Joe Frazier

Joseph William "Joe" Frazier, (January 12, 1944 - November 07, 2011), known as Smokin' Joe, was a former Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose notable professional career included a win over a peak Muhammad Ali and lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a brief comeback in 1981. Frazier emerged as the top contender in the late-1960s, defeating a string of top names Jerry Quarry, Oscar Bonavena, Buster Mathis, Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George Chuvalo and Jimmy Ellis en route to becoming undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, and followed up by defeating Bob Foster and Muhammad Ali on points in the highly-anticipated "Fight of the Century" in 1971. Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman. He fought on beating Joe Bugner, losing a rematch to Ali, and beating Quarry and Ellis again. Frazier's last world title challenge came in 1975, but he was beaten by Ali in their brutal rubbermatch. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman.