"I'm Joe Frazier, sharp as a laser, and I’m here for you!”~ Joe Frazier
The legendary Joe Frazier was scheduled to make an appearance at the DOC NYC premiere of “JOE FRAZIER: WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS” last night, but instead, it was one of the saddest days in boxing history. The film, directed by Mike Todd, reaches deep into the heart, soul and roots of the real man, and not just the boxing heavyweight champion from the ring. Joe Frazier was true to his family, and always returned to his hometown of Beufort, SC. He never had any negative thoughts, was motivated, unstoppable, wanted a better life for him and his family, and set out to do what he put his mind to. Fighting “his way”, Joe Frazier went on to compete against Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971 and the third and final match between the two, known as the “Thrilla in Manila”, on Oct 1, 1975. These matches were ranked as some of the best and most watched fights in boxing history. But aside from being a champion in the ring, Joe wanted to give something back to the community and opened the Joe Frazier gym in Philadelphia, PA. “God made us all one, and we need to look out for each other”. Most of us need love and someone there to say, “you can do it”, so he created a place where an inner city child could go to stay out of trouble. See the documentary, “JOE FRAZIER: WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS”, and pay homage to an icon.
An encore screening of “JOE FRAZIER: WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS” is scheduled to show at IFC on THURSDAY, NOV 10th @ 1:00pm and 8:15pm with the Director, Mike Todd in person!
Article and Videography by Sharon Abella
ABELLA Sharon 
