Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier KO Round 15 !!!! WATCH IT HERE !! TRIBUTE !! Joe Frazier 1944-2011 A TRIBUTE FOR THE HERO !!! WATCH IT HERE Joe Frazier had to throw his greatest punch to knock down "The Greatest."
A vicious left hook from Frazier put Muhammad Ali on the canvas in the 15th round in March 1971 when he became the first man to beat him in the Fight of the Century at Madison Square Garden.
"That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life," Frazier said.
It was his biggest night, one that would never come again.
The relentless, undersized heavyweight ruled the division as champion, then spent a lifetime trying to fight his way out of Ali's shadow.
Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be associated with Ali. 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 Thrilla in Manila in the Philippines. They went 41 rounds together. Neither gave an inch and both gave it their all.
In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights. 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 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 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 Frazier's mind as he talked about his life, career and relationship with Ali a few months before he died.
"I can't go nowhere where it's not mentioned," he told The Associated Press.
Bob Arum, who once promoted Ali, said he was saddened by Frazier's passing.
"He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word," Arum said. "I'm torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age. I can't say enough about Joe."
Frazier's death was announced in a statement by his family, who asked to be able to grieve privately and said they would announce "our father's homecoming celebration" as soon as possible.
Manny Pacquiao learned of it shortly after he arrived in Las Vegas for his fight Saturday night with Juan Manuel Marquez. Like Frazier in his prime, Pacquiao has a powerful left hook that he has used in his remarkable run to stardom.
"Boxing lost a great champion, and the sport lost a great ambassador," Pacquiao said.
Don King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila, was described by a spokesman as too upset to talk about Frazier's death.
Though slowed in his later years and his speech slurred by the toll of punches taken in the ring, Frazier was still active on the autograph circuit in the months before he died. In September he went to Las Vegas, where he signed autographs in the lobby of the MGM Grand shortly before Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fight against Victor Ortiz.
An old friend, Gene Kilroy, visited with him and watched Frazier work the crowd.
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Muhammad ALI's LAST ever KNOCK OUT vs DUNN Fightby sweetfights127,890 views
@strictlycomments I honestly don't think that it was a right uppercut. I've seen it from other angles and to me it didn't even remotely look like an uppercut. It is not the same right hand lead he threw against Foreman in round 1, but it was a right hand, meant to be as a cross. This tendency was what made him lose the fight, because to me the knockdown sealed it for Joe Frazier, making him the honest and fair winner.
michaelyouth 1 hour ago
@michaelyouth I agree it was his style. He was notorious for his hands dangling low, as I said earlier. He got away with it bcz of exceptional athleticism & an incredible ability of anticipating his opponents punches. He was not in this mode when he got dropped, he was exchanging w/his hands up. Usually a rt lead is thrown as a straight right lead. Here, Ali lead w/a right uppercut. Big mistake, as it lowered his guard even more, as you said, leaving his chin totally unprotected.
strictlycomments 2 hours ago
@strictlycomments I know Ali wasn't dancing, but if you have to keep your hands low in order to dance, you tend to forget to keep them high. It was his style. But It was really Ali trying to throw a right hand lead. Frazier's trainer gave Frazier the instruction to watch his right hand carefully: if he was ready to throw a right hand lead, he would lower his right to get more power in it. If Frazier saw him lowering the right hand, he should come in with a left hook. It worked perfectly.
michaelyouth 8 hours ago
@michaelyouth Beg to differ with u. Firstly, Ali used lateral movement and called this his "dancing". He wasn't dancing when he got hit, he was in an exchange, and his hands were low. If he threw his trademark punch, he may not have suffered the knock down, as a strait right lead might've gotten there 1st, inside JF's hook. Unfortunately Ali actually threw an uppercut, which landed harmlesses on Joe's armpit; as depicted in the still photo of this knockdown punch(JF's lefthook).
strictlycomments 14 hours ago
@strictlycomments That, I disagree on. Ali put his hands low, as it is a lot easier to dance in the ring, with your hands low. It gives you a great feeling, and makes you feel like you weigh nothing. It is great for the rythm. Also the reason Ali was knocked down, is was because he threw his trademark punch: the right hand lead. Fraizer's cornerman told him to watch it carefully and throw a left hook if he lowered his right hand, to get more power in it. The Ali of 67 was too hard to catch.
michaelyouth 21 hours ago
@vladiator100 I agree that the Ali of 74-75 was more seasoned, experienced, and was mentally a better fighter and ring technician due to his experience. I also believe that the Frazier of 1971 would've still been problems for the Ali of 1967. I'm not saying Frazier would've beat him, but he would've surely given Ali trouble at any stage of his career due to his style...
strictlycomments 5 days ago
@strictlycomments Well the Ali of 74 and 75 who beat Frazier were better than the Ali of 71. Ali didn't shake off his rust until 1972. In addition to that 74-75 Ali had learned from his mistakes from the first fight and developed a way to counter Frazier's left hook. Remember Frazier beat an Ali who was rusty and as he tired he just layed on the ropes. The 64-67 Ali was way too fast and never stood still, he could dance for 15 rounds nonstop, that Ali might even KO Frazier.
vladiator100 5 days ago
@ezekielwahwah -_- kill yourself
mogliboy93 1 month ago
Damn frazier threw monster hooks
jeremy123422 1 month ago
MUHAMMAD ALI KILLED JOE FRAZIER
MyLifeSince1992 1 month ago