Legendary boxer Joe Frazier dead at 67

Hall of Fame heavyweight Smokin' Joe Frazier died Monday night after losing his battle with liver cancer. He was 67 years old.

Word of Frazier's illness just came to light last week, but associates said he had been diagnosed early in October and had been receiving hospice treatment since then in Philadelphia, where he lived.

"The family called to tell me he was at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital," said Joe Hand Sr., one of the original managers of Cloverlay, the company that promoted Frazier when he became heavyweight champion in 1968 by defeating Buster Mathis for the New York State Athletic Commission crown. "I wanted to come see him because I've known him since the 1964 Olympics, but he wasn't accepting visitors.

"Joe wasn't the greatest fighter in the world, but he had the biggest heart."

"The Greatest," of course, is the nickname for Muhammad Ali. Together with Frazier, they staged the most famous heavyweight trilogy in boxing history.

It came at a time of cultural and social upheaval during the '70s when America was polarized by the Vietnam War. As a conscientious objector who refused induction into the Army and subsequently was stripped of his title, Ali was embraced by the forces of change.

Frazier, who was the son of a South Carolina sharecropper and had been exposed to racial discrimination every bit as much as Ali, was adopted as the representative of the political establishment because his conduct was far more modest compared to the outspoken Ali. It wasn't a role for which Frazier asked, but he lived with it. "He was a gentleman," Hand said.

The first Ali-Frazier fight took place on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, matching the two unbeaten champions. Ali had returned to the ring five months earlier after being banned from boxing for three years until he won a unanimous Supreme Court decision.

"There was no doubt in my mind Joe was going to win that fight," Hand said.

When Frazier landed a left hook in the 15th round that knocked Ali down for only the third time in his career, it assured him of the unanimous decision. Two years later, Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KOs) lost the title when George Foreman knocked him down six times. One of the most famous ringside calls in boxing was delivered by television commentator Howard Cosell, who voiced the amazement all fans felt, saying, "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"

In 1973, Frazier and Ali met again in a 12-round non-title fight, and this time Ali won a unanimous decision. Ali regained the heavyweight title from Foreman the following year, and that set the stage for the famed "Thrilla in Manila," the third Ali-Frazier fight on Oct. 1, 1975. It took place on a hot, humid morning in the Philippines so it could be shown on prime-time closed-circuit television in the United States.

"The third fight in Manila was the greatest fight in history," said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who was Ali's promoter for the second and third Frazier fights. "I thought these guys were going to die in the ring. It was the most unbelievable fight. It was in the morning in Manila. When you walked out after that fight, everybody was stunned, and the sun was blazing bright. I'll never forget that."

The fans were stunned by the savagery of the exchanges between the two great fighters. Frazier was especially motivated to avenge all the insults that his opponent heaped on him during the promotion, including Ali saying he was "going to beat the gorilla in Manila."

Frazier gave it his all, but with both of his fighter's eyes swollen nearly shut, trainer Eddie Futch refused to let him go out for the 15th and final round. "It's over, son," Futch said.

In later years, Frazier regretted that Futch stopped the fight, but those who were at ringside agree it was the prudent thing.

"No, no, no, no," Arum said when asked if Futch erred. "He had to keep him on the stool. He couldn't see out of either eye. Eddie Futch did the right thing, totally the right thing."

Hand and Arum agreed Frazier never got over his anger toward Ali despite several attempts at reconciliation.