Those who truly appreciate the sport of boxing often find themselves cheering for anybody in the ring who displays a combination of skill, heart, and determination, no matter who it is. Sure, everybody has their favorite fighters, but it’s very rare that boxing fans find themselves “hating” anybody. Many boxing fans find themselves being supporters of both combatants during a fight.I realized this when ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier was about to take on Muhammad Ali back on March 8, 1971. I loved Ali, but couldn’t for the life of me think of anything negative to say about Frazier. Who could? This was a guy who by today’s standards would be one of the smallest heavyweights around. At 5-foot-10 and 210 lbs, he didn’t strike fear in his opponents until the bell rang to start the fight.Before the ‘Fight of the Century’ boxing fans were divided when it came to picking a winner. Many fans thought Ali’s three years in exile had robbed him of his prime while others figured he had just too much skill ...
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