"Smokin' Joe" Frazier is up next, World Heavyweight Champion for nearly three years, holding the title from February 16, 1970 to January 22, 1973, the first man to defeat Muhammad Ali. I love watching Frazier fight, his style is fascinating. He was a relentless pressure fighter and classic swarmer. He fought by constantly stalking opponents, bobbing and weaving to slip punches, and getting inside to deliver devastating body shots and his legendary, fight-ending left hook. He was the pressure fighter from hell. Joe Frazier received his famous "Smokin'" nickname from his trainer and manager, Yank Durham. Frazier himself said that he got the nickname from his trainer, Yank Durham, who would tell him before some of his earliest boxing contests that he wanted Frazier to throw so many punches that smoke would come from his gloves. "I wanna see smoke comin' from them gloves, Joe", Frazier said Durham would bellow at him in an attempt to psyche him up. And not only did it work, as Joe went on to have a tremendously successful career, but it also bestowed upon Joe one of the most iconic nicknames in boxing history, "Smokin' Joe". In his prime, Frazier was the stuff of nightmares, his 1971 fight against Ali at Madison Square Garden is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a boxing ring, he was all over Ali like a rash, he wore Ali's body and head slam out with punishing hooks, his relentless aggression was frightening. The decisive moment arrived in the 15th and final round when Frazier landed one of the most famous left hooks in boxing history, sending Ali crashing to the canvas. Not many heavyweights in history could deal with Frazier at his peak. Anyway, legendary fighter, let's look at the photos behind his cards. This is his true rookie card, the 1964 Bobbie Bubble Gum - Tokio 1964 - Joe Frazier. This card features 3 distinct back variations. The European multi-sport set was issued in Belgium with backs printed in French, Dutch, or a combined French and Dutch text. Features below are a French text back, and a French-Dutch combined text back.
I actually own the original type 1 photo for the image on the 1964 Bobbie Bubble Gum - Tokio 1964 - Joe Frazier rookie card, one of the best items in my collection for sure.
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter's - Joe Frazier. This is my favorite Frazier card, it features the iconic image of Joe walking back to his corner after catching Ali with his famous left hook in round 15 of their 1971 showdown.
1983 Topps Olympians - Joe Frazier. There are four different variations for the cards in this set, the standard issue (seen here), the M&M's, the Seven-Eleven Black Olympic Rings, and the Coca-Cola, the Coca-Cola is by far the rarest. I was really hoping to find a scan of the Coca-Cola variation of this card but it's just too rare.
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"Smokin' Joe" Frazier is up next, World Heavyweight Champion for nearly three years, holding the title from February 16, 1970 to January 22, 1973, the first man to defeat Muhammad Ali. I love watching Frazier fight, his style is fascinating. He was a relentless pressure fighter and classic swarmer. He fought by constantly stalking opponents, bobbing and weaving to slip punches, and getting inside to deliver devastating body shots and his legendary, fight-ending left hook. He was the pressure fighter from hell. Joe Frazier received his famous "Smokin'" nickname from his trainer and manager, Yank Durham. Frazier himself said that he got the nickname from his trainer, Yank Durham, who would tell him before some of his earliest boxing contests that he wanted Frazier to throw so many punches that smoke would come from his gloves. "I wanna see smoke comin' from them gloves, Joe", Frazier said Durham would bellow at him in an attempt to psyche him up. And not only did it work, as Joe went on to have a tremendously successful career, but it also bestowed upon Joe one of the most iconic nicknames in boxing history, "Smokin' Joe". In his prime, Frazier was the stuff of nightmares, his 1971 fight against Ali at Madison Square Garden is one of the greatest performances I've ever seen in a boxing ring, he was all over Ali like a rash, he wore Ali's body and head slam out with punishing hooks, his relentless aggression was frightening. The decisive moment arrived in the 15th and final round when Frazier landed one of the most famous left hooks in boxing history, sending Ali crashing to the canvas. Not many heavyweights in history could deal with Frazier at his peak. Anyway, legendary fighter, let's look at the photos behind his cards. This is his true rookie card, the 1964 Bobbie Bubble Gum - Tokio 1964 - Joe Frazier. This card features 3 distinct back variations. The European multi-sport set was issued in Belgium with backs printed in French, Dutch, or a combined French and Dutch text. Features below are a French text back, and a French-Dutch combined text back.
I actually own the original type 1 photo for the image on the 1964 Bobbie Bubble Gum - Tokio 1964 - Joe Frazier rookie card, one of the best items in my collection for sure.
2007 Topps Allen & Ginter's - Joe Frazier. This is my favorite Frazier card, it features the iconic image of Joe walking back to his corner after catching Ali with his famous left hook in round 15 of their 1971 showdown.
2010 Ringside Boxing Round One - Base - Joe Frazier. Man, there's just nothing quite like boxing photography.
2010 Ringside Boxing Round One - Victorious - Base - Joe Frazier.
1983 Topps Olympians - Joe Frazier. There are four different variations for the cards in this set, the standard issue (seen here), the M&M's, the Seven-Eleven Black Olympic Rings, and the Coca-Cola, the Coca-Cola is by far the rarest. I was really hoping to find a scan of the Coca-Cola variation of this card but it's just too rare.