SPORTS RECORDS 6: JOE FRAZIER, UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION 1970-1973
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 05 Jan 2025
Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", is considered as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was the opponent to hand Muhammad Ali his first defeat. As an amateur boxer, Frazier won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He held the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973, and became the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973.
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Frazier emerged as the top contender of his division in the late 1960s, becoming an undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970. In 1971, he defeated Ali by unanimous decision in the highly viewed Fight of the Century. Two years later, Frazier lost his title to George Foreman. Frazier's last world title fight was in 1975, when he was beaten by Ali in the savage rubber match called the Thrilla in Manila.
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Frazier retired in 1976 after his second loss to Foreman but made a comeback in 1981, before retiring for good with a record of 32 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw. The International Boxing Research Organization rates Frazier among the ten greatest heavyweights of all time.
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The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1967, 1970, and 1971, and the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) voted him as Fighter of the Year in 1969, 1971, and 1975. In 1999, The Ring ranked him the eighth greatest heavyweight.
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Frazier was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and was a part of the inaugural induction class of 1990 for the IBHF. In his career, he lost to only two fighters, both former Olympic and world heavyweight champions, twice to Muhammad Ali and twice to George Foreman.
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LeBron James broke Michael Jordan’s NBA record for 30-point games during the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Atlanta Hawks. James reached at least 30 points in the regular season for the 563rd time in his career, surpassing the record established by Jordan in 2003. Jordan set his record in 1,072 games in 15 seasons, while James surpassed it in his 1,523rd game in 22 seasons.
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Named “The Kid from Akron” when he joined the NBA almost 22 years ago. James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles and is now the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s.
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