Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier
The greatest heavyweight rivalry in boxing — Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier. Three fights, two legends. A complete comparison.
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Muhammad Ali
American · Born 1942
The Greatest — three-time world heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medallist and the most celebrated athlete of the 20th century.
View Full Profile →Joe Frazier
American · Born 1944
Olympic gold medallist and world heavyweight champion who defeated Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century.
View Full Profile →Career Statistics
| Statistic | Muhammad Ali | Joe Frazier |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Record | 56-5 (37 KOs) | 32-4-1 (27 KOs) |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
| World Title Reigns | 3 | 1 |
| Career Knockouts | 37 | 27 |
| Olympic Gold | Rome 1960 (Light Heavyweight) | Tokyo 1964 |
| Peak Ranking | Undisputed Heavyweight Champion 1964–1967, 1974–1978, 1978–1979 | Undisputed Heavyweight Champion 1970–1973 |
Muhammad Ali
Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. — Muhammad Ali — was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942 and won Olympic gold as a light heavyweight in Rome in 1960 before turning professional that year. His professional record of 56 wins (37 by knockout) and 5 losses across a 21-year career (1960–1981) encompasses three reigns as undisputed heavyweight champion. He won the title for the first time in February 1964, stopping the fearsome Sonny Liston as a 7-1 underdog. He was stripped of the title in 1967 for refusing military induction — "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong" — and banned from boxing for t…
Full Muhammad Ali biography →Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier was born in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1944 and became undisputed world heavyweight champion with a professional record of 32 wins (27 by knockout) and 4 losses across a career spanning 1965 to 1981. He won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games in 1964, turning professional that year. His undisputed title reign (1970–1973) featured 3 legendary encounters with Muhammad Ali that defined an era of heavyweight boxing. The Fight of the Century in Madison Square Garden in March 1971 — the first professional defeat of Ali's career — was decided by Frazier's left hook in the 15th rou…
Full Joe Frazier biography →The Verdict
Ali won 2 of the 3 fights, including the Thrilla in Manila (1975) — considered the greatest fight in heavyweight history. Frazier won the first fight (Fight of the Century, 1971) — Ali's only professional defeat to that point. Both men were permanently diminished by their trilogy.