Editing Joe Frazier (section)

== World Championship ==

Frazier claimed the heavyweight championship in 1970, defeating Jimmy Ellis to unify titles that had fragmented during Muhammad Ali's exile from boxing. His reign, though relatively brief before the Ali fights redefined his career, established him as a legitimate champion rather than merely a paper titleholder. His style—the constant pressure, the bobbing approach that set up the devastating left hook—proved effective against every opponent he faced during his rise to the championship.<ref name="kram"/>

The "Fight of the Century" on March 8, 1971, against Muhammad Ali represented boxing's biggest event, matching undefeated heavyweight champions whose contrasting styles and personalities captivated global audiences. Frazier's victory, achieved through the knockdown that his left hook produced in the fifteenth round, validated his championship while demonstrating that Ali's skills, though extraordinary, could be overcome. The fight's significance extended beyond boxing to reflect cultural divisions that the competitors' contrasting public personas represented.<ref name="hauser"/>

Their subsequent bouts continued the rivalry that the first fight had established. Ali won their second match in 1974, while the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975 produced what many consider boxing's greatest fight. The brutal contest, which Frazier's corner stopped after the fourteenth round, demonstrated both fighters' extraordinary courage while extracting physical costs that would affect the remainder of their lives. The trilogy's intensity established a rivalry unmatched in boxing history.<ref name="kram"/>