Joe Frazier

Joseph William Joe Frazier known as Smokin Joe is a former Olympic and World Heavyweight boxing champion whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976 with a brief comeback in 1981 Frazier emerged as a contender in the mid1960s defeating Jerry Quarry Oscar Bonavena Buster Mathis Eddie Machen Doug Jones and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970 and followed up by defeating Muhammad Ali in the highlyanticipated Fight of the Century in 1971 Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman He launched a comeback beating Joe Bugner losing a rematch to Ali and beating Quarry and Ellis again Fraziers 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 He is an inductee of both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame Fraziers style was often compared to that of Henry Armstrong dependent on bobbing weaving and wearing down his opponents with relentless pressure His best known punch was a powerful left hook which accounted for most of his knockouts Compared to Alis style he was close enough to the ideal bruiser that some in the press and media characterized the bouts as the answer to the classic question What happens when a boxer meets with a brawler Since retiring Frazier has made cameo appearances in several Hollywood movies and two episodes of The Simpsons His son Marvis also became a boxer trained by Frazier himself although was unable to emulate his fathers success Frazier continues to train fighters in his gym in Philadelphia His later years have also seen the continuation of his bitter rivalry with Ali in which the two periodically exchange insults interspersed with brief reconciliations