Words:Adedosu 'kenzy' Adekunle
The Former Heavyweight Champion JOE "SMOKING" FRAZIER ,who handed Muhammad Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, has died after a brief fight with liver cancer.
The family issued a release confirming the boxer's death.
Frazier, who took on Ali in three momentous fights in the 1970s - including the epic 'Thrilla in Manilla' - had been under home hospice care in his Philadelphia home after being diagnosed just weeks ago with the cancer that took his life.
'I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration,' Ali said in a statement about the death of his great rival. 'My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.'
The 1970s rivalries of Frazier, Ali and George Foreman will always be remembered as a golden age of heavyweight boxing.
Boxing promoter Don King called Frazier a giant among men.
'Smokin' Joe', as he became known, was a small yet ferocious fighter who smothered his opponents with punches, including a devastating left hook he used to end many of his fights early.
It was the left hook that dropped Ali in the 15th round at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to seal a win in the so-called 'Fight of the Century.'
Though he beat Ali in that fight, Frazier lost the two other bouts between the men and for many years was bitter about the role Ali forced him to play as his foil.
'You can't mention Ali without mentioning Joe Frazier,' said former AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. 'He beat Ali, don't forget that.'
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 and both giving it their all.
In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights.
The boxing great passed away last night Monday, November 7, 2011.He was 67.
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