THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 14: FRAZIER'S 1964 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 28 Sep 2025
At the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, American heavyweight fighter Buster Mathis was the qualifier but got injured in practice, that's why Joe Frazier came in as a replacement. At the Olympic heavyweight boxing event, Frazier knocked out George Oywello of Uganda in the round of 16. Then he knocked out Athol McQueen of Australia in 40 seconds in the quarter-finals. He was the only American boxer left at the semi-final stage as all the other American fighters were defeated. He was to fight the 6'2", 214-lb Vadim Yemelyanov of the Soviet Union.
Frazier wrote in his autobiography: "My left hook was a heat-seeking missile, careening off his face and body time and again." He knocked Yemelyano down twice in the second round. But as he pounded his for away, he felt a jolt of pain shoot through his left arm and knew immediately the thumb of his left hand was damaged, but he was not sure of the extent of the injury.
"In the midst of the fight, with your adrenaline pumping, it's hard to gauge such things. My mind was on more important matters. Like how I was going to deal with Yemelyanov for the rest of the fight," said Frazier. The semi-final match ended prematurely when the Soviet's corner threw in the towel at 1:49 in the second round, and the referee raised Frazier's injured hand as the winner.
Frazier then moved into the final round, but he did not tell anyone of his broken thumb. He went back to his room and dipped his thumb in hot water and Epsom salts. "Pain or not, Joe Frazier of Beaufort, South Carolina, was going for gold," he proclaimed. He proceeded to fight German Hans Huber, who was eight years his senior. Frazier was now used to fighting bigger guys, but not with a damaged left hand.
When the opening bell sounded to start the fight, Joe advanced and threw some punches, and used his right hand more often than his injured left that night. Sometimes he would use his left hook, but the impact was lesser than what he had landed in the previous bouts. Despite his difficult situation Frazier won a 3–2 decision and the Olympic gold medal was in his possession.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Roach Jr. vs. Zepeda Press Conference Quotes
Wed, 10 Jun 2026Steven Butler to face Edgar Berlanga on July 26 at the Infosys Theater of the Madison Square Garden in New York
Wed, 10 Jun 2026Nimal Farmer scores signature win over Michael Anderson at Prudential Center
Wed, 10 Jun 2026H2O EAGER TO MAKE STATEMENT AGAINST FORMER WORLD CHAMPION JOJO DIAZ IN HOMETOWN HEADLINER JUNE 19
Wed, 10 Jun 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 8 JUNE 2026: Ramirez SD Lerrone; Baumstarh SD Bustillos; Vazquez, Mindoro Win in Texas; Yabuki, Moloney, Casimero and Angeletti Win in Japan
By Eric Armit, Tue, 09 Jun 20262026 NBA Finals: Spurs Take Game 3, Beat Knicks in New York 115-111
By Reylan Loberternos, Tue, 09 Jun 2026Casimero still rocking
By Joaquin Henson, Tue, 09 Jun 2026Mascarinas faces tough competition in 66th San Carlos Charter Day
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 09 Jun 2026Raymond Muratalla Defends IBF Lightweight World Title Against Former Champion Robson Conceicao in Explosive Co-Main Event to Roach Jr. vs. Zepeda
Tue, 09 Jun 2026IBA represented at the United Nations World Cup Diplomacy Summit in New York
Tue, 09 Jun 2026Historic Costa Rican former champ Bryan Vasquez is arrested
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Tue, 09 Jun 2026Bruce Wren Tatad of Tanza, Cavite rules National Age Group Chess Championship ; vying Singapore chess tilt
By Marlon Bernardino, Tue, 09 Jun 2026Suslenkov to face Joyce in a thrilling showdown at IBA PRO 19 in Moscow
Mon, 08 Jun 2026Dalton Smith receives inaugural WBC Ricky Hatton Legacy Belt in front of thousands in Mancheste
Mon, 08 Jun 2026Stacey King three time NBA Champion with Chicago Bulls passes away
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Mon, 08 Jun 2026