Muhammad Ali: A Tribute to the Greatest

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought three fights that are the pyramids of boxing. Dave Wolf was in the Frazier camp for each of them.

Dave was a gifted writer who later gained recognition as the manager of Ray Mancini and Donny Lalonde. He died in December 2008. Three months later, his daughter and brother gave me a carton filled with file folders containing handwritten notes that detail Dave’s years in the Frazier camp.

The notes are fragments: a phrase here, a sentence there. I’ve reviewed some of them and joined Dave’s words together to form an impressionistic portrait.

Everything that follows flowed from Dave’s pen. Joe Frazier is often referenced as ‘JF’ because that’s how Dave’s notes refer to him. For the same reason, Muhammad Ali is frequently referred to as ‘Clay’. As explained in the notes, ‘JF calls him “Clay”. Knows his name is “Ali”. Called him “Ali” until he heard what Clay was saying about him. Now calls him “Clay” out of disrespect.’

In several instances, I’ve added an explanatory note to clarify a point. These clarifications are contained in brackets.

I don’t agree with everything in Dave’s notes. Some of it runs counter to views I’ve expressed in Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times and other works I’ve written. What I can vouch for is that this article is faithful to Dave’s contemporaneous recording of the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier as seen through Joe’s eyes.

Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on 12 January 1944 … Grew up rural poor. Quit school in ninth grade … Married Florence Smith at age 16 … Lived in Brooklyn and Philadelphia … Worked in slaughterhouse; took home $125 a week.

Frustrated by poverty … Starts boxing in 1962 … 1964 Olympic gold medal.

Post-Olympic problems … Hand operation … No help from Olympic committee … Cold Christmas … Father dies.

Turns pro on own … Modest goals. Some material things. Wanted to be important. Believed he’d become somebody.

Others doubt his potential … Not a natural athlete … Small compared to past heavyweight champs.

Likes to fight … Fighting style like his personality … Hit often but doesn’t mind. Doesn’t feel most punches. High pain threshold. Accepts punishment as part of job.

Formation of Cloverlay to back him … Embarrassed at times by lack of education. Problems with public speaking. Called Cloverlay a ‘co-operation’ at first press conference.

Has been a drinker in past. Knows little about drugs.

Inspires loyalty.

Spartan training camp regardless of fight … Roadwork at 4.00am … Brutal training routine. Punishes body.

JF: ‘I love to work.’

Can’t understand sparring partners’ lack of desire … Eats and lives with them. Pushes them hard. Only the tough last.

Gambling with sparring partners as diversion; mostly loses. Doesn’t understand odds. Fleeced by crooked dice.

Yank Durham is great manager and friend. Yank succeeds because he wins JF’s complete unquestioning dedication and trust.

JF: ‘I still remember the look on Florence’s face [Joe’s wife] when I told her about no sex before fights. Imagine the look on my face when Yank told me.’

JF liked Clay at first. Understands how others like him.

JF: ‘I liked his humour and style. Till I got to know him, I admired him a lot; so it’s not hard for me to see why others do.’

When Clay first switched to Muslims, JF thought he was sincere. Knew little about the religion. Shared many racial feelings.

JF: ‘You feel more comfortable when you’re around your own people. I don’t care who you are. That’s the life you know. When you’re around them, you can say little bad words. You can call each other niggers and everything else. You can talk that talk. When you’re around a mixed crowd of people, white and black, you got to be careful.’

Always, JF ambition was to beat Clay. From first pro fight, training for him … Watched Clay’s fights on TV with Yank. Imagined self in ring. Always felt he would win.

Upset by Clay’s treatment of Patterson … JF: ‘I feel like, why take advantage of a great champ? Once, he was a great champion. And if you’re gonna knock the man out, go ahead and knock him out. You don’t suffer people, especially a good athlete. After seeing him playing around with Patterson, I felt like I could straighten that out. Why pick on somebody like that? Try me.’

Watched Clay–Mildenberger. Not impressed.

Watched Clay–Williams in theatre. Felt sorry for Williams … JF: ‘Why was that fight allowed?’

Yank moved and matched JF perfectly. Protected him from too much pressure.

First Bonavena fight a problem. JF disdainfully over-confident; forced fight but careless. Floored lunging in by sneaky right. Floored again; in danger of losing by three knockdowns. Still aggressive. Split decision. Most writers had JF a clear winner. JF thought he’d lost fight. Most impressive: ability to get off the canvas. Durham furious. JF held hands low and didn’t bob and slip. JF realises things had gotten too complacent; thought he couldn’t be hurt.

Doug Jones fight. Left hook in sixth, Jones hanging on ropes. JF might have killed him but held up punch. Jones fell, unconscious for two minutes.

George Chuvalo fight … JF: ‘Joe Louis picked against me. I was a little upset when I heard. But Yank said, “You got to realise, they brought him in for publicity. The Garden tells him who to pick. They pay him. He needs the work.” I was surprised why a man like him go through these scenes. Seems like a man could stand up for what he believe and not have to choose who somebody else say. I always thought, if I could be like Joe Louis, I’d have it made. Thinking about it was depressing.’

JF [on being shaken by George Chuvalo before knocking him out]: ‘It’s a feeling that, if you get up in the morning and raise up out of the bed; you not fully awake and you not giving your blood time enough to circulate through your body; everything is not quite together yet and you fall back on the bed, tired. It’s not pain; it’s just that everything isn’t quite focused. It’s a little hazy or something. It’s like a TV where the thing is a little out of focus and you think you ought to mess with the focus dial a little bit.’

JF [on the party after the Chuvalo fight]: ‘I got to the party and my mom was there. I came over and hugged her. She was smiling but I could see she looked uneasy.

JF: ‘How’d you like that?’

Mother: ‘I was yelling at the referee to stop my son from killing that man.’

JF: ‘Mom, that’s the fighting game.’

Mother: ‘The man was bleeding. You could have killed him.’

JF: ‘Mom, you should have been hollering for me, not him.’

Mother: ‘Well, I seen you was all right.’

JF: ‘I felt a little sad that she wasn’t happy like I felt. It would have been better if she’d just come to visit without seeing the fight. She’d never seen me act like that before. I felt she must be thinking, “My son has become a killer.” I got the feeling she wouldn’t want to see too many more fights.’

First meeting with Clay. In Madison Square Garden basement. Clay sparring for Folley fight. Joe in ring for picture session. Clay condescending; mocks Joe’s suspenders.

JF disappointed when Clay was stripped of title for refusing induction. Wanted to win title from him. Had worked three years for shot at Clay. Felt Clay shouldn’t lose title except in ring. Didn’t want to capitalise on Clay’s misfortune.

Respected Clay’s draft stand. Believed a man should stand up for his religious beliefs … While most press and even many blacks attacked Clay early, Joe often defended Clay in street arguments. Argued with Yank about him.

WBA sanctions eight-man tournament for championship … Durham convinces Cloverlay to pass up tournament. Didn’t like fixed money: $50,000–$75,000–$125,000 for three fights. Doesn’t want so many risky fights. Frazier angered by Yank’s decision. Later sees it was correct.

WBA dropped Frazier from 2 to 9 in rankings. Jimmy Ellis won WBA title.

Joe knocks out Buster Mathis to win New York State championship at Madison Square Garden.

JF: ‘I knew I’d never feel like the champ till I beat Clay in the ring.’

Clay moved to Philadelphia … JF met doing roadwork … Clay seemed down and out. Said he had financial problems. Unable to leave US to fight. Unable to get licence to fight in US. Buried by legal fees and alimony problems … Muslims wouldn’t loan him money. Told Joe his friends and supporters had abandoned him. Very depressed.