The boxing world lost one of its last living legends on Monday with the passing of Joseph William Frazier aka Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Joe was born on January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina but will forever be linked to the city of brotherly love, his adopted hometown. The town of Philadelphia has birthed many great boxers but none of these fighters careers can rival that of the late great Frazier. A career that encompassed 16 years, a 32-4-1 record, 27 knockouts, an Olympic gold medal, and a Heavy Weight World Championship. Smokin Joe’s resume is impeccable and his boxing exploits legendary having participated in what many boxing historians call the greatest fight of all time, “The Thrilla in Manilla”, the third and final installment in the legendary series of battles between Frazier and fellow heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali. Smokin Joe hung up his gloves in 1981 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, not bad for a kid from Beaufort, South Carolina.
Info courtesy of IBOHF and Wikipedia.
