He was
once a heavyweight boxing champion, and a great one at that. Mohammad Ali would say as much
after Joe Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the
first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971.
But he
bore the burden of being Ali's foil, and he paid the price. Bitter for years
about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Joe Frazier only in
recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had
forgiven Ali for everything he said.
Joe
Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the
age of 67, will forever be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream
of anointing Ali as "The Greatest" unless he, too, was linked to
Smokin' Joe.
"I
will always remember Joe with respect and admiration," Ali said in a
statement. "My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones."
They
fought three times, twice in the heart of New York City and once in the morning
in a steamy arena in the Philippines. They went 41 rounds together, with neither
giving an inch nor both giving it their all.
In
their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that
seemed unimaginable among heavyweights. Joe Frazier gave almost as good as he
got for 14 rounds, then had to be held back by trainer Eddie Futch as he tried
to go out for the final round, unable to see.
"Closest
thing to dying that I know of," Ali said afterward.
Ali
was as merciless with Joe Frazier out of the ring as he was inside it. He
called him a gorilla, and mocked him as an Uncle Tom. But he respected him as a
fighter, especially after Joe Frazier won a decision to defend his heavyweight
title against the then-unbeaten Ali in a fight that was so big Frank Sinatra
was shooting pictures at ringside and both fighters earned an astonishing $2.5
million.
The
night at the Garden 40 years ago remained fresh in Joe Frazier's mind as he
talked about his life, career and relationship with Ali a few months before Joe Fraizer died.
"I
can't go nowhere where it's not mentioned," he told The Associated Press.
"That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life."
