“F” is for Frazier, Joseph William (1944-2011). Boxer. A native of Beaufort, Frazier move to Philadelphia to live with relatives and work in a meat slaughterhouse. In 1961, working out in a Police Athletic League gym, he took up boxing and by 1964 had won the Middle Atlantic Golden Gloves heavyweight titles three years in a row. He also won the gold medal in the Olympics that year. Frazier then turned professional. In 1969 he won the World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight championship title. After a successful defense, Frazier faced Mohammed Ali in the ‘Fight of the Century” at New York’s Madison Square Garden—a fifteen-round decision that Frazier won. When he finally retired from the ring, his career record was 34-4-1, including twenty-seven knockouts. Joseph William Frazier was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1980.
“F” is for Frazier, Joseph William (1944-2011)
