Smokin' Joe Frazier

[Robert Crisman]

The Thrilla In Manila in '75, two men at war, Ali strafing combos, rat-a-tattoos from an Ingram Mac 10, and Frazier taking large chunks from the body and blasting those wrecking-ball hooks to the head.

Ali later said it was next door to dying, and he'd told his trainer, Angie Dundee, prior to the start of the fight's final round, to cut the gloves off, that he'd left all he had back in hell; Eddie Futch, meanwhile, threw in the towel with Frazier still ready to fight through the fire, for fear that Ali'd beat Joe blind.*

When God passed out heart, Frazier picked first, then the lions...

Frazier was Philly, which put up a statue to Rocky Balboa from Sly Stallone's movie, who trained in a slaughterhouse just like Joe did, but never for real, and that's life, I guess.

Frazier's old gym, which took poor kids in from Philly's hard streets and offered them something other than gangs, is a second-hand furniture outlet these days with a sign on the front that says "knockout prices."

Yet when all the Rocky Balboas are dust blown to Jersey, Joe Frazier will live as a man who brought real glory, to Philly, his sport, and Ali for that matter, through blood, sweat, and death in Manila. 

Frazier in fact was effectively blind by the end of the 13th round.

[Stephen Torelli]

Joe Frazier, the streetfighter of boxers.  Nice tale!