01.12.06 – By Gabriel DeCrease: The man who twice whipped Ali is now 62-years-old. It seems impossible. Frazier is frozen in the collective memory of the ring at his peak when the muscles of his torso were always coiled as vipers waiting to snap, lightning-quick, deadly, and send another opponent home hurting. Even though he—like everyone else—has gotten old, the golden-aged Smokin’ Joe still has in his eyes, and in his posture, the terminal tension of a fistic-assassin. His last sanctioned professional bout was in 1981—a frustratingly dull drawn-out draw with the ordinary Floyd Cummings. It seemed an unfitting end-cap on a career that included throwdowns with big George Foreman, Ali, Buster Mathis, Bob Foster, Jimmy Ellis, and Jerry Quarry.
The upcoming bout is an exhibition, and all the proceeds will be donated to support a drug treatment and community outreach program. His opponent will be 66-year-old Memphis, Tennessee mayor Willie Herenton. So Smokin’ Joe is probably in no danger of going out on a stretcher.
Even a man as hard and mean as Frazier was in his day, will likely only be drawn into the good-humor and sporting-challenge of such a match. Herenton stands six-foot-two and tips the scales at a formidable 200-pounds. He was an accomplished amateur fighter in his day, which, by the by, ended about 40-years-ago. Though the match is a charity bout, Herenton has been in a training camp of sorts for almost two-months in preparation for this last tango with Smokin’ Joe.
Fortunately for all those who did not like to see Frazier go out so inauspiciously, he is stepping into the ring once more. At his ripe age, at an age when most men have long made their peace with shot-knees, creaky-joints, and the midsection yoke of generous love-handles, Frazier is hale-and-hearty, holding the same weight—around 225-pounds—as when he last fought George Foreman. Frazier claims he has been training off-and-on, but mostly on, since the day of his retirement. However, he has long been saddled with the additional health-hazards of diabetes and high blood-pressure. Frazier claims, “My condition today is great! I would like to fight against Evander Holyfield tomorrow…people tell me that I’m a small piece of leather that is well put together.
I’ve stayed on the same track I’ve been on since my boxing days, [getting] on the floor and [working out with the guys in the gym] to keep them fit and myself [too].” Interestingly enough, Frazier’s diabetes may well be one of the reasons he has stayed in such excellent condition. The former heavyweight champ says, “I was a disciplined boxer. In order to be a champion you have to be. So in order to be successful in the bout against diabetes [and high blood pressure] I have to remain disciplined and not eat foods that are not good for me.”
We can only hope the fight will raise only money for a good-cause, the spirits of the locals who will be in attendance, and the nostalgic hearts of all of us who so fondly remember Joe Frazier’s contributions to the glory days of the heavyweight division. However, Herenton has signed a waiver in advance of the bout stating that Frazier will not be held legally or financially responsible for any injuries the mayor may incur in the fight. Though Smokin’ Joe in on in years, such a contract is still a dangerous proposition.