Joe Frazier

Joseph William Frazier was born on January 12, 1944, in Beaufort, South Carolina, one of thirteen children in a family of sharecroppers. He grew up in poverty in the rural South and moved to New York and later Philadelphia as a young man, working in a slaughterhouse while training at the Police Athletic League gym.

Frazier represented the United States at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he won the heavyweight gold medal despite competing with a broken thumb. He turned professional shortly afterward and compiled a strong record in the late 1960s, claiming the New York State heavyweight title and then the undisputed heavyweight world championship in 1970 by defeating Jimmy Ellis.

Frazier's most celebrated period came through his rivalry with Muhammad Ali. On March 8, 1971, the two undefeated heavyweight champions met at Madison Square Garden in the fight billed as the "Fight of the Century." Frazier won by unanimous decision after knocking Ali down in the 15th round. This was the first professional loss of Ali's career. The two fought twice more: Ali won the rematch in 1974, and Ali stopped Frazier in their third meeting, the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975, in one of the most physically demanding bouts in boxing history.

Frazier also faced George Foreman twice; he lost both fights, including the first, in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, when Foreman knocked him down six times. Frazier retired from professional boxing in 1981 with a record of 32 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw.

Joe Frazier died on November 7, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from liver cancer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history.