Joe Frazier Death: How Smokin' Joe Changed Boxing for the Better

A man that never backed from a fight just lost his biggest battle. Joe Frazier will forever be known as one of the best to step into a boxing ring. Cancer may have taken his life, but it cannot deter the impact he had on this sport. 

One of the greatest heavyweights to strap on gloves was also an elusive genius. He worked the bob and weave into his arsenal and packed a wallop with his left. 

The man simply never gave up. He never relented to Muhammad Ali's barbs, never quit in the ring and had to come out of retirement once just to check with his body that it was indeed done for a career. 

If you ask what Smokin' Joe Frazier will be known for, you have to bring up the great Muhammad Ali into the mix. One played the part of straight man to the wild antics of the other. 

Boxing's hype and pre-fight buzz was given a modern spin and can still be seen in the barbs exchanged today. It took a long while before Frazier could ever forgive Ali for those exchanges. 

In a sport that mandates the fighter boast as big as he punches, Frazier was a dedicated worker that took out his grievances in the ring. He never relented, and hardly needed to set the stage with his words. 

The sport would be a better place if more fighters would take their cues from Frazier in that regard. What can be emulated is his tenacity that was second to none. 

He fought for the Gold medal in the 1964 Olympic Games. He took Muhammad Ali to the very limit of his talents in two fights that epitomized how popular this sport can be. 

Any amount of promise that current fights have for fans can be attributed to the Fight of the Century and the Thrilla in Manilla. Both fights were so grandiose that their ripples are still felt today. 

The reason that every marquee fight becomes a must-watch event with the promise of an epic night is due to 15 rounds of blood and sweat shared amongst legends. 

Joe Frazier never quit on anyone or in any round. It is for that reason that the sport was pushed to loftier heights. 

Fans flip on boxing matches expecting to see two men lay everything they have on the line. That feeling is passed down from tales and images of Frazier giving all he had. The sport lost a true legend, one that shaped the sport and the expectations of its fans.