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Philadelphia's Own
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), also known as Smokin' Joe, -
Heavyweight Champion
An Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981. -
Wins World Championship
On February 16, 1970, Frazier faced WBA champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden. -
Muhammad Ali
Then came what was hyped as the "Fight Of The Century", his first fight with Muhammad Ali, who had launched a comeback in 1970 after a three year suspension from boxing. -
Perfect record and Champion belt lose
Ultimately, Frazier lost his undefeated record of 29–0 and his world championship, at the hands of the unbeaten George Foreman on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. -
2nd Fight vs. Ali
Frazier's second fight against Ali took place on January 28, 1974, in New York City. In contrast to their previous meeting, the bout was a non-title fight, with Ali winning a clear 12-round unanimous decision -
3rd Fight vs. Ali
Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City (a district within the metropolitan area of Manila), the Philippines, on October 1, 1975: the "Thrilla in Manila". Ali took every opportunity to mock Frazier, again calling him The Gorilla, and generally trying to irritate him. -
2nd Fight vs. Foreman
In 1976, Frazier (32–3) personally wished to retry against George Foreman -
Music Career
During the late 70's, Frazier created a Soul-Funk group called "Joe Frazier and the Knockouts", being mentioned in Billboard and recording a number of singles. -
Death
Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011. Within a few weeks, the cancer had metastasized. By November 2011, he was under hospital care, where he died on November 7
