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Joseph William "Joe" Frazier (January 12, 1944 – November 7, 2011), also known as Smokin' Joe,
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An Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981.
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On February 16, 1970, Frazier faced WBA champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden.
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Then came what was hyped as the "Fight Of The Century", his first fight with Muhammad Ali, who had launched a comeback in 1970 after a three year suspension from boxing.
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Ultimately, Frazier lost his undefeated record of 29–0 and his world championship, at the hands of the unbeaten George Foreman on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica.
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Frazier's second fight against Ali took place on January 28, 1974, in New York City. In contrast to their previous meeting, the bout was a non-title fight, with Ali winning a clear 12-round unanimous decision
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Ali and Frazier met for the third and final time in Quezon City (a district within the metropolitan area of Manila), the Philippines, on October 1, 1975: the "Thrilla in Manila". Ali took every opportunity to mock Frazier, again calling him The Gorilla, and generally trying to irritate him.
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In 1976, Frazier (32–3) personally wished to retry against George Foreman
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During the late 70's, Frazier created a Soul-Funk group called "Joe Frazier and the Knockouts", being mentioned in Billboard and recording a number of singles.
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Frazier was diagnosed with liver cancer in late September 2011. Within a few weeks, the cancer had metastasized. By November 2011, he was under hospital care, where he died on November 7
