R.I.P. Smokin' Joe Frazier

"The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration." -Muhammad Ali

It's 1971 and we are in Madison Square Garden.

Frank Sinatra and Diana Ross are among those watching with us. After a three-year ban from professional boxing for dodging the Vietnam draft, the great Muhammad Ali is back and is ready to reclaim the title that was stripped from him...

The match between Ali and Smokin' Joe Frasier was supposed to be Ali's glorious comeback. But, 15 unanimous rounds later, the great Frazier beat Ali down and took the belt.

In the fight of the century, one of the greatest boxers of the last 100 years (not named Muhammad) took the bout.

Celebrities like Dustin Hoffman and Burt Lancaster watched in amazement as Ali staggered and hit the canvas. Nobody could believe it.

Even Muhammad's cornerman Drew Bundini Brown couldn't rhyme his way out of this one. You can see from the original footage—or in the movie Ali where Brown is portrayed perfectly by Jamie Foxx—that Brown's trademark elation has been replaced by real emotion.

Ali had been beat fair and square by a champion.

Yesterday, we lost a true legend and sports great in Joe Frazier. Frazier died after bravely battling liver cancer.

Although he is no longer with us, he leaves behind an incredible, lasting legacy.

Not only did he beat the best, he won a gold medal to go with his title belt. Tokyo saw just how good he was in 1964—as did the 27 opponents who caught just a glimpse of his potent, powerful left-hook before they were knocked out cold.

Frazier fought 37 times and only lost four times. Along with one draw, that makes for 32 incredible wins. Only five of them lasted to the final bell.

Few could go toe to toe with Joe. The 5' 11" boxing dynamo would stand up to anybody. Only the sheer sand-bagging power of the giant George Foreman or a Thrilla in Manilla could beat him.

Frasier was no gorilla either. He was a lion: proud, regal, brave and roaring with power and passion. That's why the heavyweight talent had his gloves put on display in both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Like a bull in a china shop, anyone stepping in this bruiser's ring was in for some damage.

Sure, boxing in the shadow of the ultimate sports icon Ali will take a lot of the spotlight off you—but Joe deserves more attention than he got (and not just in the wake of his death). Many who overlooked him owe him a lifetime of celebration.

Ali and Frazier's relationship had it's ups and downs (their daughters even fought), but Muhammad has recognised his greatest opponent was a true champion—a champion who took the title from him.

It's such a tragic shame that in Joe's later years he had such financial and physical difficulty. Still, good ole' Joe spent his time coaching young boxers in a small gym in Philadelphia.

This gym now should remain standing as an iconic piece of history—a place where one of the greatest-ever trained a new generation boxers. Those boxers learned from one of the best.

Joe Frazier should never have been, and should never again be, taken for granted. We have lost a great in Frazier, but Joe's legacy will still be "smokin'' for a long time after this sad day.