Vintage boxing artwork
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THE RING ALMANAC
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Heavyweight · Television Era (1960–1989)

Joe Frazier

"Smokin' Joe"

32
Wins
4
Losses
1
Draws
27
KOs
84%
KO %
Born
1944
Died
2011
Nationality
USA
Career
1965–1981

A ceaseless left-hooking pressure fighter who handed Ali his first professional defeat.

Titles & Honours

Career Timeline

1965–1981
  1. Milestone

    Olympic Gold (1964)

    Year from profile honours.

    View title / honour details
  2. Milestone

    First recorded professional bout

    vs Woody Goss · W TKO

    View fight record
  3. Title history

    Title reign begins

    World Heavyweight Champion (1970–1973). Year from profile title history; exact title-winning bout not identified.

    View title / honour details
  4. Milestone

    25th recorded win

    vs Jimmy Ellis · RTD. Newspaper decisions excluded.

    View fight record
  5. Signature fight

    vs Jimmy Ellis

    W KO5 Jimmy Ellis (1970) · Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

    View fight record
  6. Signature fight

    vs Muhammad Ali

    W PTS15 Muhammad Ali (1971) – Fight of the Century · Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.

    View fight record
  7. Signature fight

    vs George Foreman

    L TKO2 George Foreman (1973) · National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica

    View fight record
  8. Milestone

    Latest recorded bout

    vs Floyd Cummings · D MD. Not necessarily the retirement date.

    View fight record

Derived from the current archive and profile honours. Title-reign years are not exact bout dates; title claims are not independently verified. Signature fights use existing profile selections, or clearly labelled wins over other archived fighters when no selections exist. Year-only dates retain their original precision.

Photo Archive

Wooden mortar and pestle found in the rice loft on Briars Plantation, John's Island (Charleston County), South Carolina. From the personal collection of the (anonymous) owner. It is believed to have b
Wooden mortar and pestle found in the rice loft on Briars Plantation, John's Island (Charleston County), South Carolina. From the personal collection of the (anonymous) owner. It is believed to have b
Sports statues in South Philadelphia
Sports statues in South Philadelphia
Joe Frazier in a studio portrait. Photo at least dated to 1971 based on this poster
Joe Frazier in a studio portrait. Photo at least dated to 1971 based on this poster
Joe Frazier reading Dutch newspaper about his singing career at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (cropped)
Joe Frazier reading Dutch newspaper about his singing career at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (cropped)
United States Olympic heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier of Philadelphia holds the gold medal he won after beating Hans Huber of Germany in the finals of the Olympic boxing event
United States Olympic heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier of Philadelphia holds the gold medal he won after beating Hans Huber of Germany in the finals of the Olympic boxing event
Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Joe Frazier en zijn groep tijdens het concert Datum : 15 mei 1971 Locatie : Noord-Brabant, Tilburg Trefwoorden
Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Joe Frazier en zijn groep tijdens het concert Datum : 15 mei 1971 Locatie : Noord-Brabant, Tilburg Trefwoorden
Joe Frazier was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States.
Joe Frazier was awarded the Order of the Palmetto in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States.
The New York Daily News editor-in-chief Kevin Convey (on the right) presented Joe Frazier (center) with the Daily News Front Page Award in 2011.
The New York Daily News editor-in-chief Kevin Convey (on the right) presented Joe Frazier (center) with the Daily News Front Page Award in 2011.
Joe Frazier's Gym, for sale, in Philadelphia.
Joe Frazier's Gym, for sale, in Philadelphia.
Headstone for Joseph "Joe" Frazier (1-12-1944 to 11-07-2011) with engraved image of the boxer, at his grave at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Headstone for Joseph "Joe" Frazier (1-12-1944 to 11-07-2011) with engraved image of the boxer, at his grave at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Straw basket made by the Gullah culture of coastal Georgia & South Carolina, USA
Straw basket made by the Gullah culture of coastal Georgia & South Carolina, USA
Ali vs Frazier.
Ali vs Frazier.

12 archival photographs under their original licences.

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Fight-by-Fight Record

DateResultOpponentMethodRoundVenue
1965-08-16WWoody GossTKO1Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1965-09-20WMike BruceTKO3Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1965-09-28WRay StaplesTKO2Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1965-11-11WAbe DavisKO1Philadelphia Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1966-01-17WMel TurnbowKO1Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1966-03-04WDick WippermanTKO5Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1966-04-04WCharley PoliteTKO2Hotel Philadelphia Auditorium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1966-04-28WDon SmithKO3Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1966-05-19WChuck LeslieKO3Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1966-05-26WAl JonesKO1Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1966-07-25WBilly DanielsRTD6Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1966-09-21WOscar BonavenaSD10Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1966-11-21WEddie MachenTKO10Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1967-02-21WDoug JonesKO6Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1967-04-11WJefferson DavisTKO5Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
1967-05-04WGeorge JohnsonUD10Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
1967-07-19WGeorge ChuvaloTKO4Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1967-10-17WTony DoyleTKO2Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1967-12-18WMarion ConnorTKO3Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
1968-03-04WBuster MathisTKO11Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1968-06-24WManuel RamosTKO2Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1968-12-10WOscar BonavenaUD15Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
1969-04-22WDave ZyglewiczKO1Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S.
1969-06-23WJerry QuarryRTD7Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1970-02-16WJimmy EllisRTD4Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1970-11-18WBob FosterKO2Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1971-03-08WMuhammad AliUD15Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1972-01-15WTerry DanielsTKO4Rivergate Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
1972-05-25WRon StanderRTD4Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
1973-01-22LGeorge ForemanTKO2National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica
1973-07-02WJoe BugnerPTS12Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England
1974-01-28LMuhammad AliUD12Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1974-06-17WJerry QuarryTKO5Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
1975-03-02WJimmy EllisTKO9Junction Oval, Melbourne, Australia
1975-10-01LMuhammad AliRTD14Philippine Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines
1976-06-15LGeorge ForemanTKO5Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Hempstead, New York, U.S.
1981-12-03DFloyd CummingsMD10International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Showing 37 of 37 recorded fights · last updated 2026-10-11. Imported record tables are not independently verified and may be incomplete. Early-era logs include newspaper decisions (NWS), which are not counted in the official totals above.

Record notes

Fight record last retrieved: 2026-10-11. Title histories remain subject to archival review.

Historical-era totals differ between record-keeping conventions (newspaper decisions, exhibitions).

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