R.I.P. Smokin Joe

[Tim_T]

One of the greats. A guy who never took a step backward and had one of the best left hooks in the game! R.I.P. Champ!

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxin...cer/51118056/1

[MsgMills]

Yeah he was a great fighter...Seems awful strange that they just came out with the news of his cancer and how bad it was. Then not even what 3 days later he dies from it...His family done a nice job of hiding his condition from the world...I do wish more people done this sort of thing and let families deal with stuff like this on their own, instead of telling the whole world about it......

[DJD]

Agreed. I enjoyed his fights and his hard-nosed attitude in the ring. He was old school and I liked that. R.I.P. Joe.

[Chubminnow]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyezmRI-7cE

I remember all of us boys in grade school....Ali verses Frazier, Frazier verses Ali...we'd bet our lunch money back in the day, lol...or we'd bet something, maybe we'd give up the chocolate milk at lunch or something...these Frazier Ali fights was all the rage amongst young and old alike.

[Tim_T]

Yeah he was a great fighter...Seems awful strange that they just came out with the news of his cancer and how bad it was. Then not even what 3 days later he dies from it...His family done a nice job of hiding his condition from the world...I do wish more people done this sort of thing and let families deal with stuff like this on their own, instead of telling the whole world about it......

Yeah I believe they said he was diagnosed with it in September. Sounds like they kept it under wraps until he was about to pass.

[Tim_T]

I hope you guys don't mind but I have a funny story that involves Joe Frazier. In 1989 I boxed in Atlantic City on a USA Network card. We also had a heavyweight from Louisville that fought on the card. Joe Frazier had a couple of fighters from his gym on the card. Later that night we went down to the casino because we had been told that our heavyweight was about to get in a fight with someone there. We saw him in the corner with a bunch of security around him and when we asked our guy what was going on he said: "Joe Frazier don't like nobody talking to his daughter!"

Yep our heavyweight was about to get his azz whipped by an old Joe Frazier.

Joe has had a lot of health issues, the three fights with Ali took a huge physical toll on both of them. Joe held a grudge against Ali for years. He didn't like the way Ali called him the gorilla and things of that nature. Lot of people don't know this, but when Ali was banned from boxing for not going to Vietnam, Frazier, who was heavyweight champion at the time, used to give Ali money to help him out.

Joe was on lots of medication and he liked his bottle as well. His boxing gym in Philly has produced some dynamite fighters.

If you want a couple of good books about the two, read Frazier's autobiography "Smokin Joe" and also a book by Mark Kram titled "Ghosts of Manilla" abiout the Ali-Frazier trilogy.

Btw I think Frazier was the victim of a bad decision in their second bout and the third fight in Manilla he might have been winning as well before his trainer Eddie Futch stopped the fight before the start of the 15th round.

[DJD]

Thats pretty funny!....and I can't imagine the mental anguish he went through trying to live up to Ali or at leaast living his Ali's shadow.

[HURRICANEBOB]

So if they met, would Joe have knocked out Rocky?

[Tim_T]

I could write a book about all of the Ali myths, lies whatever you want to call them. The Ali legend is such a fraud that it is not even funny.

[offdtop]

I watched the 3rd fight last night and what was funny is that Ali collapsed in the ring seconds after finding out Joe's corner threw in the towel!!!! He was utterly exhausted and I think one good smokin Joe left hook would have floored Ali!!!

[DJD]

I was never an Ali fan. I respected his abilities and laughed at his antics but always wanted someone to know his teeth out. To this day I never support or like the big mouth in sports.

Folks like Sanders, T.O., Ocho and others are on my list of wanting to see get jacked up by their opponent. Same goes for coaches...big mouth talkers and grand standing is good for ratings and for yukking it up but I can't stand it.

I like the guy who shows up for work, does his job and lets his actions do the talking.