Welcome to Hana Lima 'Ia. Me.'s Journal - The Old Plame Threads - For Anyone Who Is Interested. H2O Man's Journal. The death of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier is a loss for more than the boxing community and the world of sports, for “Smokin' Joe” represented a significant part of what was solid and dependable in American culture during an era of turmoil and social unrest.
While far too many professional athletes are elevated to the status of “role model” merely because of their athletic gifts, Joe Frazier was exactly the type of person that every community needs for its youth to look up to. In the past 24 hours, I've watched numerous television reports on the life of Joe Frazier; read both newspaper and internet articles; and have spoken to a number of family members and friends, about their memories of this great champion.