Muhammad Ali drew the crowds, charmed the media and stole the show. But while Ali is deservedly remembered as “The Greatest,” it was Joe Frazier who defined what being a fighter was truly about.
Frazier, who died Monday in his Philadelphia home after a fight with liver cancer, is inextricably linked in boxing history with Ali. They competed in two of the most sensational bouts of all-time and defined an era with their fearsome rivalry.
Ali had nearly all of the physical advantages, but in the fight that remains the most significant in the sport’s history, it was Frazier who threw perhaps the perfect left hook to knock down Ali in the 15th round, punctuating a victory on March 8, 1971, in what will forever be remembered as “The Fight of the Century.”
Frazier rose from the most humble beginnings in Buford, S.C., to become a gold medalist and the world heavyweight champion, doing it through sheer will and perseverance. He fought in a classic bobbing-and-weaving style, working his way to the inside by attacking the body and then unleashing his money punch, the left hook.
He paid a heavy price to get inside, particularly in his bouts against Ali, but Frazier was fearless.
“I really and truly loved the guy,” promoter Bob Arum, who handled Ali, said. “He was a real man. He was a proud, great warrior who was everything that was great about boxing. It was one of my life’s great experiences knowing him.
“If I were in a war zone fighting against any enemy, the guy I would choose to have next to me was Joe Frazier. There was no quit in him and he was really a man.”