For those who may not have heard yet, the great "Smokin'" Joe Frazier passed away tonight at the age of 67. Our tribute piece from earlier tonight will be accompanied by more on the former heavyweight champ during the rest of the week.
Here's what is, in my opinion, the best Joe Frazier highlights package on YouTube. I think it's an incredible thing, the time people will spend to make things like this, simply because they respect or admire a man's career so much.
I'm not someone who is old enough to truly romanticize this era of boxing, but as much as I don't want to do the cliche, "They don't make fighters like that anymore" sort of thing, this much is true: Joe Frazier was a special fighter. He was humble, he was true to himself and what he believed, he was powerful, relentless, and he had no fear between the bells.
The global response to the news of Joe Frazier's death has been amazing to witness. This is a man who hasn't done what he was famous for -- fight -- for the last 35 years. For his passing to be as enormous a story as it is, inspiring tributes from those in, around, and well outside the boxing business, tells you the kind of fighter and kind of man we're talking about here: A great one, who earned every last ounce of the respect he acquired.