Born: 12 January 1944 -November 7, 2011

Birth Place: Beaufort, South Carolina, USA

Nationality: American

Nickname: Smokin’ Joe

Division: Heavyweight (200lbs+)

Height: 5’ 10” / 178 cm

Reach: 73″ / 185 cm

• 1962, 1963 and 1964 Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship

• 1964 Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medallist

• Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion

• Left Hook

• Bobbing and Weaving Defense

• Mental Strength

Joe Frazier is another all-time great coming from an era where the heavyweight division was jam packed with great fighters. He was famous for his powerful left hook which accounted for the majority of his knockouts.

Frazier was a relentless pressure fighter who would bob and weave to avoid punches while getting into range to unload his own punches. A strong mind was displayed throughout Frazier’s entire career, sometimes taking so much punishment without quitting as best seen in his third fight with the legendary Muhammad Ali.

By a stroke of luck, Joe Frazier entered the Olympics as a replacement for the original fighter, Buster Mathis who was injured. Frazier was very well prepared due to his workhorse nature. He’d spar whoever he could, in his own words "Middleweight, light heavyweight, it didn't matter to me, I got in there and boxed all comers".

After running through the heavyweight division and winning a world title in the process, Frazier would be the first man to beat Muhammad Ali. His three fights with Ali would forever shape his legacy, because of the taunts that he had to endure from Ali, and the intensity of these fights.

In training, Frazier never slacked off, which is why he superseded other fighters who were more talented than himself. It’s what gave him the energy that allows him to have a relentless style. Sparring was a huge part of his game, he said “Sparring is the real deal. You can’t be a star unless you spar”.

Frazier did no weight training, only calisthenics which consisted of push ups, pull ups and sit ups. These were more effective as it required using the entire body for a certain motion. To strengthen his ability to take body shots, there was an emphasis on getting his trainer to launch a medicine ball towards his abdominals and sides. 

Joe Frazier’s workout was quite simple, since he was a simple man. However, it’s clear that he brought it to another level and constantly, not to mention repetitively, performed these exercises at the highest intensity.