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Into Darkness
ESB Addict
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SS Enterprise
Posts: 2,978
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The plan: The man called Joe Frazier The Frazier-Ali feud The sad tale of Patterson I The sad tale of Patterson II The man called Muhammad Ali The sad tale of Patterson III Mike Tyson goes to war The Frazier-Foreman fight The build up to Manila The Thrilla in Manila The sad tale of Teddy Atlas Frazier: life goes on “I’m just talkin’, Joe,” Gypsy said. “Why you upset? So, where we goin’, Joe?” Frazier sat behind the wheel in thought for several minutes. “You oughta watch things ya say, Gyp,” he said, adding, “We gonna see your big man. See how big he is.” “You gotta be kiddin’, right?” Gypsy asked. “I ain’t no joker like you.” Gypsy was wary and excited. Joe could be positively scary in a mood like this. Generally, his pal was a man of small temper and could trade insults with the best in the gym if it was all in the right spirit, but Frazier was not someone who ever tolerated being shown up or embarrassed. Once when Joe was young and shadow boxing, another fighter the same size stood by laughing at his poor coordination. He let him have his fun, then walked over to him, saying, “You finished?” The fighter said, “I’ll let you know.” Joe grabbed him, lifted him in the air, and sent him bouncing across the floor into a wall. “I think you finished now,” Joe said as he stood over the guy, who was clutching a broken arm. Gypsy remembered that encounter as he looked across at Joe from the passenger seat. Gypsy had thought Joe and Ali got along, but it was clear to him that something decidedly nasty was “comin’ down.” Way too personal. The Frazier Ali-feud 2-2 The Heavyweights A series of threads about Frazier, Ali, Patterson and Tyson http://ballertainment.com/wp-content...zier_sepia.jpg
Until Ali went on the college lecture circuit he was cut off from making money but also from what he most needed, the energy source of a constant audience. According to Belinda, he feared that he was shrinking, that he would become smaller by the day until there would be nothing left. Frazier tried to allay his dread, “You’ll be back. Better than ever.” Ali said, “Joe, you the big man now. You gotta keep my name out there. Don’t let ’em forget.” To that end, Frazier lobbied the press, Commission people, and rallied some old champs like Joe Louis, who was unsympathetic to Ali, largely because of his black nationalism, his loud presentation of self, and his evasion of the military. Infuriated by how agreeable Joe was when it came to Ali, Yank Durham exploded one day, “You better start keeping your mouth shut about him. We don’t need him. He needs us! Don’t you understand anything, boy? He using you. Wake up, for chrissake!” Frazier never forgot that exchange. “Yank was right the whole time,” he said now, with regret as he took another small pull on the brandy jug. Nor would he ever forget what took place some time later, in 1969 in Philly, the abrupt severing of what Joe thought to be a bond between them. The pair arranged a meeting, designed to attract press attention and heat up the perception of them as inseparable rivals. Ali was on WHAT-Radio, and Joe and Gypsy had the interview on in the gym. “He somethin’, ain’t he?” Joe said to Gyp with a laugh. Ali was into his usual government rant, then suddenly shifted targets and began calling Joe clumsy, a fighter without class, an Uncle Tom. Ali called Frazier a coward, and said if he wasn’t, he should show up at the PAL gym in an hour and they’d settle the matter. Gypsy recalled: “Joe crush the radio with his foot. He say, `He makin’ a fool of me in my backyard.’” When Joe reached the gym, it was packed, the ring posts bent by the surge of people inside. With Ali screaming, Joe hurriedly stripped off his shirt. A police sergeant, Vince Furlong, jumped between them, saying: “None of that here. Take it to the park.” Ali said to Joe, “You follow, or you a coward.” Joe declined as Ali led a big crowd through the black ghetto to Fairmount Park. But Durham hopped into his car and joined in the parade behind Ali. Durham got up, raced up to Ali, and jabbed a finger in his face. “I’ll fight you when you get a license,” Yank said, using the personal pronoun that always bemused Frazier. “What the hell you tryin’ to do here? You want work, come to our gym, and you can work with my kids. I’ll pay you good. Joe’s no chump.” By not joining Ali in the park, Joe felt silly, used, an object of ridicule and diminished in stature. After Joe and Ali appeared on The Mike Douglas Show the next day, Ali waited for him outside across the street. He then ran across to Frazier, and threw a punch, a soft right, that caught Joe on the shoulder. They grappled. Ali sent out another right, missing Joe and zinging Durham, who held his eye. “You crazy mothafucka,” Durham shouted. He then motioned to some in the crowd to help pull Joe away. On the way home, Frazier kept saying over and over to Gypsy, “I can’t believe I trusted him.” And so that same evening they drove over to see Ali at his Cherry Hill house. Gypsy was saying, “Smoke, this ain’t right. Let it pass. He wanna see you like this. He ain’t right in the head. You playin’ his game.” Joe said: “It ain’t no game to me.” He then said, “You tell Yank about this, and you be no friend of mine. Ever.” Two Muslims with shoulder arms answered the door. One went back to fetch Ali, and he came to the door with a big smile. He looked down at little Gypsy. According to Gypsy years later, here is what took place. “Who’s the shrimp?” Ali asked. Gypsy shot back, “Yeah, gimme five inches, and I whup your faggot ass good.” Ali ignored him, saying to Joe, “Come on in. My, my, we have some fun today.” “Right here’ll do,” Joe said. “And it weren’t no fun for me. Showin’ me up like that. Right here in my hometown. Callin’ me names.” The Muslims drew in closer to Ali. Joe said to them: “Them guns don’t mean shit to me.” Ali said: “Just fun, Joe. That’s all. Gotta keep my name out there. Don’t mean nuthin’ by it.” “Coward? Uncle Tom? Only one I’ve been Tommin’ for is you! Names like that ain’t just fun. Those sorry-ass Muslims leadin’ you on me. It gonna stop right here.” “Don’t talk about my religion,” Ali said. “I can’t let ya do that. Go home and cool down.” “Ain’t ever gonna be coolin’ down now. Fuck your religion. We’re talkin’ about me. Who I am.” Joe extended his hand, saying, “This is black. You can’t take who I am. You turn on a friend for what? So you impress them Muslim fools, so you be the big man.” Ali said, “We finished talkin’.” He turned back into the house. Frazier snapped, “That’s it, get the fuck outta here. Hide behind your shooters. You and me, it’s comin’. But I’ll die before ya get an even split.” On the way back to the car, Gypsy asked, “You feelin’ better?” “Yeah,” Joe said. “For now.” Next: The sad tale of Patterson I http://boxingmemories.com/wp-content...-liston-38.jpg |
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#3 |
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Contender
ESB Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: yorkshire. england.
Posts: 1,015
vCash: 75 |
i love ali, he's my favourite fighter of all time.
but what he did to joe frazier was just wrong. big time. i can fully understand why joe frazier never forgave him for what he did. for frazier it just cut too deep. |
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#10 |
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Contender
ESB Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,161
vCash: 107 |
All part of Ali's psychological warfare - It worked well on many opponents - But if any man was the wrongest man to get annoyed in a fight it was Joe Frazier.
Joe unleashed his soul on Ali in the FOTC and theres no one I would confidently favor over Joe that night.... |
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#12 | |
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Belt holder
ESB Addict
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4,499
vCash: 1000 |
Great job,General.Thank you![]() Quote:
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