When EXACTLY and how did Joe Frazier go blind in 1 eye ?

Early in his career...1965-66

It wasn't a person responsible either...it was a faulty speed bag of all things

Part of a metal mechanism that broke on it sent "schrapnel" basically into his eye....crazy I know


I rank Joe probably a little higher than most even...since the guy had for all intents and purposes one good eye and one good arm, for most of his career

Think if you will to the thrilla... He gets his good eye swollen shut and he was dealing with the left one having failing vision


Also he didn't start wearing a medical contact til (or a little before) the Foreman fight....he also lost the contact lense during a fight


Then there was his ingenious way of how he would occasionally fool the eye exam doctor for his pre fight physical... he'd read the eye chart with one eye covered(like they make you do) then he'd pretend to switch which eye was covered and would proceed to read the eye chart with his good eye all over again


lol I know I keep editing and adding to this, but it blew my mind when I first read about Frazier's eye/arm and what he accomplished despite it

 

This. Here is a quote from Joe about his left eye.

"My left eye went when I was young. I was working the speed bag and some steel went in the eye and scratched it to pieces. I was kinda blind in that eye."

Frazier laughs when asked how he could have fought anyone, let alone beaten Ali, with only one eye. "Some doctors were my best friends. We sheltered the story and kept it a secret. And I learnt the eye-chart by heart."
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/nov/11/sportinterviews-boxing

 

What a helluva warrior!!!...nothing was ever easy for him

 

Amazing stuff...

Really displays some of the hidden intangles that champions have that sometimes make up for anything they lack

 

He also had an injury to his right arm, which he sustained when he was attacked by a pig as a younger man.

This is thought to have impaired his use of his right throughout his boxing career.

Remarkable as it seems, this great fighter could have been even better!

 

Now that does make sense. I've always used to think that Joe must have been a converted southpaw since his left was so much more powerful than his right and he was always so much more reliant on it during fights but then I saw a documentary about Joe and he was shown writing a letter and he was actually writing with his right hand which you assume would suggest he was naturally right handed so it appeared kind of confusing on why his right hand was seemingly so much less effective and weaker than the left when it came to fighting. The possibility that this was down to a pre-boxing injury does make some sense.

 

Gypsy Joe always thought that Yank Durham tipped the commission off about his eye when they separated but Joe would never sell Frazier out even though he knew Frazier had a bum eye.