Joe Frazier was held to a draw in a shocking upset in the final fight of his career.
At the peak of his powers, ‘Smokin’ was a truly fantastic boxer, who cemented his legacy as one of the best to ever do it.
While George Foreman said he’d faced heavier punchers than Frazier, the warrior brought far more to the table than raw power, applying unrelenting waves of pressure that frequently forced his opponents to fold.
However, after returning to the sport following a five-and-a-half-year lay-off, it was clear the legend wasn’t the competitor he once was.
WOW: George Foreman dropped Joe Frazier six times in two rounds in a brutal display
Joe Frazier drew against Floyd Cummings in a huge upset
After losing to George Foreman for a second time in 1976, Joe Frazier walked away from the sport.
But with an itch to compete still left unscratched, the icon decided to make a comeback.
On December 3, 1981, inside the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Frazier made his eagerly anticipated return against Floyd Cummings.
Had he won, the plan was to match the all-time great up against WBA heavyweight world champion Mike Weaver. Alas, the fight didn’t go according to the script.
In the opening round, the future Hall of Famer looked slow, as he walked into a plethora of heavy shots.
However, in the second segment, he showed flashes of his brilliant best with a left hook landing cleanly on the target.
But in the third, he found himself in a hint of trouble and had to bite down on his gumshield to survive.
Showcasing his warrior spirit, he connected with a tremendous right hand in the fifth.
Over the course of the following five rounds, Cummings controlled the action.
The fight was eventually ruled a draw, and Frazier never returned to the ring.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier got into a brutal street fight in a television studio after ‘The Greatest’ insulted his rival
While Frazier wasn’t the same competitor when he set foot inside the squared circle with Cummings as he was in his peak, the fans still came out to see him.
That’s because of all the fantastic memories he gave them, especially in his bouts with Muhammad Ali.
The pair truly despised one another, with tensions once boiling over.
In a shocking moment, Ali and Frazier had a physical fight in the middle of a TV interview.