“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” - Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Joe Frazier was born in Beaufort County, South Carolina, on 12 January 1944, the 12th child born to his parents, who worked ten acres of poor farmland to feed the family. Joe was raised in a rural community and surrounded by despicable poverty, racism and injustice on a daily basis.
At age 15, Joseph William Frazier decided there must be a bigger and better world out there, and made his way on a Greyhound bus to New York City. This choice in Frazier’s life, along with his subsequent hard work and determination, led to Frazier becoming a boxing legend forever.
‘Smokin Joe’ became one of the greatest boxers of all time and one of the biggest hitters in heavyweight history, with one of the meanest left hooks ever seen.
He became a gold medalist at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and his subsequent professional career was the stuff of legend.
Frazier fought in an era of greats and became the first man to defeat ‘The Greatest’.
To be Muhammad Ali’s greatest rival and be the first man to defeat Ali in the ‘Fight of the Century’, one of the most anticipated and exciting fights in history between two undefeated champions, had already put Frazier well on the way to cementing a great legacy.
‘Greatness’ is an overused word in boxing. A word which should be strictly reserved for the most special figures and achievements, but can be dished out ever so easily. On that night, Frazier reached the highest level of greatness.
He defeated a host of top contenders, including the likes of Oscar Bonavena, Eddie Machen and Doug Jones. He then stopped the tough Canadian George Chuvalo and old amateur rival Buster Mathis Sr.
After defeating Jerry Quarry and unifying the titles against Jimmy Ellis to become undisputed champion, then beating the brilliant light-heavyweight Bob Foster, came the showdown against Ali on March 8, 1971.
The two legendary heavyweights engaged in an all-time classic, with Frazier’s light-switch of a left hook flooring Ali in the 15th round, but amazingly it wasn’t enough to keep 'The Greatest’ on the canvas. Nevertheless, this was Frazier’s finest hour, with Smokin Joe slashing away at Ali and prevailing after 15 gruelling rounds.
The pair entertained the world in the most historic and memorable trilogy in boxing history, concluding their great rivalry with the Thrilla in Manila in 1975, a bout considered by some boxing historians to be the sport’s greatest ever fight.
This was a savage, brutal fight that earned respect for both fighters, and essentially ended both fighters’ careers. Both men left a piece of themselves in the ring on that Philippines morning. Neither were ever the same again.
Ali won after Frazier’s loving and wise trainer, Eddie Futch, refused to allow Frazier to come out for the 15th and final round as his fighter was battered and near-blind. Such was the guts and bravery of Joe, he would have fought until death in the ring that night.
Frazier had just put Ali through ‘the closest thing to dying I know of’ as stated by Ali later and Frazier is a man who got knocked down six times by a formidable, monster-punching Foreman and got up every single time.
Few fighters can be named in history that were as game as Smokin’ Joe.
After Ali had beaten Foreman, the third fight was meant to be the pinnacle of Ali’s career as he was expected to beat a supposed washed up Frazier convincingly.
The way the fight unravelled surprised everybody, including Ali, and Frazier could not have given a better account of himself that night against The Greatest heavyweight of all time.
The late great from Philadelphia was laid to rest on Monday, November 7th 2011, aged 67, but legacy and memories never die.
Frazier achieved greatness with nothing but unconquerable will power and courage, although his formidable left hook also certainly helped matters, and he showed that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they possess unbreakable determination.
Mark Kram Jr., the author of Frazier’s biography titled “Smokin’ Joe”, also outlined Frazier’s loving and generous character outside of the boxing ring.
When Frazier once saw a legless man in a wheelchair trying to cross Broad Street with a can of kerosene in his lap, Kram said: “Joe pulled over, stopped in the middle of Broad Street, got out of the car in his fur coat and cowboy hat, picked the guy up and put him in his car and drove him home.”
Along with the numerous occasions Frazier would reportedly stop and help stranded motorists on the side of roads time and again, Smokin’ Joe left a real legacy not just in his boxing career, but as a human being.
As Ali was famously quoted: “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Safe to say, Frazier’s service on Earth was fulfilled.
A fitting manner to conclude a tribute to a great man and fighter would be to quote Kram: “In a sport that many think is inhumane, Joe had a great humanity.”
By Sina Latif for SimBoxx
Twitter; @_sina93
Comentários