Story from The Takeaway. Listen to the above audio for a complete report.
Joe Frazier, the heavyweight boxing champion who gave Muhammad Ali his first loss, died Monday night.
He was 67.
Frazier will likely always be best known for his victory over Ali in 1971. The two met in two rematches including the well-known Thrilla in Manilla that pitted the two against each other when Ali beat him. Frazier lost to Ali two out of the three times they faced each other.
Frazier was often jealous of the attention Ali got, especially because it came at his own expense. But over the years, that went away.
“I was busy fighting. I was busy fighting and raising my kids and getting in shape and doing what I had to to get the job done,” he said two years ago.
Opponents described him as tenacious and ferocious — you’d need a sledge hammer to take him down, opponents said.
Instead, it was liver cancer that ultimately knocked him out.
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