Short and sweet on this one. Just a few thoughts on the loss of Joe Frazier.
I am old enough that I was able to see Joe fight several times on TV.
He gave his all every time in the ring. It was a pleasure to watch him work. His career was one big highlight reel. (Go to YouTube to see his dramatic KOs of Bob Foster, and Jimmy Ellis as well as his wars with Jerry Quarry.)
In his prime he stood just under 6 feet and weighed about 210 lbs. In this era of BIG heavyweights who stand 6?5 and weigh in at 250+ I am sure that everyone of those guys thanks God everyday that they don?t have to look across the ring and see Joe Frazier standing in the other corner. He was a good man. RIP Joe. You earned it. — David, Nashville
You said it best, David, ?he gave his all every time in the ring.? And he did so during the two decades when the heavyweight division was deeper than it ever had been or probably ever will be — the 1960s and 1970s.
Frazier was taking the fight to bona-fide top-10 contenders Oscar Bonavena and George Chuvalo, as well as seasoned former title challengers Eddie Machen and Doug Jones, within the first two years of his career.
His relentless pressure, bone-cracking power, and underrated speed (of hand and foot) was usually enough to overwhelm even the toughest veterans, but even when they put it back on Frazier — as Bonavena did — Smokin? Joe never stopped steamin?. That?s what made him special. His boxing legacy was basically secured with his victory over Muhammad Ali in their epic first fight, but I was always just as impressed with his losing performances against George Foreman.
Why? Because he kept getting up every time he was smashed to the canvas by his bigger, younger, fresher, stronger and more powerful adversary.
I didn?t appreciate Frazier in the 1970s. I became aware of the sport through Ali, when the ultimate showman was well into his second championship reign (?77-?79). Frazier was already history by then. But I became aware of him as I evolved into a hardcore fan in the late 1980s. I watched videos of his fights, particularly his trilogy with Ali, and quickly gained the same level of respect for Frazier as I held for ?The Greatest.?
