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Joe Frazier Signed Sports
illustrated
A Sports illustrated cover from the thrilla
in Manilla promotion signed by Joe Frazier.
Joe Frazier
SOLD
Joe Frazier, the son of a South Carolina sharecropper,
he became a boxer by accident. He first went to a gym to
work himself into shape. Shortly after, he began fighting
competitively and became one of the best amateur heavyweights
in the nation. He didn't lose until he ran into Buster Mathis,
who decisioned him in the 1964 Olympic trials. But, Mathis
suffered an hand injury and Frazier replaced him at the
Summer Games in Tokyo and came home with a gold medal.
With Muhammad Ali's exile from the sport,
the heavyweight division was in disarray. While the WBA
held an elimination tournament, Frazier was matched with
his nemesis from his amateur days, Buster Mathis, for the
New York State world title on March 4, 1968 at the Garden.
This time Mathis was not able to dance his
way to victory over three rounds. A relentless Frazier wore
down the bigger, heavier man, and stopped in the 11th round.
From 1968-70, Frazier made six defenses, including a fifth-round
TKO of WBA champ Jimmy Ellis in a unification fight. But
in the summer of 1970, former champ Ali was granted a license
to fight and the demand quickly grew for a showdown between
the former undefeated champ and the reigning king.
