BoxRec

In the late 1960s before Joe Frazier beat Ali in the FOTC in 1971, I traveled to a hotel in the Catskills to watch Joe Frazier train. I previously saw Frazier in 1964 lose to Buster Mathis at the 1964 Olympic trials. This afternoon I entered the gym a little earlier than the announced time, sat down in the first row of the ring and waited all by myself for the action to start..No sooner did I sit down, who walks in but Frazier himself, taping his hands, and sat down two chairs to my left finishing the taping. I wanted to tell him that I saw him against Mathis in 1964, but the words couldn't come out of my mouth, so
imposing Frazier looked from 3 feet away. Not a wordwas said from me or him for about 10 minutes
when happily a few sparring partners entered the gym along with his trainer Yank Durham.
Then Frazier entered the ring mauling and battering his sparring partner and I said to myself,"damn
I'm glad it isn't me in that ring" ! To see Smoking Joe from the first row was a revelation for me..
After the session was over and Frazier left the gym his trainer Yank Durham ,spoke to me and one other spectator who remained after Frazier left..I recall that Durham had very kind words relating to Rocky Marciano....The next time I saw Frazier live at ringside was March 8, 1971 at MSG, in the FOTC.
What a night ! And what a fight! And my man won...
What is your memorable experience with a famous boxer ?

Great story, beaujack. You said late '60s, do you recall which fight Frazier was training for? Maybe the first Quarry fight?

It is real special that you saw the FOTC in person.

I was too young and too far away to have any first hand experiences with those great fighters from that great mid-'60s to early '70s period which is the era I'm most interested in.

Looking back, since I was living in Baton Rouge at the time, I should definitely have gone to New Orleans in '72 to see Frazier fight Daniels.

Smokin' Joe followed by Patterson are my two all-time favorites. I'm sorry that I never met them.

yancey wrote:Great story, beaujack. You said late '60s, do you recall which fight Frazier was training for? Maybe the first Quarry fight?

It is real special that you saw the FOTC in person.

I was too young and too far away to have any first hand experiences with those great fighters from that great mid-'60s to early '70s period which is the era I'm most interested in.

Looking back, since I was living in Baton Rouge at the time, I should definitely have gone to New Orleans in '72 to see Frazier fight Daniels.

Smokin' Joe followed by Patterson are my two all-time favorites. I'm sorry that I never met them.

No Y, I can't recall which fight Frazier was training for, but i loved joe Frazier as a man and as a
FIGHTER...He was a large edition of Henry Armstrong....

This was wriiten by a friend of mine.

Smoking Joe Frazier was a ruggedly built heavyweight boxer. When he was smoking he reminded one of a run-a-way train. His aggressiveness was awesome. I first saw Joe in 1963, a year before he was picked to represent America in the Olympics in Japan. Up until that time I never heard of him.

While a member of the Trenton, NJ boxing team he came to my hometown to compete in the New Jersey State Golden Glove Tournament. The Tournament being held at our Elks Club in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

I had talked two of my fellow workers into accompanying me to the fights. It would be their first time seeing boxing live and up close. We took ringside seats and I had a answer what seemed like a million questions before during and after each fight all night long. The final fight of the night would be an open class heavyweight bout.

The two fighters entered the ring and I immediately recognized Gerald O'Neil a very good Jersey amateur heavyweight. who I had seen before. I looked at his smaller squat opponent and I felt sorry for him. I tole my friends to get ready for a slaughter in this mismatch. This unknown Philly fighter was about to get his "head knocked off", was my prediction. If appearances won fights the muscular well-proportioned O'Neil was a shoo-in over his smaller fire plug looking rival.

The first round bell hadn't faded away when a terrible ferocious left hook bounced of O'Neil's jaw and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. My ego was flattened like O'Neil lying in the prone position before our eyes. My friends were laughing at me for the huge buildup I had bestowed on the downed fighter. After calling the shots all night my finale was a disaster.

Somehow almost miraculously O'Neil scraped his way off the canvas at the count of nine. He bravely weathered the expected storm from his steam roller opponent. Midway in the second round we could have used the words made famous by Howard Cosell years later. "Down goes Frazier", "down goes Frazier", for he was. O'Neil smashed Joe to the canvas with a crackling right hand returning the favor. Joe was lucky to finish the round. He took a pasting in the third and lost the decision. O'Neil had vindicated himself and yours truly.

hhascup wrote:This was wriiten by a friend of mine.

Smoking Joe Frazier was a ruggedly built heavyweight boxer. When he was smoking he reminded one of a run-a-way train. His aggressiveness was awesome. I first saw Joe in 1963, a year before he was picked to represent America in the Olympics in Japan. Up until that time I never heard of him.

While a member of the Trenton, NJ boxing team he came to my hometown to compete in the New Jersey State Golden Glove Tournament. The Tournament being held at our Elks Club in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

I had talked two of my fellow workers into accompanying me to the fights. It would be their first time seeing boxing live and up close. We took ringside seats and I had a answer what seemed like a million questions before during and after each fight all night long. The final fight of the night would be an open class heavyweight bout.

The two fighters entered the ring and I immediately recognized Gerald O'Neil a very good Jersey amateur heavyweight. who I had seen before. I looked at his smaller squat opponent and I felt sorry for him. I tole my friends to get ready for a slaughter in this mismatch. This unknown Philly fighter was about to get his "head knocked off", was my prediction. If appearances won fights the muscular well-proportioned O'Neil was a shoo-in over his smaller fire plug looking rival.

The first round bell hadn't faded away when a terrible ferocious left hook bounced of O'Neil's jaw and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. My ego was flattened like O'Neil lying in the prone position before our eyes. My friends were laughing at me for the huge buildup I had bestowed on the downed fighter. After calling the shots all night my finale was a disaster.

Somehow almost miraculously O'Neil scraped his way off the canvas at the count of nine. He bravely weathered the expected storm from his steam roller opponent. Midway in the second round we could have used the words made famous by Howard Cosell years later. "Down goes Frazier", "down goes Frazier", for he was. O'Neil smashed Joe to the canvas with a crackling right hand returning the favor. Joe was lucky to finish the round. He took a pasting in the third and lost the decision. O'Neil had vindicated himself and yours truly.

Too bad they couldn't have a rematch, say about 1969. :)

beaujack wrote: What is your memorable experience with a famous boxer ?

I met Jack Dempsey on September 11, 1973 at his restaurant in New York City.