Loss	33-10-2	Ernie Terrell	UD	15	01/11/1965	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	For WBA World Heavyweight title.
Win	33-9-2	Orvin Veazey	KO	2 (10)	17/08/1965	Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win	32-9-2	Dave Bailey	KO	3 (10)	30/06/1965	Exhibition Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Win	31-9-2	Ed Sonny Andrews	TKO	1 (10)	07/06/1965	Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Win	30-9-2	Bill Nielsen	TKO	8 (10)	19/04/1965	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss	29-9-2	Floyd Patterson	UD	12	01/02/1965	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	1965 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	29-8-2	Calvin Butler	KO	3 (10)	10/11/1964	Hull, Quebec, Canada
Win	28-8-2	Doug Jones	TKO	11 (12)	02/10/1964	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Jones was down once in the 11th, before referee Arthur Mercante stopped it. Chuvalo led on two of the three scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
Win	27-8-2	Don Prout	TKO	3 (10)	27/07/1964	Sargent Field, New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
Win	26-8-2	Hugh Mercier	KO	1 (12)	18/03/1964	Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada	Won vacant Canada Heavyweight title.
Loss	25-8-2	Zora Folley	UD	10	17/01/1964	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Draw	25-7-2	Tony Alongi	PTS	10	08/11/1963	Miami Beach, Florida, United States	First decision had been win for Alongi, but recheck showed error in referee's card and commission changed decision.
Win	25-7-1	Mike DeJohn	MD	10	27/09/1963	Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky, United States	DeJohn was down in the 2nd & 6th rounds.
Win	24-7-1	Lloyd Washington	KO	2 (10)	18/05/1963	Central High Field House, Battle Creek, Michigan, United States
Win	23-7-1	Chico Gardner	KO	4 (?)	29/04/1963	London, Ontario, Canada
Win	22-7-1	James Wakefield	TKO	6 (10)	22/04/1963	Arena, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Win	21-7-1	Rico Brooks	TKO	2 (?)	15/03/1963	Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Loss	20-7-1	Joe Erskine	DQ	5 (10)	02/10/1961	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Chuvalo was disqualified for headbutting.
Loss	20-6-1	Bob Cleroux	SD	12	08/08/1961	Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Lost Canada Heavyweight title.
Win	20-5-1	Willi Besmanoff	TKO	4 (10)	27/06/1961	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	19-5-1	Alex Miteff	SD	10	27/03/1961	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	18-5-1	Bob Cleroux	UD	12	23/11/1960	Forum, Quebec, Canada	Won Canada Heavyweight title.
Loss	17-5-1	Bob Cleroux	SD	12	17/08/1960	Delormier Stadium, Montreal, Quebec, Canada	Lost Canada Heavyweight title.
Loss	17-4-1	Pete Rademacher	UD	10	19/07/1960	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	17-3-1	Yvon Durelle	KO	12 (12)	17/11/1959	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Retained Canada Heavyweight title. Durelle was down once in the 1st and 9th, twice in the 10th, and again for the count in the 12th.
Win	16-3-1	Frankie Daniels	TKO	7 (10)	14/09/1959	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss	15-3-1	Pat McMurtry	UD	10	17/10/1958	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	15-2-1	James J Parker	KO	1 (12)	15/09/1959	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Won vacant Canada Heavyweight title. Parker was knocked down three times.
Draw	14-2-1	Alex Miteff	PTS	10	16/06/1958	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Miteff was knocked down in the 10th round.
Win	14–2	Howard King	KO	2 (10)	21/04/1958	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	13–2	Julio Mederos	UD	10	27/01/1958	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Mederos was knocked down twice in the 2nd round.
Loss	12–2	Bob Baker	UD	10	09/09/1957	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	12–1	Joe Schmolze	KO	4 (10)	06/06/1957	Fort William, Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Joe Schmolze fought this fight under the alias "Joe Olsen". Schmolze was a substitute for Kid Gage.
Win	11–1	Emil Brtko	TKO	2 (10)	04/22/1957	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	10–1	Moses Graham	KO	2 (10)	25/03/1957	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	9–1	Walter Hafer	KO	3 (8)	04/03/1957	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	8–1	Sid Russell	KO	1 (8)	14/01/1957	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	7–1	Bob Biehler	UD	8	19/11/1956	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loss	6–1	Howard King	SD	8	22/10/1956	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	6–0	Joe Evans	KO	1 (8)	10/09/1956	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	5–0	Johnny Arthur	UD	8	11/06/1956	Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	4–0	Ed McGee	KO	1 (?)	23/04/1956	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament.
Win	3–0	Ross Gregory	KO	1 (?)	23/04/1956	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament.
Win	2–0	Jim Leonard	KO	2 (?)	23/04/1956	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament.
Win	1–0	Gordon Baldwin	TKO	2 (?)	23/04/1956	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Jack Dempsey Heavyweight Novice Tournament.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: George Chuvalo

• George Chuvalo's Official Fight Against Drugs Website
• Professional boxing record for George Chuvalo from BoxRec
• CBC Digital Archives - Still Standing: The People's Champion George Chuvalo
• Historica.ca - Footprints - George Chuvalo
• Ian Palmer's TigerBoxing article on Chuvalo
• The Canadian Encyclopedia
• Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia
• CBC Digital Archives. The Biggest Fight of George Chuvalo's Life
• George Chuvalo at the Internet Movie Database
• [2]

Joe Frazier
Frazier in 2010
Statistics
Real name	Joseph William Frazier
Nickname(s)	Smokin' Joe
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 11 1⁄2 in (1.82 m)
Reach	73 in (185 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1944-01-12)January 12, 1944 Beaufort, South Carolina, United States
Died	November 7, 2011(2011-11-07) (aged 67)[1] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	37
Wins	32
Wins by KO	27
Losses	4
Draws	1
No contests	0
Medal record Men’s Boxing Olympic Games Competitor for  United States Gold 1964 Tokyo Heavyweight

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), also known as Smokin' Joe, was an American professional boxer and Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981.

Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late 1960s, defeating opponents that included Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali on points in the highly-anticipated "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman. He fought on, beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali and beating Quarry and Ellis again.

Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubbermatch. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman. He made a comeback in 1981, fighting just once, before retiring for good. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time.^[2] He was an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Frazier's style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong and occasionally Rocky Marciano. He was dependent on bobbing, weaving, grunting, and snorting as he grimaced with all out aggression wearing down his opponents with relentless pressure. His best known punch was a powerful left hook, which accounted for most of his knockouts.

After retiring, Frazier made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies, and two episodes of The Simpsons. His son Marvis became a boxer — trained by Frazier himself — although was unable to recreate his father's success. Frazier continued to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia. His later years saw the continuation of his bitter rivalry with Ali, in which the two periodically exchanged insults, interspersed with brief reconciliations.

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011 and admitted to hospice care.^[3] He died November 7, 2011.^[4]

Early life[link]

Joe Frazier was the 12th child born to Rubin and Dolly Frazier in Beaufort, South Carolina. He was raised in a rural community of Beaufort called Laurel Bay.^[5][6] Frazier said he was always close to his father, who carried him when he was a toddler "over the 10 acres of farmland" that the Fraziers owned, "to the still where he made his bootleg corn liquor, and into town on Saturdays to buy the necessities that a family of 10 needed." The young Frazier was affectionately called "Billy Boy."^[5]

Rubin had his left hand and part of his forearm amputated a year before Frazier was born. While Rubin and Dolly were in the car a friend named Arthur Smith, who was drunk at the time and was fond of meeting women, passed by and made a move for Dolly and was rebuffed. When Frazier's parents drove away Smith fired several bullets, hitting Dolly once in the foot and Rubin several times in the arm, which was hanging outside the car. Arthur Smith went to prison for the shooting, but did not stay long. As Joe's mother put it, "If you were a good workman, the white man took you out of jail and kept you busy on the farm."^[7]

His parents owned the 10 acre farm which they worked with "two mules, Buck and Jenny." Frazier said the land was what country folk called "white dirt, which is another way of saying it isn't worth a damn." The Frazier family couldn't grow peas or corn on it, they were only able to grow cotton and watermelon.^[7]

In the early '50s, Frazier's father got a black and white television. His father, his mother, her brothers and other people from the neighborhood would come to watch boxing matches on it. Frazier's mother sold drinks for a quarter as they watched fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano, Willie Pep and Rocky Graziano. One night Frazier walked onto the porch of his house when his Uncle Israel noticed Frazier's stocky build. "That boy there...that boy is gonna be another Joe Louis" he remarked. The words made an impression on Joe. At school, his classmates would give him a sandwich or a quarter to walk with them at final bell so that bullies would not mess with them. Joe remarked, "Any 'scamboogah' (a disrespectful, low-down and foul person) who got in my face would soon regret it: Billy Boy could kick anybody's ass." The next day after Joe was labeled the next Joe Louis, he got an old burlap sack and filled it with rags, corncobs, a brick in the middle and Spanish moss that grew on trees all over Beaufort County. He then tied a rope to it and hung the makeshift heavybag from an oak tree in the backyard where the mules were kept. "For the next 6, 7 years, damn near every day I'd hit that heavybag for an hour at a time. I'd wrap my hands with a necktie of my Daddy's, or a stocking of my Momma's or sister's, and get to it" Joe remarked.^[8]

It was not long after Joe started working out that his left arm was seriously damaged because of the Fraziers' ornery 300 pound hog. The hog was very nasty from time to time, but sometimes Joe could not resist teasing it. One day Joe poked the hog with a stick and ran away, but someone had left the gate to the pigpen open and the hog ran through the gate, chasing Joe. In his hurry, Joe fell and hit his left arm on a brick. The arm was torn badly, but as the Frazier family was unable to pay for a doctor, the arm had to heal on its own. The arm eventually did heal, but Joe was never able to keep it fully straight again. It was crooked and lacking a full range of motion. But as it existed, it was as though it was cocked for the left hook — permanently cocked.^[9]

By the time Joe was 15 years old, he was working on a farm for a family named Bellamy. They were both white men, Mac who was the younger of the two and more easy going, and Jim who was a little rougher and somewhat backward. One day a little black boy of about 12 years old, damaged one of the Bellamy's tractors without meaning to. Jim Bellamy became so enraged he took off his belt and whipped the boy with his belt right there in the field. Joe saw the event and went back to the packing house on the farm and told his black friends what he had seen. It wasn't long before Jim Bellamy saw Joe and asked him why he told what he had witnessed. Joe then told Bellamy he didn't know what he was talking about, but Bellamy didn't believe Joe and threatened Joe to get off the farm before he took off his belt again. Joe told him he better keep his pants up because he wasn't going to use his belt on him. Jim then analyzed Joe for a bit and eventually said "Go on, get the hell outta here." Joe knew from that moment it was time for him to leave Beaufort; he could only see hard times and low-rent for himself. Even his Momma could see it. She told Joe "Son, if you can't get along with the white folks, then leave home because I don't want anything to happen to you."^[10]

The train fare from Beaufort to the cities up North was costly, and the closest bus-stop was in Charleston, 96 miles (154 km) away. Luckily by 1958, the bus (The Dog, as called by locals in Beaufort) had finally made Beaufort a stop on its South Carolina route. Joe had a brother, Tommy, in New York. He was told he could stay with Tommy and his family. Joe had to save up a bit before he could make the bus trip to New York and still have some money in his pocket, and so first he went to work at the local Coca-Cola plant. Joe remarked that the white guy would drive the truck and he would do the real work, stacking and unloading the crates. Joe stayed with Coca-Cola until the government began building houses for the marines stationed at Parris Island; at which time he was hired on a work crew.

Nine months eventually passed since he got the boot from the Bellamy farm. One day, with no fanfare, no tearful goodbyes, Joe packed quickly and got the first bus heading northward. "I climbed on the Dog's back and rode through the night" Joe remarked. "It was 1959, I was 15 years old and I was on my own."^[11]

Amateur career[link]

During Frazier's amateur career, he won Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championships in 1962, 1963 and 1964. His only loss in three years as an amateur was to Buster Mathis.^[12] Mathis would prove to be Joe's biggest obstacle to making the 1964 U.S. Olympic Boxing team. They met in the final of the U.S. Olympic Trial at the New York World's Fair in the summer of 1964. Their fight was scheduled for three rounds and they fought with 10 oz gloves and with headgear, even though the boxers who made it to Tokyo would wear no headgear and would wear 8 oz gloves. Joe was eager to get back at Mathis for his only amateur loss and KO'd two opponents to get to the finals. But once again, when the dust settled, the judges had called it for Mathis, undeservedly Joe thought. "All that fat boy had done was run like a thief- hit me with a peck and backpedal like crazy." Joe would remark.^[12]

Mathis had worn his trunks very high, so that when Joe hit Mathis with legitimate body shots the referee took a dim view of them. In the second round, the referee had gone so far as to penalize Joe two points for hitting below the belt. "In a three-round bout a man can't afford a points deduction like that," Joe would say. Joe then returned to Philadelphia feeling as low as he'd ever been and was even thinking of giving up boxing. Duke Dugent and his trainer Yank Durham were able to talk Joe out of his doldrums and even suggested Joe make the trip to Tokyo as an alternate, in case something happened to Mathis. Joe agreed and while there, he was a workhorse, sparring with any of the Olympic boxers who wanted some action. "Middleweight, light heavyweight, it didn't matter to me, I got in there and boxed all comers" Joe would say. In contrast, Mathis was slacking off. In the morning, when the Olympic team would do their roadwork, Mathis would run a mile, then start walking saying "Go ahead, big Joe. I'll catch up."^[13]

1964 Olympics[link]

In 1964 heavyweight representative Buster Mathis qualified but was injured so Frazier was sent as a replacement. At the Heavyweight boxing event, Frazier knocked out George Oywello of Uganda in the first round, then knocked out Athol McQueen of Australia 40 seconds into the third round. He was then into the semi-final, as the only American boxer left, facing the 6 foot 4, 230 lb Russian Vadim Yemelyanov.^[14]

"My left hook was a heat seeking missile, careening off his face and body time and again. Twice in the second round I knocked him to the canvas. But as I pounded away, I felt a jolt of pain shoot through my left arm. Oh damn, the thumb." Joe would say. Joe knew immediately the thumb of his left hand was damaged, though he wasn't sure as to the extent. "In the midst of the fight, with your adrenaline pumping, it's hard to gauge such things. My mind was on more important matters. Like how I was going to deal with Yemelyanov for the rest of the fight." The match ended when The Russian handlers threw in the towel, at 1:49 in the second round, the referee raised Joe's injured hand in victory.

Now that Joe was into the final, he didn't mention his broken thumb to anyone. He went back to his room and soaked his thumb in hot water and Epsom salts. "Pain or not, Joe Frazier of Beaufort, South Carolina, was going for gold." Joe proclaimed. Joe would fight a 30-year-old German mechanic named Hans Huber, who failed to make it on the German Olympic wrestling team. By now Joe was used to fighting bigger guys, but he was not used to doing it with a damaged left hand. When the opening bell sounded on fight night, Joe came out and started winging punches, he threw his right hand more than usual that night. Every so often he'd used his left hook, but nothing landed with the kind of impact he managed in previous bouts. Under Olympic rules, 5 judges judge a bout, and that night three voted for Joe.^[15]

Professional career[link]

After Frazier won the USA's only 1964 Olympic boxing gold medal, his trainer Yancey "Yank" Durham helped put together Cloverlay, a group of local businessmen (including a young Larry Merchant) who invested in Frazier's professional career and allowed him to train full-time. Durham was Frazier's chief trainer and manager until Durham's death in August 1973.

Frazier turned professional in 1965, defeating Woody Goss by a technical knockout in the first round. He won three more fights that year, all by knockout, none going past the third round.

Joe's second contest was of interest in that he was decked in round 1 by Mike Bruce. Frazier took an "8" count by referee Bob Polis but rallied for a TKO over Bruce in round 3.^[16]

In 1966, as Frazier's career was taking off, Durham contacted Los Angeles trainer Eddie Futch. The two men had never met, but Durham had heard of Futch through the latter's reputation as one of the most respected trainers in boxing. Frazier was sent to Los Angeles to train, before Futch agreed to join Durham as an assistant trainer. With Futch's assistance, Durham arranged three fights in Los Angeles against Al Jones, veteran contender Eddie Machen and George "Scrapiron" Johnson. Frazier knocked out Jones and Machen, but surprisingly went 10 rounds with journeyman Johnson to win a unanimous decision. Johnson had apparently bet all his purse that he'd survive to the final bell, noted Ring magazine, and somehow he achieved it. But Johnson was known in the trade as 'impossibly durable.'

After the Johnson match, Futch became a full-fledged member of the Frazier camp as an assistant trainer and strategist, who advised Durham on matchmaking. It was Futch who suggested that Frazier boycott the 1967 WBA Heavyweight Elimination Tournament to find a successor to Muhammad Ali after the Heavyweight Champion was stripped of his title for refusing to be inducted into the military, although Frazier was the top-ranked contender at the time.

Futch proved invaluable to Frazier as an assistant trainer, helping modify his style. Under his tutelage, Frazier adopted the bob-and-weave defensive style, making him more difficult for taller opponents to punch, while giving Frazier more power with his own punches. While Futch remained based in Los Angeles, where he worked as a supervisor with the U.S. Postal Service, he was flown to Philadelphia to work with Frazier during the final preparations for all of his fights.

After Durham died of a stroke on August 30, 1973, Futch was asked to succeed him as Frazier's head trainer and manager—at the same time he was training heavyweight contender Ken Norton. Norton lost a rematch against Ali less than two weeks after Durham's death. At that point, Norton's managers, Robert Biron and Aaron Rivkind, demanded that Futch choose between training Frazier and Norton, with Futch choosing Frazier.

Mid to late 1960s[link]

Now in his second year, in September 1966 and somewhat green, Frazier won a close decision over rugged contender Oscar Bonavena, despite Bonavena flooring him twice in the second round. A third knockdown in that round would have ended the fight under the three knockdown rule. Frazier rallied and won a decision after 12 rounds. The Machen win followed this contest.

In 1967 Frazier stormed ahead winning all six of his fights, including a sixth-round knockout of Doug Jones and a brutal fourth round (TKO) of Canadian George Chuvalo. No boxer had ever stopped Chuvalo before, but Frazier, despite the stoppage, was unable to floor Chuvalo, who would never be dropped in his career.

By February 1967 Joe had scored 14 wins and his star was beginning to rise. This culminated with his first appearance on the cover of Ring Magazine. In this month he met Ali, who hadn't yet been stripped of his title. Ali said Joe would never stand a chance of "whipping" him, not even in his wildest dreams. Later that year, Muhammad Ali was stripped of his world heavyweight title due to his refusal to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War.

To fill the vacancy, the New York State Athletic Commission held a bout between Frazier and Buster Mathis, with the winner to be recognized as "World Champion" by the state of New York. Although the fight was not recognized as a World Championship bout by some, Frazier won by a knockout in the 11th round and staked a claim to the Heavyweight Championship. He then defended his claim by beating hard hitting prospect Manuel Ramos of Mexico in two rounds.

He closed 1968 by again beating Oscar Bonavena via a 15-round decision in a hard-fought rematch. Bonavena fought somewhat defensively, allowing himself to be often bulled to the ropes, which let Frazier build a wide points margin. Ring magazine showed Bonavena afterwards with a gruesomely bruised face. It had been a punishing match.

1969 saw Frazier defend his NYSAC title in Texas, beating Dave Zyglewicz, who'd only lost once in 29 fights, by a first-round knockout. Then he beat Jerry Quarry in a 7th round stoppage. The competitive, exciting match with Quarry was named 1969 Ring Magazine fight of the year. Frazier showed he could do a lot more than just slug. He'd used his newly honed defensive skills to slip, bob and weave a barrage of Quarry punches despite Quarry's reputation as an excellent counter punching heavyweight.

Wins World Championship – Ellis[link]

On February 16, 1970, Frazier faced WBA Champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden. Ellis had outpointed Jerry Quarry in the final bout of the WBA elimination tournament for Ali's vacated belt. Frazier had himself declined to participate with the WBA tournament to protest their decision to strip Ali. Ellis also held a win over Oscar Bonavena. Beforehand, Ali had announced his retirement and relinquished the Heavyweight title, allowing Ellis and Frazier to fight for the undisputed title. Frazier won by a TKO when Ellis' trainer Angelo Dundee would not let him come out for the 5th round following two 4th round knockdowns (the first knockdowns of Ellis' career). His decisive win over Ellis was a frightening display of power and tenacity.

In his first title defense, Frazier traveled to Detroit to fight World Light Heavyweight Champion Bob Foster, who would go on to set a record for the number of title defenses in the light-heavyweight division. Frazier (26–0) retained his title by twice flooring the hard punching Foster in the second round. The second knock down came on a devastating left hook and Foster could not beat the count. Then came what was hyped as the "Fight Of The Century," his first fight with Muhammad Ali, who had launched a comeback in 1970 after a three year suspension from boxing. This would be the first meeting of two undefeated heavyweight champions (and last until Mike Tyson faced Michael Spinks in 1988), since Ali (31–0) had not lost his title in the ring, but rather been stripped because of his refusal to be inducted in the Armed Forces, some considered him to be the true champion. This fight was to crown the one, true heavyweight champion.

Fight of the Century[link]

On March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, Frazier and Ali met in the first of their three bouts which was widely called the "Fight of the Century" in pre-bout publicity and the press feeding frenzy.^[17] With a worldwide television audience and an in-house audience that included luminaries such as Frank Sinatra (as a photographer for Life magazine to get a ringside seat), comedian Woody Allen, singer Diana Ross and actors Dustin Hoffman and Burt Lancaster (who served as "color commentator" with fight announcer Don Dunphy), the two undefeated heavyweights met in the kind of media-frenzied atmosphere not seen since Joe Louis' youth.

Several factors came together for Frazier in this fight. He was 27 years old and at his lifetime peak boxing-wise, physically and mentally, while Ali, 29, was coming back from a three-year absence but had kept in training, taking on Frazier three months after a bruising battle with Oscar Bonavena, whom Ali had defeated by a TKO in 15. Joe did his 'homework' training with famed coach Eddie Futch, who had developed a strategy based on Ali's tendency to throw the right-hand uppercut from a straight standing position after dropping the hand in preparation to throw it with force. Futch instructed Frazier to watch Ali's right hand and, at the moment Ali dropped it, to throw a left hook at the spot where they knew Ali's face would be a second later. Frazier's major staggering of Ali in the 11th round and his knock-down of Ali in the 15th were both executed precisely in this way.

In a brutally competitive contest, Frazier lost a number of early rounds but took Ali's combinations without backing down. As Ali started to slow in the middle rounds, Frazier came on strong, landing hard shots to the body as well as the powerful left hooks to the head.

Consequently, Frazier won a clear, 15-round, unanimous decision. Ali was taken to the hospital immediately after the fight to have his badly swollen jaw x-rayed and Frazier spent time in the hospital during the ensuing month, the exertions of the fight having been exacerbated by his existing health problems, such as hypertension and a kidney infection. Some time later he fought a 3-round exhibition against Cleveland Williams.

In 1972, Frazier successfully defended the title twice, beating Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, both by knockout, in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. It's worth noting Daniels had drawn with Jerry Quarry and Stander had KO'd Earnie Shavers.

Loses title to George Foreman[link]

Ultimately, Frazier lost his undefeated record of 29–0 and his world championship, at the hands of the unbeaten George Foreman on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. Despite Frazier being the overall favorite, Foreman towered 4" over the shorter, more compact champion and soon dominated the brief bout as Frazier came in too open. Two minutes into the first round, Frazier was knocked down. After being knocked down a sixth time referee Arthur Mercante, Sr. stopped the contest. It was the first two knockdowns that were decisive.

Frazier won his next fight, a 12-round tough decision and floored Joe Bugner in London to begin his quest to regain the title. Many felt it was Bugner's best career effort.

Mid 1970s[link]

Frazier's second fight against Ali took place on January 28, 1974, in New York City. In contrast to their previous meeting, the bout was a non-title fight, with Ali winning a clear 12-round unanimous decision.

Five months later, Frazier again battled Jerry Quarry in Madison Square Garden, with a wicked left hook to the ribs by Frazier ending the fight in the fifth round.

In March 1975, Frazier again fought Jimmy Ellis, the man from whom he had originally taken the WBA title, in Melbourne, Australia, knocking him out again in nine rounds. The win again established him as the number one heavyweight challenger for the title that was now held by Ali, following an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" in October 1974.

Thrilla In Manila[link]

Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City (a district within the metropolitan area of Manila), the Philippines, on October 1, 1975: the "Thrilla in Manila." Ali took every opportunity to mock Frazier, again calling him '"The Gorilla," and generally trying to irritate him.

The fight was far more action-filled than the previous encounter, and was a punishing display on both sides under oppressively hot conditions. During the course of the fight, Ali said to Frazier, "They said you were through, Joe." Frazier's terse reply quickly followed: "They lied, pretty boy." After 14 grueling rounds, Eddie Futch stopped the fight after Frazier was determined to finish the fight despite both eyes being swollen shut. Ali won the battle, but said afterward that it was the closest he ever felt to death.^{[citation needed]}

Foreman again[link]

In 1976, Frazier (32–3) personally wished to retry against George Foreman. With a shaved head for a new image Frazier fought well enough, somewhat more restrained than usual, avoiding walking onto the big shots which he had done in their first match. However, Foreman awaited his moment and then lobbed in one tremendous left hook that lifted Frazier off his feet. After a second knock down it was stopped in the fifth. Joe retired.

Frazier made a cameo appearance in the movie Rocky later in 1976 and dedicated himself to training local boxers in Philadelphia, where he grew up, including some of his own children. He helped train Duane Bobick a while.

Music career[link]

During the late 1970s, Frazier created a soul-funk group called "Joe Frazier and the Knockouts," being mentioned in Billboard and recording a number of singles. Joe toured widely all over the USA and Europe including Ireland where among other places he performed in Donegal and Athy Co Kildare with his band the Knockouts

1980s comeback and coaching career[link]

In 1981, Frazier attempted a comeback. He drew over 10 rounds with hulking Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings in Chicago, Illinois. It was a bruising battle with mixed reviews. He then retired for good.

After that, Frazier involved himself in various endeavors. Among his sons who turned to boxing as a career, he helped train Marvis Frazier, a challenger for Larry Holmes's world heavyweight title and trained his daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde, whose most notable fight to date was a close points loss against Laila Ali, the daughter of his rival.

Frazier's overall record was 32 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw, with 27 wins by knockout. He won 73 percent of his fights by knockout, compared to 60 percent for Ali and 84 percent for Foreman. He was a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.

In 1986, Frazier appeared as the "corner man" for Mr. T against Roddy Piper at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum as part of WrestleMania 2. In 1989, Frazier joined Ali, Foreman, Norton and Holmes for the tribute special Champions Forever.

Media appearances[link]

Frazier appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons ("Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?") in 1992, in which he was supposed to have been beaten up by Barney Gumble in Moe's Tavern. Frazier's son objected and Frazier was instead shown beating up Gumble and putting him in a trash can. Frazier appeared in another episode of The Simpsons ("Homer's Paternity Coot") in 2006. He appeared on-screen in the 8th series of The Celebrity Apprentice (USA) television show as a guest-attendee at the Silent Auction event held for the season finale (won by Joan Rivers). Frazier appeared as himself in the Academy Award winning 1976 movie, Rocky. Since the debut of the Fight Night series of games, Frazier appeared in Fight Night 2004, Fight Night Round 2, Fight Night Round 3, Fight Night Round 4 and Fight Night Champion, games made by EA Sports.

Autobiography[link]

Frazier released his autobiography in March 1996, entitled Smokin' Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, Smokin' Joe Frazier. Frazier promoted the book shortly before its release with a memorable appearance on The Howard Stern Show on January 26, 1996.^[18]

Financial issues and legal battles[link]

According to an article from The New York Times, "over the years, Frazier has lost a fortune through a combination of his own generosity and naïveté, his carousing, failed business opportunities, and a deep hatred for his former chief boxing rival, Muhammad Ali. The other headliners from his fighting days — Ali, George Foreman, and Larry Holmes — are millionaires." Asked about his situation, Frazier became playfully defensive, but would not reveal his financial status. "Are you asking me how much money I have?" he said. "I got plenty of money. I got a stack of $100 bills rolled up over there in the back of the room." Frazier blamed himself, partly, for not effectively promoting his own image.

His daughter Jackie Frazier-Lyde is a lawyer and worked on her father’s behalf in pursuit of money which they claimed he was owed in a Pennsylvania land deal. In 1973, Frazier purchased 140 acres in Bucks County, Pennsylvania for $843,000. Five years later, a developer agreed to buy the farmland for $1.8 million. Frazier received annual payments from a trust that bought the land with money he had earned in the ring. When the trust went bankrupt, the payments ceased.

Frazier sued his business partners, claiming that his signature was forged on documents and that he had no knowledge of the sale. In the ensuing years, the land was subdivided and turned into a residential community. The property is now worth an estimated $100 million.^[19]

Relationship with Muhammad Ali[link]

While Ali's characteristic taunts of his opponent began typically enough, after regaining his title, his taunts eventually turned personal. Joe was painted by Ali as the white man's hope and as an "Uncle Tom," interjecting a racial element into an already contentious and controversial series of great bouts. Bryant Gumble joined the pro-Ali, anti-Frazier bandwagon by writing a major magazine article that asked "Is Joe Frazier a white champion with black skin?", and many younger boxing fans who had no issues with Frazier sided with Ali in their feud because of their admiration for Ali's anti-war and anti-racism views (Frazier rarely spoke publicly about social or political issues).

Frazier petitioned U.S. President Richard Nixon to have Ali's right to box reinstated, setting up the whole series of matches. (Frazier had boycotted the 1967 WBA heavyweight elimination tournament to find a successor to Muhammad Ali, after the champion had been stripped of the title.)

After years of remaining bitter, Frazier told Sports Illustrated in May 2009 that he no longer held hard feelings for Ali.^[20]

Ali was among those who attended the private funeral services for Frazier in Philadelphia on November 14, 2011. The Rev. Jesse Jackson gave remarks during the service and at one point asked those in attendance to stand and "show your love." It was reported that Ali stood with the audience and clapped "vigorously."^[21]

Joe Frazier's Gym in Philadelphia

Frazier was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in Beaufort in 2010.^[22]

The New York Daily News editor-in-chief Kevin Convey (on the right) presented Frazier with the Daily News Front Page Award in 2011.

Later years[link]

Frazier lived in Philadelphia where he owned and managed a boxing gym. Frazier put the gym up for sale in mid 2009. He was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure. He and his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, alternated over the years between public apologies and public insults.^[23] In 1996, when Ali lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta, Frazier told a reporter that he would like to throw Ali into the fire.^[24] Frazier made millions of dollars in the 1970s, but the article cited mismanagement of real-estate holdings as a partial explanation for his economic woes. Frazier stated repeatedly that he no longer had any bitter feelings towards Ali.

Frazier continued to train young fighters, although he needed multiple operations for back injuries sustained in a car accident. He and Ali reportedly attempted a reconciliation in his final years, but in October 2006 Frazier still claimed to have won all three bouts between the two. He declared to a Times reporter, when questioned about his bitterness toward Ali, "I am what I am."

Frazier attempted to revive his music interests in late 2009/2010 notably popular for singing 'Mustang Sally' both Frazier and manager Leslie R. Wolff teamed up with Welsh Rock Solo artist Jayce Lewis to release his repertoire in the U.K, later visiting the Welshman in U.K to a host a string of After dinner Speeches and music developments, it would notably be Frazier's last U.K appearance.^[25][26]

Death[link]

Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011. Within a few weeks, the cancer had metastasized. By November 2011, he was under hospice care, where he died on November 7.^[1][27][28] Upon hearing of Frazier's death, Muhammad Ali said, "The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration."^[29][30][31] Frazier's private funeral took place on November 14 at the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia and in addition to friends and family was attended by Muhammad Ali, Don King, Larry Holmes, Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, among others. He was later buried at the Ivy Hill Cemetery, a short drive from the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church.^[32][33]

In popular culture[link]

• Some of the most memorable moments in the 1976 boxing-themed feature film, Rocky — such as Rocky's carcass-punching scenes and Rocky running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, as part of his training regimen — are taken from Frazier's real-life exploits, for which he received no credit. Though ironically he makes a cameo appearance promoting the fight between Rocky and Apollo. He challenges the latter to a fight.^[34]
• In March 2007, a Joe Frazier action figure was released as part of a range of toys based on the Rocky film franchise, developed by the American toy manufacturer, Jakks Pacific.^[35][36]
• In the Wu-Tang Clan's first single "Protect Ya Neck," Inspectah Deck name-drops Joe Frazier in his opening rhymes.
• On the remix of DJ Khaled's, "I'm So Hood," Lil Wayne raps, "It Go Down Like Frazier And I Aint Talking Kelsey Grammer." This is a reference to Joe Frazier and not the titular character in the television series Frasier.
• As a result of his physical resemblance to Frazier, West Indian cricketer Sir Vivian Richards was nicknamed "Smokin' Joe" or "Smokey" during his youth when he was an amateur boxer in Antigua.
• In the Punch-Out!! series, the character Mr. Sandman is similar to Frazier.

Professional boxing record[link]

32 Wins (27 knockouts, 5 decisions), 4 Losses (3 knockouts, 1 decision), 1 Draw[37]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Draw	32-4-1	Floyd Cummings	MD	10	03/10/1981	International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss	32–4	George Foreman	TKO	5 (12)	15/06/1976	Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, United States	For NABF Heavyweight title. Frazier was knocked down twice in the 5th round.
Loss	32–3	Muhammad Ali	RTD	14 (15)	01/10/1975	Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines	Fight known as The Thrilla in Manila. For The Ring, WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. 1975 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine. Weigh-in was 5 days in advance of bout.
Win	32–2	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	9 (12)	02/03/1975	St Kilda Junction Oval, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Fight stopped on advise of Ellis' corner.
Win	31–2	Jerry Quarry	TKO	5 (10)	17/06/1974	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Loss	30–2	Muhammad Ali	UD	12	28/01/1974	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	For NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	30–1	Joe Bugner	PTS	12	02/07/1973	Earls Court Arena, Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom	Bugner down in the 10th round.
Loss	29–1	George Foreman	TKO	2 (15)	22/01/1973	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. 1973 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine. Frazier was knocked down three times in the 1st round and three times in the 2nd round.
Win	29–0	Ron Stander	TKO	5 (15)	25/05/1972	Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, United States	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	28–0	Terry Daniels	TKO	4 (15)	15/01/1972	Rivergate Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	27–0	Muhammad Ali	UD	15	08/01/1971	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Fight known as The Fight of the Century. Retained WBC & WBA & won The Ring Heavyweight titles. 1971 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine. Ali was knocked down in round 15.
Win	26–0	Bob Foster	KO	2 (15)	18/11/1970	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States	Retained WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	25–0	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	5 (15)	16/02/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Won vacant WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. Retained NYSAC Heavyweight title.
Win	24–0	Jerry Quarry	TKO	7 (15)	23/06/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained NYSAC Heavyweight title. In between rounds 7 and 8 the referee stops the fight because of the bad cut to Quarry's eye. 1969 Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine.
Win	23–0	Dave Zyglewicz	KO	1 (15)	22/04/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States	Retained NYSAC Heavyweight title. This bout was also recognized as being for the World Heavyweight title by Texas as well by IL, PA, ME and MA.
Win	22–0	Oscar Bonavena	UD	15	10/12/1968	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Retained NYSAC Heavyweight title. This bout was also recognized as being for the World Heavyweight title by Texas as well by IL, PA, ME and MA
Win	21–0	Manuel Ramos	TKO	2 (15)	24/06/1968	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained NYSAC Heavyweight title. Ramos down twice in the 2nd. Also recognized as being for the World Heavyweight title fight by IL, PA, ME and MA
Win	20–0	Buster Mathis	TKO	11 (15)	04/03/1968	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Won vacant NYSAC heavyweight title. Recognized as World Heavyweight title fight also in IL, PA, ME and MA
Win	19–0	Marion Connor	TKO	3 (10)	18/12/1967	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, United States	Bout was stopped after Connor rose from a knockdown.
Win	18–0	Tony Doyle	TKO	2 (10)	17/10/1967	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	First main event held at the brand new Spectrum.
Win	17–0	George Chuvalo	TKO	4 (10)	19/07/1967	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	16–0	George Johnson	UD	10	04/05/1967	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	15–0	Jefferson Davis	TKO	5 (10)	11/04/1967	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	14–0	Doug Jones	KO	6 (10)	21/02/1967	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Gate: $46,432, according to wire reports, was the largest gate in the 47 year history of the Arena.
Win	13–0	Eddie Machen	TKO	10 (10)	21/11/1966	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	12–0	Oscar Bonavena	MD	10	21/09/1966	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Frazier was knocked down twice in the 2nd round. On October 6, 1966, Bonavena is stripped of the Argentinian Heavyweight title.
Win	11–0	Billy Daniels	RTD	6 (10)	25/07/1966	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Daniels did not come out for the 7th round. He was knocked down once in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th rounds.
Win	10–0	Memphis Al Jones	KO	1 (10)	26/03/1966	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	9–0	Chuck Leslie	KO	3 (10)	19/05/1966	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	8–0	Don Smith	KO	3 (10)	28/04/1966	Convention Hall, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States	Smith went down in the 1st round from a left hook, and then went down for the count in the 3rd from another left hook.
Win	7–0	Charley Polite	TKO	2 (10)	04/04/1966	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	6–0	Dick Wipperman	TKO	5 (8)	04/03/1966	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	5–0	Mel Turnbow	KO	1 (8)	17/01/1966	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Turnbow was knocked out by a left hook.
Win	4–0	Abe Davis	KO	1 (8)	11/11/1965	Hotel Philadelphia Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	3–0	Ray Staples	TKO	2 (6)	28/09/1965	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	2–0	Mike Bruce	TKO	3 (6)	20/09/1965	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Frazier had an "8" count in 1st round.
Win	1–0	Woody Goss	TKO	1 (6)	16/08/1965	Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States	Goss down once. The referee stops the bout due to excess holding from Goss following the knockdown.

See also[link]

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• Notable boxing families

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Hoffer, Richard (November 21, 2011). "Joe Frazier 1944—2011". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1192235/index.htm. Retrieved November 30, 2011. 

External links[link]

	Book: Joe Frazier
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