Joe Frazier: Muhammad Ali Rivalry Highlighted Golden Age of Boxing

Smokin’ Joe Frazier was one of the greatest boxers to ever lace up the gloves, and the boxing world has been saddened to learn about his deteriorating health.

The 67-year-old is suffering from liver cancer and has been living in a Philadelphia hospice for the last month or so.

While Frazier’s case is a sad one, the one thing Frasier leaves to fans of boxing and history is the greatest feud in boxing history—Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali.

Ali and Frazier didn’t get along at the time of the feud, but patched things up later in life. Ali said publicly through a statement on Philly.com:

"

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. My family and I are keeping Joe and his family in our daily prayers. Joe has a lot of friends pulling for him, and I'm one of them.

"

The two men were juggernauts of the heavyweight division; it was their series of three fights that made boxing one of the biggest sports of the 1970s.

The first meeting of the men was billed as the "Fight of the Century" by the media. What they didn’t know then was that it was just the first fight in what would be the greatest trilogy of boxing history.

In the first fight, Frazier, the heavyweight title holder, beat Ali—after defending him to President Richard Nixon when Ali was barred from boxing for dodging the Vietnam War.

Their second fight grew even more personal when Ali attacked Frazier’s character and called him an “Uncle Tom”.

With the first fight having been such a success, the two fought again. Fans consider the second meeting to be the worst of the three fights because of all the clinching and lack of action.

Though some were disappointed by the second fight, the third meeting between the two men came to be known as “The Thrilla in Manila” and was widely regarded as one of the greatest fights in history.

The two battled in what can only be described as an all-out war, with Ali emerging as the victor.

Later in their lives, they both admitted that the other was the toughest opponent they had ever fought.

It will not be easy to lose a legend like Joe Frazier—he will always be remembered for the moments he gave us in his life.

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