To pay respects to your fallen heroes is no easy task. It requires fortitude, objectivity and the rose-tinted view that only fond nostalgia can offer. It’s with these thoughts in mind that I pen this tribute to one ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier.
As a teenager, I spent many hours immersed in boxing history. VHS tapes of old fights took the place of TV shows for my weekend viewing.
My heroes were the leather-fisted warriors that looked back at me through black and white pictures. It was from these times that I first learned of Smokin’ Joe; the champ, the gold medallist, the left hook, the legend.
The former heavyweight champ was a giant in an era of behemoths. Though I’m too young to have been alive during the golden age of heavyweights, anecdotes from my elders have certainly left an impression.
My father vividly recalls the famous left hook that felled Ali in the ‘Fight of the Century’. My grandmother was present at the Araneta Coliseum during the famously brutal ‘Thrilla in Manila’ in 1975. They both spoke fondly of Frazier’s tenacity and resilience.
It’s impossible to praise Frazier without mentioning Muhammad Ali in the same breath.
Like Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson before them, these two will forever be remembered as bitter rivals. Unlike Robinson and LaMotta, the Frazier-Ali rivalry transcended the confines of the squared circle.
Their rivalry was one of political and social significance. Ali represented the opinionated and unsilenced black man that white America could no longer contain. Frazier was portrayed as the ‘Uncle Tom’ – the white man’s silent slave.
Frazier, who grew up in far more dire straits than Ali could have imagined, was far from being the subservient black man. Raised on a dirt farm, amidst widespread poverty and discrimination, Frazier was certainly never favoured to be a success.
To the more astute observers, he represented the hard-working everyman.
Far removed from Ali’s loud flair and charisma, Frazier plied his trade in silent efficiency. Where others would ham it up for the cameras, Frazier quietly went about his roadwork in heavy combat boots.
His left hook often spoke louder than any words he uttered.
Though Frazier continued to hold animosity against his nemesis for many years, there was always no denying that Smokin’ Joe’s accomplishments stood on their own pedestal.
Indeed, there are countless ways to remember him. In this humble writer’s eyes, he will always be the first man to silence Ali in 1971 and for a time, stood atop the boxing landscape as the very best.
He won the Fight of the Century, and now we bow our heads to commemorate his last battle.
“Life doesn’t run away from nobody. Life runs at people.”
The final bell has tolled for Smokin’ Joe.
Rest easy, champ.
Johnno
Guest
Yes your right Sheek if only the Wallabies would be just as assertive at home as when away the All Blacks can do it so should we.
sheek
Guest
Johno -it's all in the mind.....
Johnno
Guest
Well sheek i agree with you on most of your points. Forman was bigger,harder,stronger tougher, simply born more physically talented than Ali, which i think he was. But Ali own due to more boxing street smart, and mentally tougher and courage . But on rugby and i will ad soccer it is undeniable in my opinion at least that home ground advantage is not a factor in helping the home team. Only team who seem to not make playing away form home as an excuse to interfere int he pursuit of victory is the All bLACKS. Maybe why there world champions , have the best attitude, perhaps. But home ground advantage in both soccer and rugby helps a lot of the time with issues like familiar environment, and also the ref calls the 50/50 usually go the way of the home side simply ask the French about that one sheek, . The books record at home is unbelievably better than away form home, same with wallabies, our record last 10 years away form home against the top tier 1 nations has been pathetic i would say. And boks struggle to, a lot. Irleand are a different team in irleand at cork park or lansdowne rd,as are england a different team at twickenham. ANd the bulls and the books well they seem to eb able to beat any one at altitude except maybe the AB'S. And soccer well don't get me started there in win loss statistics . urugiay at home have not lost to Brazil in something like 40-50 years yes brazil, and barely ever lose to argentina, and australia of course. uruuguay almost unbeatable to win in Uruguay. And most soccer teams recors are amazing at home. Poland i read that they have never lost to England in Poland. And english soccer team have a terrible record winning in portugal. ANd all teams are super strogn at home in soccer, and rugby to just ask the boks how tough they are at home, and how impressive our record is at brisbane compared to say eden park or lofts or newlands or twickenham sheek. So home ground advantage lifts teams no doubt, just look how hard the west coast eagles and adelaide crows are to beat at home in AFL. Or who tough the canberra raiders are to beat at home on a cold saturday night sheek
sheek
Guest
Johnno, I've seen the doco 'When We were Kings' also, & you're right, the Congolese were all for Ali. Awesome doco BTW. But as if Foreman cared? He was impassive, focused on just one thing, whupping Ali, which he fully expected to do in no more than about 3 rounds. And put all those Congolese in their place at the same time. Foreman simply couldn't contemplate defeat - he was younger, bigger, stronger, harder, tougher. It would be a bloodbath, Ali's bloodbath. Johnno - it's doesn't matter where the fight was staged. That is irrelevant to what happened. Ali outsmarted Foreman, plain & simple. The fight was in Kinshasa, but it could have been in Manila, or New York, or Las Vegas, or London, or Moscow, or Bangkok, or Cairo, or Mumbai. It doesn't matter where the fight was held - Ali outsmarted Foreman! Ali would have outsmarted Foreman wherever the fight was staged. I don't why you're so obsessed with home ground advantage? In rugby, the game is played on a rectangle about 100 metres x 75 metres, with a halfway, & 2 x 22 metre lines, & about 7-10 metre dead ball lines. Pretty much the same dimensions everywhere. What goes on outside that rectangle, or ring, or diamond, or pitch, or court, or whatever, ought to be irrelevant to the professionally focused sportsman.
Johnno
Guest
A bit like having to accept the ALL BLACKS winning the world cup sheek . I am over that and wish ALL BLACKS well and the street parades well they were massive outpouring emotion only matched at least what i have seen by the springbok winning team in 1995 they were massive to those streets parade in south africa. And as for punishment sheek yes your right on Ali. We think the wallabies copped punishment and courage under fire vs the Boks sheek in Q/F RWC, well ALi copped 10 times more ,, plus he copped all that punishment in searing hot humid weather. ANd taking more hits to the head than in contact sport like rugby union, or rugby league or gridiron. Both fighters I watched the doco on Ali life during that fight in the congo When we were kings. Amazing story, and Ali got so much support where as Forman was viewed by the Congo public as the bad guy, a bit like how the BOKS, WALLABIES AND THE FRENCH were viewed by the NZ media and NZ public most notably of course poor old Quade, or should i say young Quade, NZ media didn't give Qaude an inch despite him being born in NZ, but Qaude i think to made some silly statements and brought up a lot of it on himself. But I watched that Ali V Forman fight sheek, and Ali copped a beating and remained victoruis and mentally crushed Forman no question at the end, despite the fact both fighters were almost literally dead, and the movie covered that both fighters suffered a lot of exhaustion after that fight and even lingering wear and tear and were never the same since. a bit like Dean jones double hundred in the tied test. Deano said a few years he was never the same after , and still suffered effecst to this day. But ali was a great warrior and so were all 3 i love joe fraziers no nonsense style a bit like sonny listen, and frazier grew up in impoverished levels a bit like iron mike tyson. But in netraul venue eg in USA sheek i think Forman would of won maybe, as he was effectively fighting Ali as if alI had home ground advantage and we know how hard the All Blacks are ot beat at home especially fortress eden park Sheek.
sheek
Guest
Johnno, You ignore perhaps the most important quality of all - intelligence. More talented? Where on earth did you get that from?? There are plenty of talented people walking around who never achieved. They didn't have the desire, perseverance & dedication to match their talent. Ali was every bit as talented as Frazier & Foreman, but he was also smarter. It's been well-documented that Ali wasn't the most powerful puncher, but he didn't need to be. His two 'aces' were his speed around the ring & his smarts. I can't believe you will dismiss history so easily. Ali beat Frazier two out of 3, what more do you want? The first time he fought Frazier & lost, it was only his second fight back after 3.5 years out of the ring. He was obviously underdone. And in the 3rd fight, he thought Frazier was washed-up & didn't train hard. The match was brutal, yet it was Ali who was underdone, & it was Ali who prevailed - even if only just. And he beat Foreman in their only fight - totally outwitted him. What more do you want? Foreman was the most fearsome sight in boxing I've ever seen, more so than Mike Tyson. Foreman was as hard as Tyson, but more clever. But not as clever as Ali. That's what it's all about. The other guy is stronger than you, then you find another way to beat him, a smarter way. Courage? Ali was as courageous as any of these guys, perhaps more so. Don't be deceived by the pretty face & pretty moves, he was as tough as any guy who ever stepped in a ring. And moral courage? Could you do what he did? Be willing to go to jail on a principle. And in a crazy country like America, also risk being killed. Ali had courage in spades, physical & moral. You know they talk about different boxing styles being akin to paper, rock, scissors - paper will wrap rock; rock will break scissors; scissors will cut paper. In boxing, style A will dominate style B; style B will dominate style C; style C will dominate style A. All 3 of them - Ali, Frazier, Foreman - were absolute legends. It's churlish to demean one while trying to elevate another. But history says Ali was the best of the 3, & you have to accept that whatever your personal feelings.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Johnno, I'll buy "hit harder" for Frazier and Foreman, but "tougher" ??? Did you *see* the Thrilla in Manilla, or the Rumble in the Jungle ? Foreman and Frazier hit harder. Ali had better footwork. They were all about as tough as each other.
Johnno
Guest
No i am of the same opinion midfielder, Joe Frazier and George Forman in my opinion were both more talented fighters than ALi , hit harder and tougher. Ali got some good designs against both fighters, and if the fight against foreman was held in USA, i think Forman would of won, instead it was held in congo where the crowd were all pro ALi and the build up the locals were all cheering for ALi. In USA Forman could of won, as a young george was a real athlete nothing like the middle aged George Forman we see now on tv, selling george forman grills.
Midfielder
Guest
IMO Smoking Joe was the better fighter and the better man... but I am almost alone in this view...