Joseph William "Smokin' Joe" Frazier (born January 12, 1944 in Beaufort, South Carolina) is a former world heavyweight boxing champion, active mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. Frazier is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, but he is perhaps most famous for his trilogy of fights with Muhammad Ali, the first of which, won by Frazier in a unanimous decision, has often been called one of boxing's greatest bouts.
Frazier was known for a relentless pursuit of opponents, quickly cutting off angles of escape using a chugging locomotion reminiscent of a train's advance up a hill. The contrast with Ali's dancing, non-linear style could not have been greater.
Raised in Philadelphia, PA, he notes in his autobiography that he grew up poor but happy. Frazier was "discovered" by local Philadelphia trainer "Yank" Durham. Durham and veteran trainer Willie Reddish trained Frazier as an amateur.
Soon after his 20th birthday, Frazier won the Olympic Gold medal in the "Heavyweight" category at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
On February 16, 1970, Frazier became the undisputed world champion when he defeated WBA champion Jimmy Ellis at Madison Square Garden by a fifth-round knockout. Ellis had beaten Jerry Quarry in the final bout of a WBA elimination tournament for Ali's vacated belt, but Frazier had declined to participate.
