5 Reasons Why Muhammad Ali Needed Frazier More Than Smokin' Joe Needed Him

When I heard the sad news that Joe Frazier passed away last week at the age of 67 from liver cancer, I immediately thought of Muhammad Ali.

It’s hard not to think of “The Greatest” when the topic is “Smokin’ Joe.” The two Hall of Fame pugilists were forever linked the night of March 8, 1971, when their bout at Madison Square Garden, dubbed simply “the Fight,” instantly became one of the greatest athletic events of the century. But they fought two more times as well, in an era where the heavyweights in boxing were among the best ever, a fact that only made their epic battles even more legendary.

But I think of Joe as being much more than “the B side to Muhammad Ali,” as ESPN.com writer Dan Rafael  wrote.  In fact, I think Ali needed Frazier more than Joe needed him.  Here’s why:

1.  While both boxers arrived undefeated for “The Fight,” Smokin’ Joe was the champ, having claimed the title while Ali was banished from the sport after refusing induction into the military during the Vietnam War.

Ali was considered the “People’s Champion,” because he hadn’t lost his title in the ring. But in order to regain his true crown, he needed to beat the Philadelphian inside the squared circle.

Frazier even petitioned President Richard Nixon for Ali to be reinstated. He ultimately was, but lost to Frazier in an epic battle.

2. That only meant Ali needed to avenge the loss, even after George Foreman dropped Frazier six times in their slugfest in Kingston, Jamaica. Ali had to get Smokin’ Joe back into the ring and defeat him definitively in order to establish his legacy as “The Greatest.” This time, he did beat him.

3.  But that fight wasn’t for the world title. Their third and final bout was, however, after Ali used the “rope-a-dope” to expose—and ultimately knock out—Big George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, in “The Rumble in the Jungle.”

Now, Ali absolutely needed to beat Frazier in their rubber match, “The Thrilla in Manila,” which ended up being the best of the trilogy.

One of the greatest spectacles of strength and stamina ever witnessed in sports, the fight saw both legendary boxers leave everything in the ring. Shortly after, Ali was quoted as saying, “That’s the closest I’ve come to death.”

4.  Joe’s quiet demeanor was exactly what Ali needed to hype their rivalry. The taunts of “gorilla” and “Uncle Tom,” while hurtful, were directed at an opponent who couldn’t respond in kind because it wasn’t in his nature. As such, they were key to Ali establishing their rivalry. While a master at it, Ali couldn’t have pulled it off such promotional gold if Joe were someone else.

5.  Frazier was a phenomenal fighter, a banger with one of the best left hooks in the business and a heart  bigger than that of his adopted city’s Rocky Balboa. Let’s not forget he also was an Olympic gold medalist, too. If he weren’t the ying to Ali’s yang, Ali never would have become larger than life.

All throughout boxing history, great fighters are linked together, the result of having engaged in memorable battles: LaMotta-Robinson, Graziano-Zale, Saddler-Pep, Basilio-Saxton, Ward-Gotti, etc. But there was no union more necessary than the Ali-Frazier marriage, where “The Greatest” required a very specific partner in order to make history. And that says more for—and about—Frazier than it does Ali.

So down goes Frazier, finally and forever. Rest in peace, Champ.