Frazier lauded as great champ

Joe Frazier had to throw his greatest punch to knock down "The Greatest."

A vicious left hook from Frazier put Muhammad Ali on the canvas in the 15th round in March 1971 when he became the first man to beat him in the Fight of the Century at Madison Square Garden.

"That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life," Frazier said.

It was his biggest night, one that would never come again.

Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at 67, will forever be associated with Ali. No one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as The Greatest unless he, too, was linked to Smokin' Joe.

"I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration," Ali said in a statement. "My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones."

They fought three times, twice in the heart of New York City and once in the morning in a steamy arena in the Thrilla in Manila in the Philippines.

In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights.

"Closest thing to dying that I know of," Ali said afterward.

Ali was as merciless with Frazier out of the ring as he was inside it. He called him a gorilla, and mocked him as an Uncle Tom. But he respected him as a fighter, especially after Frazier won a decision to defend his heavyweight title against the then-unbeaten Ali in a fight that was so big Frank Sinatra was shooting pictures at ringside and both fighters earned an astonishing $2.5 million.

Bob Arum, who once promoted Ali, said he was saddened by Frazier's passing.

"He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word," Arum said. "I'm torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age. I can't say enough about Joe."

On Tuesday, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson posted his condolences on Twitter. Tyson wrote, "As a young fighter it has always been an honor to be compared" to Frazier.

Don King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila, said Frazier always fought with courage and for respect.

Frazier's reign as heavyweight champion lasted only four fights — including the win against Ali — before he ran into an even more fearsome slugger than himself — George Foreman. Foreman dropped him three times in the first round and three more in the second before their 1973 fight in Jamaica was waved to a close.

The first knockdown inspired a call at ringside that is among the most famous in sports history.

"Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Howard Cosell yelled into his ABC microphone.