frazier tribute

By the mid-1970s, Joe Frazier, the newly crowned heavyweight champ, was on top of the boxing world. THE RING traced his amazing rise in the sport with a special photo essay in the June '70 issue.

The cover of the May 1970 issue of THE RING asked: "The heavyweight champion -- Clay or Frazier???" Inside the magazine, fight scribe George Girsch asked: "What makes Joe Frazier tick?"

RING editor and founder Nat Fleischer recounted Joe Frazier's brutal fifth-round knockout of Jimmy Ellis in the cover story to the May 1970 issue. The victory earned Frazier the undisputed heavywieght title.

Joe Frazier was on the cover of the March 1970 issue of THE RING (along with upcoming opponent Jimmy Ellis and future arch rival Muhammad Ali). Inside: his war with Jerry Quarry won 1969 Fight of the Year honors.

A LeRoy Neiman painting of Joe Frazier graced the cover of the January 1970 issue of THE RING. Inside, an article examined Muhammad Ali's imminent return to the sport and a dream match with Frazier.

The October 1969 issue of THE RING previewed the big heavyweight showdown between No. 1 contender Joe Frazier and WBA titleholder Jimmy Ellis by having the fighters pen articles explaining how they planned to win.

Editor and founder of THE RING Nat Fleischer became a diehard Joe Frazier fan and believer after the undefeated contender out-slugged Jerry Quarry in the magazine's Fight of the Year for 1969.