Smokin' Joe Frazier Passes Away at age 67

[IronDanHamza]

R.I.P Joe.

Such a great fighter, warrior and left it all in the ring.

He will always be remembered as a great fighter.

[Jim Jeffries]

RIP champ. Smokin' Joe will live on in the hearts and minds of boxing fans all over the world.

A bit from an article I read earlier:

But my favorite Frazier anecdote comes from the first fight against Ali, in the Garden in 1971. Frazier would go on to win in a unanimous decision, dealing Ali his first professional loss. But Ali dominated the early rounds. If I remember the anecdote correctly, during one of these rounds Ali taunted Frazier, asking him “Joe, don’t you know I’m God?”

To which Frazier replied, “Lord, you’re in the wrong place tonight.”



http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...-daniel-foster

[The Monk]

I don't post much thesedays, but I felt compelled to pay my respects to Smokin' Joe.

One of the memories I have of growing up was watching classic fights on TV after my parents had gone to bed. My favourite fight was The Thrilla in Manilla and I had no qualms with it being repeated regularly and would sit through it each time with as much awe and excitement as the very first time I saw it. But it wasn't the skills of the winner that caught my eye, it was the heart and will of Frazier.

Rest easy champ.

[Capaedia]

Isn't it nice to see universal love and respect for Joe Frazier from so many different places?

From the likes of Lebron James to Don King and every boxing personality imaginable, nothing but respect.

[fight_professor]

Been at work all day, so only now replying. Damn sad news, Joe was a legend.

[GJC]

The quote below is taken from poster demigawd from another forum. It's just outstanding and shows what a fine human being Joe Frazier was:

Thats wonderful. Did cross my mind they might have told him in those last few hours that Foreman or Ali were coming back and he had 1st shot. Might well have got him jumping up to start his roadwork
For all he achieved in his career don't forget he was the son of a one armed sharecropper and the father of a lawyer, that's one hell of an achievement in one life.

[fight_professor]

Indeed.

Made a success from no start at all.

[DarkTerror88]

The quote below is taken from poster demigawd from another forum. It's just outstanding and shows what a fine human being Joe Frazier was:

That quote is so much like him. He and Eddie are doing good work up there.

When i went to the gym today, and i looked at the empty ring at 7:00 AM, i closed my eyes and saw all the footage he showed me of him shadow boxing in the ring. I would look at the speed bag and see him hitting it,i see him showing kids how to punch the double end bag, i see him slamming the 200lbs heavy bag, lifting it effortlessly with left hooks. I see him sitting in his chair, legs up on the desk, cane across his lap, newspaper outstretched, getting ready to start a day of hard work teaching kids. I can never walk into a boxing gym and look at it the same way again.

[Terry A]

And I bet he gave it hell.

As a very young boy who often got into trouble, stumbling into Joe Fraziers gym was the greatest thing to ever happen in my life. I was a reformed person. Under the tutelage of Joe, I learned the Ins and outs of boxing. I knew how to box like hearns, I know how to counterpunch, but I preferred to be a swarmer, because it was much more fun.

I was blessed with unnatural strength and an inhuman toughness and preserverance that greatly helped my boxing. But it was the dedication, work ethic, and never give up attitude that Joe Frazier instilled me that I take heart too. It helped my school grades and study habits, leading to high ACT scores and good grades. But it bettered me as person. As my role model, father figure, best friend, cornerman, trainer and figure of high respect. I will always rate Frazier as the toughest most determined man ever to enter the ring. He is for me the suprafighter, the best fighter in history. Is he the kind of boxer like Willie Pep? Is his resume as strong as Ezzard Charles? Perhaps not. But he trained and worked harder than any fighter before or after, and showed up with the intention to take you to hell and back.

The most remarkable human being I have ever met, my number 5 ATG heavyweight, my favorite fighter, undisputed heavy weight champion of the world, and perhaps the greatest win ever in the most important fight on March 4th 1971, Joe Frazier is my idol.


Farwell my old friend, the final bell has rung.

That's a very fine tribute to your mentor.

I was an amateur boxer & had a fight scheduled at the Palace Theater in Greensburg, Pa. This was in 1978-1979. Joe Frazier was in a singing group & was going to do some singing before & after the fights. I had always had a "man-crush" on Joe Frazier & when I was finally able to meet him, I was awestruck! I said "Hello Champ!" and we shook hands. I may have mumbled something, I don't know. I was smiling so broad & I was so pumped up!

Flash forward until I had my children. They knew my stories inside & out. One thing in particular I would do is sometimes, for no real reason, just say out loud "You've seen Joe Frazier?" This came from an interview Ali was doing before he fought Frazier the 2nd time I think, maybe before their 1st fight. Anyway, he was giving an interview & somebody in the crowd mentioned that Joe Frazier was coming into the same building. And Ali said "You've seen Joe Frazier??" The way he said it was a mixture of feigned fear & comedy. For some reason, that always stuck with me. Many times, for no reason, my kids would just say out loud "You've seen Joe Frazier?"

I'm sure many of us fight fans have special memories of our favorite fighters. Some may be silly like mine. Some are poignant like Dark Terror's. But they're now in our heads and our hearts. Great memories from a great warrior!

When I heard he passed, I didn't cry out loud. But I was close. That big lump in your throat. The tears just waiting to roll. It's the end of an era. One link from the golden days of heavyweight boxing is now gone. He will not be replaced.

May God bless his family, loved ones and friends with peace and many fond memories. And may God bless Joe Frazier.

[Terry A]

The quote below is taken from poster demigawd from another forum. It's just outstanding and shows what a fine human being Joe Frazier was:

In a thread full of really good posts, that was an outstanding story Bat! Thank you for sharing it with us!