Smokin Joe RIP
 

Liver cancer, 67.

RIP

Hugh,

Am I reading this correctly? Joe Frazier, the world heavyweight, wanted to buy your wheel bearing?

Wtf mate.

I heard yesterday he was in grave condition.. that sucks..

It's true.
RIP Joe.
BBC News - Boxing ex-world champion Joe Frazier dies

From a different era, RIP Mr. Frazer.

Some great photos here.
‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier – Colorful Life of a Boxing Legend | News | National Post
67 is too young....

Was thinking of another joe on the board who PM'd me and then realized who the OP was referring to.

R.I.P. Smokin' Joe...You & Ali made the heavyweight division. Today's palookas couldn't hold a candle to either of you. :(

Billy...great set of pics! Thanks for the link.

Makes me want to cry...end of an era. I got to meet him once, he was picking up take-out food next to me @ a restaurant on Sunset. Charming guy. He was dripping in jewelry, (diamond encrusted watch, gold bracelet, etc.). An elderly lady next to us asked him if he wasn't afraid to walk around with that much ice on his arm. (I'm pretty sure that she had no idea who he was).

He bellowed, "Afraid of who?!!" :D

The rest of us in line fell over laughing. Man, the 20th century next to this one is like Sofia Loren next to Rosie O'Donnell. :(

Funny story, Denis. The younger set here may not realize just how big an event a Frazier/Ali fight was. Truthfully, a bigger spectacle than a super bowl!

Ali was the boisterous one in that fight. He prejudiced the country against Frazier. RIP.

Ali won because he psyched Joe out..Ali made him mad so he would charge like a bull in the ring. What Ali brought to the table was finesse, will and determination.

RIP he was tough as nails. I remember an interview he did on Howard Stern's show. He was mowing his lawn and ran over his foot with the mower and cut off one toe if I remember correctly. Howard asked him what did he do then ? The reply " I finished mowing the lawn " !!! Classic Frazier right there.

Joe Frazier was a truly amazing fighter. I grew up watching the Frazier/Ali battles. I still remember sitting on the carpet with my legs tucked underneath me oohing and ahhing - cheering - as these men battled.

I became hooked on boxing. Still love to watch a good match, still prefer heavy weight hard-hitting bouts.

RIP Joe...

angela

It truly was a different era. Today boxing isn't even on the radar of most people. Back then it was a major event. Had folks polarized.

RIP Mr. Frazier.

Cancer,F..k I hate that word.
hearing it way too much.

Another one from the "golden age" of the sport gone. One hell of a fighrt and one tough S.O.B. as he took 3 incredible beatings at the hands of Ali, the worst in the first fight where he was beaten almost unrecognizable and stayed on his feet.

He and Ali had the perfect clash of styles for great fights. My feeling is that the 2 of them gave their best in their 3 fights and took the last gasp of skill from one another in Manila.

I saw his last fight against Jumbo Cummings here in Chicago and it was sad to see him a shadow of his former self. The judges were kind and called it a draw.

RIP

Ah, the memories - Heavyweight boxing back then with Ali and Frazier were headlines. Funny now to think as kids to housewives, it was the talk. People purchased tickets to see the fights with live feeds at movie theatres. R.I.P. Joe

WARNING, OPINIONATED RANT AHEAD:



What CASSIUS CLAY brought to the table was bragging, draft-dodging, BS'ing, low-class self-promotion, rope-a-dope hiding in a corner and not fighting because he knew Joe's left hook would kill him if he actually tried to fight back.
If he was ever 1/10th as good as he pretended to be he could have beat 100 guys at a time.
Yes he beat frazier, well after frazier was past his prime. but he could not beat frazier at his peak.

IMO Most of what is wrong with sports today (especially the joke that boxing has become) can be traced directly or indirectly back to Cassius clay.
He'll get no respect from me.

At their peak, Frazer and Foremen were better fighters and men but Sugar Ray Leonard is still on top of my all time great list.
A great fighter and a class act all the way.

RIP Joe,thanks for the memories.