Smokin' Joe

Joe Frazier died on November 7. Did the media ignore this or was I zoned out on quaaludes? I didn't see a lot of coverage.
Maybe a result of toiling in the shadow of Muhammad Ali.
Frazier was the enemy to me because I worshipped Ali. Still do. Early in Ali's career I was too young to stay up and watch the fights but I hungered to know. My father would watch the fight and leave me a note in my bedroom to wake up to. "Ali won in fifteen." That is a very fond memory of mine.
Frazier was the son of a South Carolina sharecropper and became heavyweight champ of the world. Amazing. "Undisputed Heavyweight Champ of the World." I love the sound of that. I want to become the "Undisputed Heavyweight Champ of the Written Word." I might have to start training a little harder.
That was back when being heavyweight champ really meant something. Wilbon and Kornheiser on PTI were talking about how people today talk about a great Super Bowl or World Series as an amazing spectacle. They made the point that no sporting event today can compare to the spectacle of heavyweight boxing back in Frazier's and Ali's day. I agree with extreme prejudice. Everybody watched, everybody talked about it, the media hype was enormous and it was just way cool.
Frazier beat Ali in their first bout in 1971 at Madison Square Garden, which was described at the time as The Fight of The Century. Frazier landed a thunderous left hook that smashed into Ali's jaw in the 14th round knocking him to the canvas. The memory of it makes me shudder even today. Frazier won by decision in 15. That blew my mind. Kind of like beating jesus at preaching. I suddenly realized that Ali was not invincible and Frazier is the man who taught me that lesson. They fought two more times. Ali won a twelve round decision in 1974 and then in 1975..............
The Thrilla in Manila. The hype, the spectacle, the insanity of it all was mind boggling. Mother Theresa herself had money on Ali, and she was sitting ringside yelling "Knock the son of a bitch out, he ain't even qualified to carry your jock."
Unbelievable fight. Brutal and punishing, but the spirit of both fighters shone brilliantly that day. Each refused to lose. Until the fifteenth when Frazier could not come out of his corner, his eyes practically swollen shut. Many consider it the greatest boxing match in history. Afterwards Ali said "It was like death. Closest thing to dying that I know of."
Ali is also quoted as saying: " Of all the men I fought, Sonny Liston was the scariest, George Foreman was the most powerful, Floyd Patterson was the most skilled as a boxer. But the roughest and toughest was Joe Frazier. He brought out the best in me, and the best fight we fought was in Manila."
High praise from the greatest boxer who ever lived.
I miss those days. Boxing is a joke now. Manny Paquiao boxes every other weekend and what passes for hype is embarrassing. I know he's not a heavyweight, give me a break. I'm just trying to make a point. I miss Ali and I respect the men who had the guts to get in the ring with him and, occasionally, beat him.
If Ali says Frazier is the toughest guy he ever fought, that's good enough for me. I can't say I followed Smokin' Joe's career, I was too busy worshipping at the alter of Muhammad. But understanding his greatness through Ali's eyes tells me that the world has lost another great one.