Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline
I use to ride the city bus to High School many years ago. My mom use to drop me off at the bus stop early in the morning and I would have to wait for a few minutes before the bus came. There was a homeless drunk who use to hang out at the bus stop. He was a harmless old man, but he had a lot of philosophies about life that I remember to this day. One day he was telling me about the decisions you make in life and he said this:
"The direction of your life is dependent on the decisions you make or the decisions people make for you. In your lifetime you will have many fork in the road decisions some big, some small but whichever way you go you will always wonder what would have happened if you went the other way."
Joe Frazier October 1st 1975 Manila, Philippines end of the 14th round. Frazier already half blind in the left eye, right eye closed completely begs his trainer Eddie Futch to let him continue the fight. Watch the video and you see a battered and bruised Frazier saying "No" and "I want him Boss" as Futch is telling him he is stopping the fight. Unbeknown to Frazier or Futch, his opponent Muhammad Ali wanted to quit. Unlike Frazier who wanted to continue Ali was begging his trainer Angelo Dundee to cut his gloves off and was refusing to come out for the 15th round.
There is only one minute between rounds. Funny how just a minute can change a life. Dundee wouldn't let Ali quit, Futch made the decision for Frazier to quit and that decision still resonates throughout the world today.
HBO put on an outstanding Documentary recently about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier title:
For once it tells a story about Muhammad Ali from another person's perspective and that perspective isn't a pretty one.
Jay Z "Ignorant Sh*t"
They're all actors
Looking at themselves in the mirror backwards
Can't even face themselves, don't fear no rappers
They're all weirdos, DeNiro's in Practice
So don't believe everything your earlobe captures
Its mostly backwards
Unless it happens to be as accurate as me
And everything said in song you happen to see
Then actually, believe half of what you see
None of what you hear even if its spat by me
And with that said, I will kill n*ggas dead
No one is as great as their biggest fan thinks and isn't as bad as their worse enemy believes. No truer words could be told about the legend that is Muhammad Ali. In some parts of the world Ali is considered a deity. In the United States he is an iconic figure. If there was a Mount Rushmore of American athletes over the last 100 years he would be right near the head of the list. He ranked #3 on ESPN list of the greatest athletes of all time. Many consider him the greatest boxer of all time. His cultural significance is still being felt today. His stand on the Vietnam War has been considered one of the turning points in getting public opinion turned against the war. Hell some people even think he created "rap music".
Jay Z:
Don't believe everything your earlobe captures / it's mostly backwards
There was another side to Ali a darker side to him that was mostly felt by one Joe Frazier.
Even though Ali is portrayed as a militant black power disciple he did not have to deal with half the racism and poverty that Joe Frazier had to deal with. Joe Frazier was born in Beaufort, South Carolina and lived in Philadelphia the majority of his life. Definitely not the life of a privilege.
Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali were friends. It can be argued that Frazier was one of his biggest supporters when Ali was stripped of his title for not enlisting in the Military.
How big of a supporter you ask?
Frazier petitioned President Nixon to have Ali's license reinstated. Frazier boycotted the 1967 WBA heavyweight elimination tournament to find a successor of Ali. Frazier when Ali was dead broke gave him money out of his pocket to help support him.
Jay Z:
"They're all actors
looking at themselves in the mirror backwards"
When you are an actor you do what you are told, you do as you are directed. As soon as Ali was reinstated he was directed by the Nation of Islam to turn his back on his friend. By all accounts Joe Frazier has always been and to this day is a "good guy". The type of guy that would give you the shirt off his back. But in life sometimes it is the person who talks the loudest who gets heard the most.
So when Ali spoke people listened. They listen to the names:
Joe Frazier is an uncle tom.
They listened to the accusations:
Joe Frazier is the white man's champion.
They listened to the hyperbole:
The heavyweight champion should be pretty not ugly like Joe Frazier.
Before the first Ali/Frazier fight Ali boasted if he lost he would crawl across the ring, bow to Frazier and call him "The Greatest". After getting his butt kicked by Frazier he left the arena and claimed he should have won.
Jay Z:
Unless it happens to be as accurate as me
And everything said in song you happen to see
Then actually, believe half of what you see
None of what you hear even if its spat by me
And with that said, I will kill n*ggas dead
This brings us to the Thrilla in Manila and let me show you how backwards our society can be at times. Ali at the time was revered while:
A- Calling another black man a Gorilla.
B- Having an affair in plain view of the entire world while his wife sat at home.
You don't call a black man a "Gorilla" ever especially a man who went to the President on your behalf. Not the city council, not the senator, not to ESPN (there wasn't an ESPN back then, but you get what I am saying), but the President of the United States and you are calling that man a "Gorilla" and an "Uncle Tom".
When Joe Frazier was fighting Ali that night. He wasn't fighting for the Heavyweight Championship he was fighting for his legacy, his good name and literally for his life.
This brings us back to the end of the 14th round:
"The direction of your life is dependent on the decisions you make or the decisions people make for you. In your lifetime you will have many fork in the road decisions some big, some small but whichever way you go you will always wonder what would have happened if you went the other way."
Ali wanted to quit. Frazier didn't. Someone made that decision for him. Ironic isn't it?
The iconic figure the one who did his friend wrong, the one that people idolize for his courage and conviction was the one who wanted to quit. The fighter who was blind in both eyes, who had been disrespected and ridiculed by a man he once befriended was willing to risk his life to save his life.
History remembers this moment as Ali lasting just a little bit longer than Frazier. It has added to his legend. As far a Frazier while still considered one of the greatest of all time his name will always be second to Ali not because of him, but because of someone else's decision.
Since watching the bitterness of Joe Frazier in the HBO Documentary including a very heartless voicemail where he proudly proclaims to be the cause of Ali's Parkinson disease a lot of people believe he should simply just get over it.
It is easy to say that, but just look at Frazier. He is living on top of a rundown gym in one of the worst parts of Philadelphia while Ali sold off 80% stake of his likeness and name for 50 million dollars. If Ali quits on his stool and Frazier wins does that change anything? I don't know, but I know if I was Frazier it will kill me inside not knowing and more importantly knowing that I wasn't the one who made the decision to throw in the towel.
Did Ali in the end reap what he sowed? Can't answer that either, but I find it ironic that he is most known for his gift of speaking and that is what has been taken from him. It does bother me that he has never apologized to Frazier in person face to face man to man. He was wrong and he has to know that.
Two great rivals and at one time two great friends it is sad if you think about it. In the HBO Documentary they showed Joe Frazier watching the Thrilla in Manila. You could almost see his mind traveling back in time. When it got to the end of the 14th round and he was watching himself beg and plead to go on you could see it clearly in his eyes.
You could see into his soul and his soul probably like it has every day for the last 24 years was burning.
This leads me back to the old drunken man at the bus stop. Eventually I got a car and started driving to school, but one of the last things he told me was:
"Son some fires you can never put out"
Your best piece ever. Well done.
Thank you I appreciate it
What's funny is I knew all of this stuff about Ali before the documentary. He literally made Joe Frazier's life harder. I was never a Joe Frazier fan because of how he shunned South Carolina, his home state and his hometown in Charleston, but it made me feel sorry for him and showed that he's still very bitter from their situation.
And I thought Ali apologized to Frazier a couple of years ago, like 2001 or somethin.
Damon he apologize via the media but never face to face.
One of your best pieces yet if not the best. Already acknowledged it on Twitter but wanted to comment here for all to see. Good job
Thank you Miss Davis
First Comment here, This is an excellent piece. Ever since I found out how Ali treated Frazier, my eyes have been opened. Larry Holmes has helped out Frazier when he had to have an operation. It's a shame.
That is solid
My dad brought me up a boxing fan. He never had respect for Ali. When i asked why he said it was for what he said about and did to Joe Frazier. You captured the harshness of Ali completely in your article and what Fraizer must be feeling all these years later. Well done!
That is a great article...definetly better, waaaaaaay better than the article about the movie of KB24's life story...
Quite possibly one of the finest articles I have have ever read RL!
Thanks for all the positive comments
Hi Robert,
I appreciated your beautifully written story, it's a story I am intimately familiar with since Eddie Futch is my late, beloved husband and Joe Frazier is my friend. It is about time HBO allowed Frazier to tell his story...It's been reported that Joe never forgave Eddie for throwing in the towel after the 14th round but that isn't true. Joe visited us here at home many times and came to Eddie's memorial service at Caesar's Palace in 2001. Being a corner man is a tough job and Eddie had seen too many boxers die during his (many)years as a Trainer. Boxing is not a game; it's Life and death! So when Joe's vision was starting to close in the 12 and 13th round, it was then Eddie had to start thinking about Joe's safety. It was a hard decision but the right one! 'Nuf said...
Eva Futch
Great Article. Who gave Larry "Flabby and Sick" Holmes the right to call over-rated. They both got ther own bit of karma in ther own special way. Mr. Frazier likes the idea of harming someone healths lives in a rundown apt. Ali cheated, lied, dont get me wrong great man; rich but u know....My faverite boxer is Mike Tyson so what do I Know
Too late. If you would have written this when Ali could have defended himself maybe but you overstep. Ali won. Frazier lost. Done. You want to change history. Get over it. Life is not fair. Nice guys finish...? Boxing is not about being nice, its about winning.
I totally agree with Mrs. Futch version and whole truth of the matter is not about Ali, but in reality it is the behind issues of a Real trainers Love for his fighter's well being. A real trainer knows his fighter and loves him like a son, and honestly knows when enough is enough. In reality Joe did get his apology from Ali, look who is healthy and who is not? How many times did a Trainer let Ali back to fight one more time to many? In boxing there will always be a what if? In my mind both fighter's were Great Champions and fought to the best of there abilities and the results will always be a part of history because when it came down to it "Words did not win the battles but actions in the ring did."
I want to acknowledge that I appreciate Mrs. Futch leaving a comment on the site.
Damn good article. And I rarely read sports articles.
I am a big boxing fan. I don't know if Ali ever apologized to Frazier, but if you really listen to Joe Frazier today and have listened to him over the years, he still resents Ali for the way he disrespected and mistreated him back in the day. If anything, he should feel that way about Foreman after Big George beat him senseless in '73. Frazier was punch stupid, drunk--I mean Foreman outright annihilated the man during that fight and kept a cool, calm demeanor the whole time. But as bad of a beatdown Foreman inflicted upon Frazier, he didn't add insult to injury the way Ali did when he defeated Foreman, Frazier and Sonny Liston before and after their fights. Frazier simply needs to forgive Ali and let bygones be bygones because God has already humbled and shut Ali up in the worst way with Parkinson's disease. Ali not only did his opponents dirty, he was also a notorious womanizer who often neglected his family. Remember the way he embarassed his 2nd wife Belinda by parading his mistress who became his 3rd wife, Laila's mother Veronica Porsche, around Africa while he was still married to Belinda? Veronica Porsche was nothing but a groupie and a homewrecker who divorced Ali 6 years after he married her. It devastated Ali too. The man was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination or image that Hollywood painted of him. Karma has kicked his ass all over the place over the years. Larry Holmes humiliated Ali in Ali's last fight. Holmes was much younger and all a washed up Ali could do was take the beating. It was sad to watch. Pride would not let Ali just go down and put himself out of his misery. So Joe Frazier needs to get over it. He lost, he got his feelngs hurt and was embarassed. Join the club. Fighters lose if they fight long enough and have worthy enough opponents as opposed to tomato cans like Rocky Marciano did for most of his career which is why he retired undefeated 49-0. But as far as Ali and Frazier's fued vs. Ali and Foreman's fued, that's the difference between Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Both men's egos were bruised and they suffered deep depression after being hurt, humiliated and defeated by Ali who often engaged in namecalling, teasing and taunting, entertaining theatrics and boxxing braggadocio for pre-fight publicity purposes and opponent intimidation, but Foreman does not hate Ali the way Frazier does because Foreman is in much better mental and physial health and worth ten times more money than Ali today. Foreman was a hot mess of a man too who went through some tough times, but being broken is what brought him closer to God. Foreman suffered a lot of ejection and betrayal throughout his entire life which is why he used to be so aloof and mean. It was a defense mechanism or reaction to the way people treated him. Although I do not think that Foreman has completely forgiven Black folks for favoring Ali over him in America and Africa, he has made peace with himself and his old enemies including Ali. Frazier is an alcoholic, bitter, nearly broke, uses a walker or wheelchair to get around and is still harboring a lot of ill feelings toward Ali.
It makes you wonder who the real "Uncle Tom" actually was. If you love Black people so much, why degrage them with racist names such as gorilla, and call them ugly? I mean, there are definately ways to trash talk without taking it to race, especially if you are supposed to be for Black rights and the upliftment of your people. I couldn't help but think that Ali was the real Uncle Tom by using the white-run media to bring down another Black man, calling him names so white people could laugh. How sad is that? I was very ashamed of that behavior and Ali should make it right by apologizing face to face. If Ali acknowledges what he did, and how racist, and harmful it was to Frazier, then Frazier has the power to decide whether or not to accept, but regardless, it should be done.
Looks guys, Ali used to name all his opponents. That had nothing to do with racism. He treated all of them with the same brush, white or black. Liston was the big ugly bear. Chuvalo was the washer-woman. George foreman the mummy and yes, Joe Frazier the Gorilla. You are judging Ali's remarks by today's standards, which by the way, he along with thousands of black (and white) civil rights activits helped form. Boxers before Ali, were mostly dull figures. Ali revolutionized boxing. Boxers prize money got up after Ali. What's the shit about Joe Frazier requesting Nixon for Ali's license. So Joe requested Nixon. all right. Did that have any influence? None at all. The supreme court ruled 8-0 in favor of Ali. Joe Frazier is a bitter old man, who couldn't at that time, and still can't, see the bigger picture. The fact is that Ali, spoke not just for the blacks of the United States but in fact for poor oppressed people throughout the world. Go visit Pakistan, Congo, Thailan, Phiillippines etc and see how they idealize Ali. They saw him as someone who stood up against Mighty Whitey. Joe couldn't see all that. All the insults that Ali hurled at Joe, he hurled at all his opponents, whether black or white. His talking served two purposes. 1) To publicize the fight and to hype it up as much as possible. 2) To make his opponent mad and angry, so that he would fight more with emotions rather than the head.
The poster above says that Ali was using the white run media. Man, you have no idea what you are talking about. Now, only now, Ali is a revered figure. Go back to the sixties, and discover, how much white america hated Ali, how they loved all his opponents. How for the white people, Joe Frazier was their hope to shut this insolent black bastard up. How they cheered Norton when he broke Ali's jaw. How after that particular fight, scores of white women and girls, jeered at Ali, "Who's the prettiest now? who's the prettiest now?"
You chickens have no idea what you are talking about. Ali was no saint, he would be the first to admit that. But he was a hero. Not just to the black people of the US, but to the entire world. He insulted all his opponents. Now that seems very bad to you. But again i request you to go back in history. Before Ali, most sports people, let alone boxers, were dumb mutes. Ali changed all that. People enjoyed seeing him calling Liston ugly and the big bear and so on and so forth. In those days, the situation was different. But you wouldn't understand that because you are judging Ali by your soft politically correct standards, with no sense of history. Sport people before Ali were dumb mutes, nodding obedient cogs in the machine. Ali changed all that. Joe louis and sonny liston and others proudly went and had their photos taken with white children. Ali took photos with black children and went to Harlem after his big win, while previous champions would have gone on to some fancy dinners. Ali changed a lot man. You have no idea. Now you take all these things for granted. It took a lot of courage, to take the establishment head on, to change his name in political defiance, to refuse induction etc. Joe Frazier can't see all that because he was never very bright. The only reason Joe lost to Foreman was because of his lack of wisdom. Instead of going forward like a robot after every knockdown, if only Joe had taken some rest and defended for a little while, Joe would still have been champion, and maybe the scenario would have been different for both Joe and Ali, and Joe would be a happy man rather than a bitter old fool
RIGHT ON,ROB!!!!
Rameez,you're as full of s**t as a Christmas turkey,as my late,beloved father would have delicately said.Ali was an
empty suit(with a 74 IQ)who was used by:
1.The Nation Of Islam to further their racialist ties with
white supremacists with whom they shared a misogyny,homo-
phbia and anti-Semitism.
2.Herbert Muhammad,his thieving manager,who stole Ali
dumb(er.)
3.Veronica Porsche,the six-feet,ugly home-wrecker(and mo-
ther of Laila Ali),who used Ali to try to launch an acting career for which she lacked beauty and talent.
So get a clue,dude,take it from this older(fifty-six July 6)black Canadian lad,your boy Ali was nothing more than a good-looking,dumb puppet.
Well, to me this article lost its entire credibility the moment it started to quote that luciferian piece of shit (=Jay-Z)
dVzPNc
dVzPNc
Ali is the greatest sports personality of all time. He was a much reviled figure in his time for taking on the establishment and breaking stereotypes created for black people and for athletes. He will live in the hearts of oppressed people all over the world who regarded (and still do) him as their spokesman. Respect and love!
Incredible site!
Great work, webmaster, nice design!
Great. Now i can say thank you!
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
Excellent site. It was pleasant to me.
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job!
Perfect work!
Great work, webmaster, nice design!
If you have to do it, you might as well do it right.