PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - Un cancro al fegato mette k.o. la leggenda della boxe Joe Frazier. Il regno dei cieli acquista oggi un grandissimo lottatore: chi non ha mai sentito parlare del match noto come Fight of the century, in cui riuscì a difendere la cintura dei pesi massimi contro Muhammad Ali? Vabbè... che poi Ali seppe vendicarsi, eccome! E lo fece sia nel loro secondo (Ali vs. Frazier II) che nel loro terzo (Thrilla in Manila) incontro.
Il suo palmarès era da brividi: 32 vittorie, 4 sconfitte ed un pareggio. Sarebbe troppo scontato parlarvi in questa sede delle sue vittorie, quindi passiamo alle sconfitte; le altre due (oltre a quelle già menzionate) le subì dall'unico uomo che non è mai riuscito a battere: George Foreman, il quale, non solo gli strappò il titolo nel 1973 ma poi gli rifece la cacchiola nel 1976. Foreman, però, non era un suo nemico e lo ha voluto ribadire quest'oggi dichiarando quanto segue:
The term "one and only" has been widely used to introduce many a celebrity, athlete and politician. With most of these folks, one and only, is the last definition they deserve. Cause you see them at home, at work in the TV, campaigning, visiting the poor, in the presence of the rich and famous. You might see a different person. One hello for the rich, a goodbye for the poor. Even a special handshake for the haves and the have nots. But this is not the case with Smokin' Joe Frazier. Truly the one and only. If you were his friend, you got not more than the stranger.
Joe Frazier, for me, was the first champion I followed and studied. I wanted to fight him one day. I looked for weakness: anyone who treated big shots big and the little person small was a plastic person. This kind of person would melt when the going got rough. With Joe: I extended my hand for a handshake, he held back his hand and said, "George, meet my wife," and after I greeted his Mrs. he then said "hello" and "nice to meet you, George" with a firm handshake. Nothing weak in his game. Everyone was the same.
Even his fighting style was his way of life.When the bell rings he would not back up from King King! I knocked Joe down six times. When our fight was over, Joe was on his feet looking for me. Talk about Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, even me George Foreman, but the fact is there is only one common, ordinary everyday Joe and he is "the one and only Joe Frazier".
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P.S. Forse non sapete che Smokin' Joe Frazier era anche un cantante. Beh, mò che lo sapete, potete andare.
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