UPDATE: The White House threatened us, so like the law firm Paul Weiss (and Vichy France in 1940) we capitulated and removed the prior post. Life under occupation 2025.
In the 1970s three of the coolest guys on the planet were Muhammed Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Throw in Steve McQueen and Bruce Lee, and it's all 70's cool all the time.
Ali, Fraser and Foreman were inextricably intertwined with each other. (This is still a legal blog in some ways). There would be no Ali without Frazier and Foreman, No Foreman without his destruction of the heavyweight Champ Joe Frazier. And no smokin Joe Frazier without his three epic battles with Ali.
It started with Ali/Frazier at Madison Square Garden with the fight of century on March 8, 1971. Ali was the linear champion. He lost the title when he refused to be drafted. Joe Frazier was the actual champion but he knew he would never be recognized as such until he fought and beat Ali.
There may never be a sporting event like this again in our lifetimes. Just about every celebrity in the world who was anyone was there as a spectator (Norman Mailer and Woody Allen), photographer (Frank Sinatra couldn't get a ticket so he got in as a photographer for Life Magazine), or announcer - the actor Bert Lancaster who had never called any sporting event before.
Frazier beat Ali in a 15 round decision, dropping him with a sweet left hook in the 14th.
Meanwhile George Foreman was stalking them both. A glowering 6'4 and 230 pounds of menace and muscle, he was best known for waving the American Flag when he won the gold medal in the same 1968 Olympics that Juan Carlos and Tommie Smith gave a raised fist salute.
After Frazier beat Ali, Foreman was looming. He was beating every single opponent by knockout- usually in the first three rounds. He did not have a bout go past the eighth round when he finally met Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973, less than two years after Frazier beat Ali.
Joe Frazier was the favourite. He was a relentless fighter who kept moving forward, bobbing and weaving to make his opponent miss while he measured him with sharp jabs to set up one of the best left hooks ever seen. Frazier was not just good. He was great. He still stands today as a top five heavyweight champion. He had no quit in him. He had the heart of a lion. When he fought Ali in Manilla for their third match and was prevented by his corner from answering the bell in the 15th round, Ali fainted. He later said it was as close to death as he ever felt.
Which puts into context two things. First the utter destruction of Joe Frazier by George Foreman when they met. Foreman knocked Frazier down SIX TIMES in two rounds- the first knock down famously recorded by Howard Cosell who shouted DOWN GOES FRAZIER DOWN GOES FRAZIER DOWN GOES FRAZIER. The knockdown of the heavyweight champion was that shocking and unexpected. The video is below. You just did not do to Joe Frazier what Foreman did to him. And that sets up for a discussion at another time Ali's shocking eighth round knockout of George Foreman with what we contend was the best right hand punch landed in the history of boxing.
The three of them made each other the stars they were. Ali. Frazier. Foreman. None of them would have been who they were without the other two. And Cosell calling their bouts made it that much better. And our thoughts about Howard we shall also save for another slow day.
George Foreman went on to reinvent himself, winning the heavyweight championship as an aging and jolly 45-year-old and then becoming one of America's favourite pitchman with his George Foreman grill (we had one; who didn't?).
George Foreman was a great champion. And here was his greatest moment. You just did not do to Joe Frazier- one of the greatest fighters in history- what Foreman did to him. Enjoy. And rest in peace Champ.