It was 50 years ago when two of the most feared heavyweights of the 1970s fought as Smokin’ Joe Frazier defended his titles against Big George Foreman in National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica. By odd promotional circumstance, the fight was staged on a Monday Hangover Day of all the sporting days that could be had.
Aside from the unusual non-American Venue and Hangover Day chosen, the younger, age 24, George’s record of 37-0 was greater than that of age 29 Joe’s record of 29-0 in spite of Joe turning pro 4 years earlier than George. Though George had won his last 6 fights inside the distance and Joe had won 5 of his last 6 inside the distance, George’s competition of credible journeymen were dwarfed by the champions and contenders that Joe had disposed of, so all that excellence of experience of Joe greatly exceeded George’s experience.
The Butterflies and Dread of going up against such a dynamic, formidably powerful champion as Joe undoubtedly contributed the adrenaline needed for George’s greatest victory when he Knocked Down Joe a Baker’s Half Dozen times for a 2nd round stoppage as the Heavyweight Title exchanged hands.
Why were they fighting in Jamaica you might wonder?
Well, America was undergoing yet another recessional downsizing of the American economy at a time when smaller nation states like Jamaica could offer more money than Madison Square Garden, then the Mecca of Boxing could offer. George the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Heavyweight Champ who waved the tiny American flag after winning his Gold Medal was oddly quite unpopular with the American people who were also in a post Vietnam negative back-biting spiral.
In short, he won his title as an “away fighter” and lost his title as an “away fighter” to never log a single defense in America. He fought the cream of that storied era often called the Golden Age of Heavyweights in rapid succession, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Muhammad Ali with Jose Roman mixed in. Added to the exotic Jamaica were Japan, Venezuela, and Zaire spanning the global time zones and equator.
George mistakenly lost his title in Zaire when stopped on his feet after beating the count, so go figure. He never was able to secure the rematch, thus retiring in frustration.
