Former heavyweight champ Joe Frazier dies of cancer at 67

Joe Frazier, a tough, underrated heavyweight boxer from Philadelphia and one of the sport's fiercest competitors who spent a lifetime playing second fiddle to his nemesis, Muhammad Ali, died Monday night from liver cancer. Frazier was 67.

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By Bebeto Matthews, AP
Heavyweight boxing legend Joe Frazier has died at age 67.


Heavyweight boxing legend Joe Frazier has died at age 67.
Frazier was diagnosed with cancer in late September, said his personal and business manager, Leslie Wolff. He had made several personal appearances since then.

Though there was lingering animosity between Frazier and Ali for more than 40 years, their names became synonymous with each other. Ali and Frazier. Frazier and Ali. It was almost as if you couldn't say one without the other, said boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar, who covered their amazing trilogy of fights in the 1970s.

• PHOTOS: Frazier's life in photos

Frazier, who was known as "Smokin' Joe," was the first fighter to defeat Ali, putting the loquacious "Louisville Lip" on the canvas with his signature vicious left hook during their first fight, the so-called "Fight of the Century" in Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, one of the most epic ring battles of all time. Frazier went on to win by unanimous decision.

Both fighters were paid an unheard of sum of $2.5 million, far more than any boxer had ever been paid for a prize fight.
Frazier and Ali came into the match undefeated. Ali had gotten under Frazier's skin leading up to the fight, called him such names as "Uncle Tom," "ugly," "chump," "ignorant" and "dumb."

It was racial taunting at its worst, and it would affect Frazier for the rest of his life. Ali made it worse by continuing to taunt Frazier throughout their careers, calling Frazier a "gorilla" before their final fight in Manila.
In an interview with USA TODAY's Erik Brady two years ago, Frazier's bitterness came out in the form of religious bashing. Frazier believed Ali's Parkinson's Disease was God's judgment for Ali's Muslim beliefs.

"Regardless of who you are, you have to think one way, and the right way, to be accepted by the man above," Frazier said. "He calls the shots."

Asked if he could ever forgive Ali for gorilla, Uncle Tom, and the rest, Frazier said, "Sure . . . but the Man above, you'd better ask Him. . . . (Ali) must not pray. If you prayed, you'd have a better life than you have now. I'm 65 and I'm as strong as two bulls. So he must not bend down to the good Man above."

Ali and Frazier would meet twice more after the "Fight of the Century," and Ali won both, including the finale of their trilogy, the "Thrilla in Manila" on Oct. 1, 1975, one of the most brutal bouts in boxing history.
At one point during the slugfest, Ali whispered to Frazier during a clinch, "Ol' Joe Frazier. They told me you were washed up."
Frazier snorted back, "They lied, pretty boy."

Both men could barely stand by the end of the fight, and Frazier couldn't see, his eyes swelled shut.
By the end of the 14th round, Frazier had had enough. When he came back to his corner, his trainer, the legendary Eddie Futch, told him, "Sit down son. It's all over. Nobody will ever forget what you did here today."

Ali called that fight, fought in the extreme heat and humidity of The Philippines, "The closest thing to death."
Frazier, who fought just twice after the "Thrilla in Manila," finished his career with a 32-4-1 record. But his four losses came against two opponents, Ali and George Foreman, who handed Frazier the only two knockouts of his career.

Frazier's first knockout by Foreman is best remembered for Howard Cosell's iconic call, "Down goes Frazier!"
Frazier retired after the second loss to Foreman in 1976, but came out of retirement in 1981, and fought to a 10-round draw against Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings in Chicago. Then he hung up his gloves for good.

Frazier spent most of his years in retirement working with kids in his Philadelphia boxing gym, including two of his own who became boxers, son Marvis and daughter Jacqui. In an interesting twist, Jacqui Frazier Lyde, fought Ali's daughter, Laila Ali a decade ago. Ali won a majority decision. Jacqui went on to become a municipal court judge.

A few years ago, Frazier and Ali did a photo shoot together at Frazier's gym, which has since closed. Ali, now 69, said upon hearing the news that Frazier was terminally ill, "The news about Joe is hard to believe and even harder to accept. … Joe is a fighter and a champion, and I am praying he is fighting now."

Ironically, it was Frazier who petitioned President Richard Nixon to have Ali's boxing license reinstated after Ali refused induction into the Army during the Vietnam war. Frazier also boycotted a heavyweight tournament to crown a new champion after Ali was stripped of his title in 1967. They were friends then.

That was before their trilogy, and all the name-calling, much of which came from the brash Ali's penchant for poeticizing his fights and trying to get under his opponents' skin, not so much from his hatred of Frazier or anybody else.

Joseph William Frazier was born Jan. 12, 1944 in Beaufort, S.C. He fell in love with boxing as a child after watching such legendary figures as Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Marciano and Willie Pep on his parents' old black and white TV, and left Beaufort at the age of 15 to seek his fortune in boxing.

Frazier became a great amateur boxer and ended up making the 1964 U.S. Olympic boxing team, where he won a heavyweight gold medal in Tokyo in 1964.