Smokin' Joe and Greatness

Joe Frazier died last night.

Ali released a statement that said, "I will always remember Joe with admiration and respect."

Yeah, right.

I'm sure Greatness had a few more thoughts he would have liked to have tacked on to that statement. After all, these two hated each other with a violent passion that defined the sport of boxing. Arguably, the two greatest fights ever were fought between these two men: the 'Fight of the Century' in NYC where Frazier handed Ali his first professional loss and the 'Thrilla in Manila' where the two men almost killed each other.

'Thrilla in Manila' was such a brutal slug-fest that it's still uncomfortable to watch on ESPN Classic even after knowing the outcome.

Still, the way that the two handled each other outside of the ring was quite the battle itself. Ali referenced Frazier as an "ugly gorilla" and once called him an "Uncle Tom".

Frazier was furious. He saw Ali as the embodiment of foolish pride. How dare he declare himself the Greatest? Frazier took it upon himself to give the fool his fall and he did in the 'Fight of the Century'. Even though they fought two more times, and each of the three fights were epic battles, Frazier could never emerge from the shadow of Greatness.

When Ali lit the torch at the Atlanta Olympic Games, Frazier said he wish he was there so he could push him in.

Ali was already stricken with Parkinson's Disease by then.

I remember an interview with Frazier's brother a couple of years ago and the guy asked him if there had been any give in the rivalry over the years that had passed. In other words, was Frazier still pissed at Ali after all this time?

Frazier's brother gave a little smirk and picked up his cell phone and called his brother. Frazier didn't answer, but the voice mail picked up and the following message played:

"My name is Smokin' Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor.
Yeah, floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee,
I'm the man who done the job, look and see."

The irony of it all is as much as the two men beat each other down, they were building up their legends at the same time. Joe Frazier will never be remembered without mentioning Muhammad Ali, and vice versa.

Could you imagine that? The one man you hate more than anything on the planet is responsible for your own greatness...your immortality. With that said, of course Frazier is going to take credit for Ali's Parkinson's.

Frazier dies quickly after a brief battle with cancer and Ali's own end gets drawn out in torturous fashion. I bet he's laughing about that too.

Till the bitter end, Smokin'Joe, till the bitter end.