Frazier hasn’t forgotten Muhammad Ali’s abuse

We all know boxing is a brutal game.

Outside of the ring, though, it can be just as devastating, and it sometimes spews forth a bitterness and a sense of hatred that can bruise a man for life.

In this instance, I’m referring to former heavyweight king “Smokin Joe” Frazier and his life-long struggle to shake the ridicule and demeaning insults of one of his most vaunted opponents, Muhammad Ali.

Although Ali inflicted a lot of physical pain to Frazier in their three bouts, he perhaps did more to hurt Frazier with his mouth. Ali’s words inflicted pain upon Frazier, a “warrior” from the word go. And to this day, with both men beyond any physical warfare, Frazier still lives each day with the pain of some of Ali’s comments.

He makes no bones about his thoughts

Writer Ron Borges details the feelings of both fighters in a special to ESPN. In the first paragraph of his story he begins with, “Joe Frazier hasn’t fought Muhammad Ali in 32 years, but he spars with him every day.”

Those words set the pace for his brilliant story which was to follow.

The two will go down in history as a pair of all-time greats and their three fights left little to be desired. Fight fans called the bouts as some of the greatest in history. Frazier decked Ali in the 15th round of their first bout but he would rather not talk about the last two.

Frazier is a hard man and he still carries the bruises of Ali’s words.

He’s a proud man, too, and he doesn’t forget or forgive easily. He hails from Philadelphia, where “Rocky” spawned his memorable fight films. But there is no brotherly love in the heart of Frazier, especially for Ali.

Ali and Frazier last stepped into the ring against each other 32 years ago. Today, both fighters show their age and have paid the price for their lifestyle. Ali’s health has failed and he’s been battling Parkinson’s Disease. Frazier still seems to have his health and his dislike for Ali.

But the words that bruised Frazier the most were Ali’s referral to Frazier as a “gorilla” and an ignorant tool and he later portrayed him as “an Uncle Tom.” Ali said his comments were utilized only to sell tickets, however, Frazier saw things in a different light. He didn’t like Ali back in those days and the feeling still lingers. They say that time heals all wounds, but in this case don’t look for either one to kiss and make up now. I’ve been following the fight game for many years now and even watched their bouts on ESPN Classics numerous times. It’s no wonder that fans give both fighters such a high rating. They earned them.

We recently featured a column on Ken White, the former Hickory High School athlete who is now news director at Fox in Charlotte, N.C.

Ken recently sent a letter requesting some information on two baseball players from the Sharon area who once played baseball for Mack’s Pittsburgh “Alleghenies” back in the 1890s. Reading a biography on “Connie Mack” (written by Norman Macht), Ken said both players were pitchers.

The names of the two players are Will Thompson, a right-handed hurler, and Gussie Gannon, a southpaw. Neither player had a long tenure playing for Mack’s Pittsburgh “Alleghenies.”

White said he would love to obtain more information on the two. You can contact him at (704) 632-7362, fax 704-358-4841 or e-mail at kwhite@foxcharlotte.tv

I was scanning the sports pages the other day when I came upon a familiar name, one that should ring a bell with many area sports fans. Jack Corrigan once worked for radio and television in the Youngstown area before moving on to greener pastures. He is more familiar to Cleveland Indians fans as he once broadcast Tribe games along with Mike Hegan. Jack, who broadcast Indian games for 17 years, was a very knowledgeable man in all phases of sports. We worked the Brookfield High School state championship football game in 1978.

That was the year the Warriors, under late coach John Delserone was at the helm, and one of the key players for Brookfield was linebacker Marcus Marek. The Warriors won the state title that year following a fantastic season.

I had made advanced reservations to cover the game and when I arrived for the contest the press box was filled to overflowing. Officials put up a tarp in the stands from where we covered the game. It was one of the coldest days in history and burn barrels were set-up along the sidelines to provide some warmth. So who was in the tarp enclosure with me? You guessed it. Jack Corrigan. We froze to death together.

So where is Jack today? He just finished up his third season with the Colorado Rockies radio network. I’m sure he squirmed a bit over the Rockies’ dismal performance in the 2007 World Series. But sometimes, that’s the way the ball bounces.