Joseph William Frazier, the son of a South Carolina sharecropper, began boxing at a Police Athletic gymnasium to lose weight and developed his tremendous upper-body strength while working in a Philadelphia meat packing plant. In 1964, as an Olympic alternate, he won the gold medal in Tokyo.

In 1970, at 26 years old, he won the heavyweight championship with a fifth-round KO of Jimmy Ellis. That same year, Muhammad Ali began to fight again after having his title stripped in 1967 for refusing induction into the U.S. military.

Frazier, the new champ, would face Ali, the old champ, in a fight with unparalleled build-up. Each fighter was paid an unprecedented $2.5 million. On March 8, 1971, before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, Frazier defeated Ali in 15 superlative rounds. But Frazier was so battered, he was unable to fight for 10 months.

Frazier held the title for nearly two years before George Foreman knocked him out to take the title. But the proud Philadelphia warrior had one more epic bout left in him: The Thrilla in Manilla, Frazier vs. Ali for the third time.

Hailed by many as the greatest fight in boxing history, Ali and Frazier went toe-to-toe for 14 rounds. With Frazier's body badly bruised, his corner threw in the towel. But in defeat, Smokin' Joe had emerged a champion. He still ranks as one of most popular fighters in boxing history.