From The Thrilla To the Chiller-Smoking Joe Frazier RIP

The final bell has tolled for the first of a trio of the greatest heavyweights in the greatest era that heavyweight boxing has seen with the passing of Joe Frazier. Frazier. Muhammed Ali & George Foreman created the superfight between them in the early 70′s as they swapped the holy grail of pugilism between them with the first superfights.

The mark of Frazier is that when he lost “The Thrilla In Manilla” in 1975 by retiring in the 14th round, Ali conceded that he had never been closer to death. Frazier was the first man to beat the great Louisville lip & Ali exacted his revenge in & out of the ring with verbal & physical punches which scarred Frazier for life.

Only recently did Ali apologise to Smoking Joe for his comment that Frazier was “So ugly the tears ran down the back of his head” , one of the cruellest things that any sportsman had ever said of another. Frazier & Ali’s destinies were inter twined with Frazier replacing Ali as Olympic champion in 1964 in Tokyo after Cassius Clay as he was then, had taken gold in Rome in 1960.

Frazier went to the games as a replacement for Buster Mathis who had won the US trials but became ill on the eve of the games. Over the next six years Frazier worked his way up the ladder before landing a shot at Heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis, Frazier won to take the title with Ali serving a ban for refusing to fight in the Vietnam war.

He held the title until 1973 when the man acknowledged by all as the most brutal puncher in history George Foreman dethroned him. He fought Ali three times winning the opener, dubbed “the Fight Of The Century” but then lost twice to Ali including the epic slugfest in the Phillipines which will be the fight he will probably be best remembered for.

Even though he lost that night both he & Ali produced courage beyond compare in sweltering heat which saw both require hospitalisation after the fight.His record inside the ring in that most golden of eras was exceptional he lost to Ali & Foreman but he beat virtually everybody else whenever he laced up the gloves. For those of us of a certain vintage a part of us has died today, a part of our sporting genes has been taken away.

Smoking Joe Frazier we fans of pugilism salute you and thank you for this sporting life which has made you forever immortal, whenever great fighters are discussed Frazier, Ali & Foreman will forever be bound together in a brutal yet beautiful dance inside the ropes on the canvas of sporting brilliance- Farewell Joseph Marvis Frazier- we will seldom see your like again.

Bob "The Voice" McKenzie Twitter: @BobTheVoice About: