RIP Smokin' Joe

[MSUDuo]

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[ODUalum11]

watching sportscenter now and just saw this news. RIP.

[SuperHornet]

His bouts against Ali were better than anything we'll see ever again.

[AZGrizFan]

Wow. That was fast. Wasn't it just announced two days ago he had cancer?

Sad. And a sad story....always like him over Ali....

RIP, Smokin' Joe.

[Gil Dobie]

RIP Joe

[GannonFan]

Wow. That was fast. Wasn't it just announced two days ago he had cancer?

Sad. And a sad story....always like him over Ali....

RIP, Smokin' Joe.

The story of him having liver cancer had been known for awhile - the recent story was him going into hospice care - once that happens, then end is pretty much near. RIP.

[AZGrizFan]

Wow. That was fast. Wasn't it just announced two days ago he had cancer?

Sad. And a sad story....always like him over Ali....

RIP, Smokin' Joe.

The story of him having liver cancer had been known for awhile - the recent story was him going into hospice care - once that happens, then end is pretty much near. RIP.

Ah. Thanks for the clarification.

Yeah, hospice is the signal....

[Ivytalk]

His bouts against Ali were better than anything we'll see ever again.

They were great fights. No BS, just punching and counterpunching.

[GannonFan]

His bouts against Ali were better than anything we'll see ever again.

They were great fights. No BS, just punching and counterpunching.

Still hard to look at those fights and not think of how Ali went overboard in the promotion of them and the demonizing of Frazier, up to that point a friend who had helped Ali so much. I know Ali has basically said he regrets what he did, but the damage it did to Frazier makes it hard to forget.

[mlbowl]

Very sad news...R.i.p. Smokin' Joe!

[BlueHen86]

They were great fights. No BS, just punching and counterpunching.

Still hard to look at those fights and not think of how Ali went overboard in the promotion of them and the demonizing of Frazier, up to that point a friend who had helped Ali so much. I know Ali has basically said he regrets what he did, but the damage it did to Frazier makes it hard to forget.

I was thinking the same thing. Joe seemed like a decent man who wasn't prepared for the Ali hype.

RIP

[Wedgebuster]

Joe was an old fashioned guy, an "Uncle Tom" by today's definition and did not hold well with Cassius Clay doing all he did at the time to attract attention to himself with the name change and becoming a Muslim, and dodging the draft.

Ali taunted him as an Uncle Tom, and a slave to whitey, etc and Joe took it personal and grew more surly as time wore on. Unfortunately he might have done a much better job of profiting off of the whole thing rather than withdrawing over it.

Loved Smokin' Joe!

[GannonFan]

Joe was an old fashioned guy, an "Uncle Tom" by today's definition and did not hold well with Cassius Clay doing all he did at the time to attract attention to himself with the name change and becoming a Muslim, and dodging the draft.

Ali taunted him as an Uncle Tom, and a slave to whitey, etc and Joe took it personal and grew more surly as time wore on. Unfortunately he might have done a much better job of profiting off of the whole thing rather than withdrawing over it.

Loved Smokin' Joe!

Not sure about the first paragraph. If Frazier didn't "hold well" with Ali's persona, his religion, or dodging the draft, he didn't really say much about it publicly before the first fight. Heck, he loaned Ali money and worked to convince boxing officials to let Ali box again. I could see how Joe would take it personally - he was basically helping someone he thought was a friend and then he gets casts in pretty awful terms by the same guy he thought was his friend. Sure, he could've made money off of being the villian, but I'm not sure I'd cast myself as bad as Ali cast Frazier just to make money. There is more in life than profit.

[Wedgebuster]

Ok, so he loved ali, ali made fun of him, he got pissed and he squandered an income opportunity. Got it.

[bulldog10jw]

Watched Ali-Frazier I on closed circuit TV in the New Haven Arena.

I never felt anything like the electricity that was in the air before and during the fight, and what a great fight it was.

RIP, Joe

[GannonFan]

Ok, so he loved ali, ali made fun of him, he got pissed and he squandered an income opportunity. Got it.

Ok, so you would debase your entire persona and freely pretend to be something you absolutely despise just to make more money. Got it.

[dal4018]

His bouts against Ali were better than anything we'll see ever again.

He helped Ali regain his boxing license back in the 70's

[Wedgebuster]

Ok, so he loved ali, ali made fun of him, he got pissed and he squandered an income opportunity. Got it.

Ok, so you would debase your entire persona and freely pretend to be something you absolutely despise just to make more money. Got it.

Welcome to the modern era there skippy!

[GannonFan]

Ok, so you would debase your entire persona and freely pretend to be something you absolutely despise just to make more money. Got it.

Welcome to the modern era there skippy!

not everyone wants to be a Kardashian - I mean, you seem to but that doesn't apply to everyone else.

[Grizalltheway]

Welcome to the modern era there skippy!

not everyone wants to be a Kardashian - I mean, you seem to but that doesn't apply to everyone else.

Believe me, Wedge is about as far from a Kardashian as one can get. You must be thinking of Travis.

[Wedgebuster]

not everyone wants to be a Kardashian - I mean, you seem to but that doesn't apply to everyone else.

Believe me, Wedge is about as far from a Kardashian as one can get. You must be thinking of Travis.

Gannon is on the rag today, not making much sense either. Must be that Pedo State deal and the Pope and little boys with sore assholes thing.