James Davies Interviews Bond’s golden girl, Shirley Eaton

 Shirley and James 

“The girl’s dead! And she’s covered in paint, gold paint!”

Shirley Eaton played the part of Jill Masterson, and will forever be remembered as the ill-fated golden girl, covered head to toe in gold paint, in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger.

Her memorable 24-carat-gold death scene became the eye-catching draw for the movie, with Shirley’s gilded visuals becoming the iconic image of not only the highly anticipated third instalment but the whole ‘007’ phenomena. Like Janet Leigh, who was famously murdered in the shower scene during Hitchcock’s film Psycho, Shirley will always find herself inextricably linked to the film best described as the quintessential, definitive Bond epic, and that short movie moment that has become embedded in cinematic history and Bond folklore.

However, there is a lot more to Shirley than Jill Masterson and a tin of gold paint. Shirley, a popular ‘60’s It Girl’, had not been an overnight success but a busy actress before her golden appearance. As an actress, she was highly sought after a decade before that famous scene for roles in British comedies, acting alongside stars such as, Bob Hope, Sir Roger Moore and Kenneth Williams.

Nevertheless, Ian Fleming’s story made Shirley a star.

Before the interview started the affable actress joked: “Do you expect me to talk?” referring to a snippet of dialogue that has attained an almost legendary status in the film, as Bond is on the verge of being emasculated by Goldfinger’s laser.

Despite the fact the paint used to cover her body was: “Very uncomfortable”, she explained: “It didn’t take long to get it on. About an hour I think. But getting it off was awful. I had to scrub it off with soap and water, then have several Turkish baths.” 

Shirley, whom I found to be incredibly warm and friendly, positively views her image as Goldfinger’s golden girl: “I knew by the time the third Bond film was being filmed, the Bond genre was something special. I really wanted the role, so I went to see Cubby and Harry, the producers, and they cast me.”

It has been rumoured the pair decided to use Shirley for the part after they had heard about the impact she had on the men at a party she had attended! “I’m not sure about that,” she laughed.

This was Sean Connery’s third 007 adventure, returning to the role that made him famous with the same easy elegance and wit displayed in the first two films. “Sean was the sexiest actor I've worked with.” Shirley said enthusiastically. “We had wonderful chemistry together.”

In the film, Jill says to 007, “I’m beginning to like you Mr Bond”, but did she feel the same about Sean Connery the man: “He was terribly professional and very quiet on the set, but an absolute joy to work with. He was lovely.” 

Sir Sean, arguably Scotland’s most famous export, isn’t the only Bond actor Shirley has worked with. When it was decided The Saint would be made into a television series, it was Shirley who appeared alongside Roger Moore in the first episode, of the highly successful series: “Oh, he was just so much fun. He was one of those people who could just look at a page and remember it. A photographic memory. I always struggled to remember my dialogue. He was sweet and wonderful to work with and he became a close friend.”


Having worked with two of the finest actors to play the secret agent who did the screen’s most famous Bond girl think was the best? Without hesitation Shirley said: “Sean.” 

Although Shirley is now a grandmother, the 71-year-old actress still had that certain something, a twinkle in her eye that made her a star.The one time ‘Golden-Girl’ explains: “The reason why people are huge stars is nothing to do with acting. It’s the magic. It’s something you can’t actually explain. Charisma is a word that’s used too often, it’s something very special and it’s what makes stars. Very few have that extra quality. You’re born with it. It’s luck.” 

Shirley touchingly gave up fame and fortune, at the tender age of 32, to look after her two young children and spend more time with her husband, but the star expressed no regrets or ‘gilt’, if you’ll forgive the pun, in giving up show business, and the opportunity of becoming an American Ambassador. 
Shirley said: “A career is a career, but you’re a mother until you die. The most important thing for me was being a woman and having a family more than being a very famous glamorous actress.” 

Reflecting on Hollywood today, she continued: “I’m a very private person and it is so hard to be private in the entertainment business. I’m really glad that I was famous and successful at the time I was because it is bad enough being in a profession that tended to eat you up and never give you any free time. But I think that the youngsters today have a really bad time from every angle. In my day we had our good nights out and everything. My husband and I would go to Tramps, which was the place at the time, and there'd be lovely famous people like George Best there, and I would dance and flirt, because I loved dancing. But there were no photographers in there saying ‘Oh, Shirley's with so and so and her marriage is in trouble.’ We didn’t have any of that.” 

So what advice would Shirley give to anyone today who wishes to make it into show business? “It’s bloody difficult, and not easy, but I would say one of the main things is to keep your feet on the ground, because there are so many temptations to become a big head and to take drugs.” Although I have been lucky enough to interview many big names, Shirley is one that will stand out, alongside Ricky Hatton, Shane Warne and Sir Michael Parkinson, as the one of the nicest, readily signing a photo for me which she inscribed, rather charmingly, ‘Nobody Interviews Better!’

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James Davies interviews Colin Firth

 James with Colin 

Since his film debut in 1984 in Another Country, Colin Firth has starred in a range of high profile films and his credits include Apartment Zero, The English Patient, Fever Pitch, and Bridget Jones’ Diary. However it is for his television performance as Mr Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, that he is best remembered.

In his latest romantic comedy, The Accidental Husband, he plays Richard, the English fiancé of popular radio agony Aunt Emily Lloyd (Uma Thurman). But their marital plans are put on hold when it appears she has unwittingly married a New York fireman (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who has a particular reason for scuppering her wedding plans. Thurman co-produces and Griffin Dunne directs.

You’ve starred in romantic comedies on both sides of the Atlantic. Is there much of a difference between doing them here or in America?

Not really. There’s a lot of stereotyping of American humour and English humour, but I think they overlap far more than people give them credit for. I think Americans do have irony, I think Americans can be very, very dry. I think the English can be very broad and very brash and very silly and very aggressive in their comedy. I really don’t know where to break that down. I think the stereotypes are often a complete nonsense.

How do you feel about playing the quintessential Englishman once more, as you do here?

I’ve decided the quintessential Englishman doesn’t exist. I play him but you don’t run into him very often. I think he’s a figment of our folklore, or film lore, but I do realise that there are some versions of that figure that tend to appear in my work. But if you actually look for examples of people who are really like that they’re usually rather overplayed arch versions of themselves.

It’s how non-English audiences often view classical English men though, isn’t it?

It was very interesting, I was being questioned by a group of Greek journalists while I was shooting Mamma Mia and they were insisting on the stereotypical Englishman. They felt no Englishman had ever grown his hair long, played the electric guitar, pierced his ear, it had never happened. There was no Johnny Rotten, no John Lennon. None of those things had happened, it was only Prince Philip, who – I pointed out – happens to be Greek! So I do think there’s an answer to all that. He may have existed once. Now he exists in the hands of actors but not so much in reality.

He’s a very nice guy here, was there ever a temptation to make him a bit more confrontational when he found himself caught in this love triangle?

The way it was presented to me was that it would never be that simple. Rom-com or not, and however many archetypes are brought in, the fact is that she had people to choose between with completely different qualities. I think if one person had been quite simply horrendous then it would make it very simple who to root for, quite aside from who you prefer or are attracted to. I think that Griffin and everybody making this film wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

A hacker profoundly affects the lives of the characters in the film. If you could fulfil any wish on the internet what would it be?

Since I was conscious, probably, I’ve had fantasies about what I would do if I could wave a magic wand, but it’s never involved the internet. If I thought ‘what could I do?’ it’s never been ‘what could I do with the internet?’. So if you’re giving me the magic superpower it wouldn’t involve a computer, it’s much more absolute and psychotic really.

Thirteen years on since Pride & Prejudice, it’s said that your female following goes from the young women to those much older. How does it feel to lusted after by someone of pensionable age?

I actually find I’m increasingly lusted after by people beyond pensionable age. Even when I was really quite young I was told a story of a woman in hospital being diagnosed with high blood pressure. She was 103, and was told not to watch any more Pride & Prejudice, so I’m used to reaching across the generation gap.

In the film, Richard eats in times of stress. How tough is it actually comfort eating on cue?

I don’t have trouble with eating large quantities, it’s not the biggest stretch for me. It’s very interesting though, I’ve never had to do that here but in New York you get ‘do you want low sodium? Do you want wheat, no wheat?’ They ask you about all your allergies. There were things I’d never heard of that I could forego, so it was probably the healthiest two or three days of stuffing my face that I’ve ever experienced.

There is a tremendous supporting cast on show here, from Isabella Rossellini to Sam Shepard and 2001 star Keir Dullea. How was it working with them?

I couldn’t believe what I’d walked into. I think I had 13 days on this film and to walk into this cast, I couldn’t move without bumping into a legend. Isabella, Sam, it was dazzling. It was kind of wonderful in a way, that we had this thing that was there to delight and entertain, something that was light fare with these incredibly weighty people carrying this legendary baggage and status. It was wonderful, and Keir was very forthcoming with anecdotes, all the stories that you’d want to hear really.

A cast like that presumably comes from having a producer such as Uma?

It does help, if it’s Uma and Griffin your ears perk up right away because of the stuff they’ve done. I was very largely there because of Uma.

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James Davies interviews Evander Holyfield

 James interviews 'gentle giant' Evander 

“Muma’s whipping meant I didn’t end up like Tyson”

After being raised in the “ghetto”, Evander Holyfield recalls his incredible journey and how his “Muma’s whippings” meant he didn’t end up like Tyson, the man who infamously bit off and spat out a chunk of his ear, and the ‘animal’ he is about to face once again in this years biggest bout.

Evander Holyfield may not be the “prettiest”, like Muhammad Ali, or the meanest, like Mike Tyson, but he is a boxer who epitomises the sport like no other. He has won the World Heavyweight Championship a record four times and is chasing the dream of a fifth title.

Sitting quietly with a can of Cola, he was surrounded by hundreds of boxing gloves that he was in the middle of signing. He immediately stood up to his full 6’ 3”. Although his imposing height wasn’t threatening, his stance certainly was. It seemed he had adopted the ‘toe to toe’ standing position boxers use while in the ring, into his everyday life, which was intimidating to say the least.

It hasn’t always been this way though, he proudly boasts. “I wasn’t always the biggest, but I was the youngest of nine so I was tough”

Observing the ‘crème de la crème’ of sporting entertainment, one can easily understand why he is so successful, and it becomes easy to see why he's one of the most likeable boxers in the oft-maligned sport. He commands attention and his very presence creates an ‘air of authority’ which in turn makes for self assurance- which, in this business, is the most vital single factor for self-preservation. He explained to me: “In this business we must all love ourselves if we hope to succeed.”

Despite having millions of dollars in the bank and fame beyond belief, he is no ‘flash Harry’. Sat slouched in his chair, wearing a pair of jeans, boots and a chequered shirt he credits his mother, Laura Holyfield, for teaching him about Christian values and the honor in being humble. “My mother was very instrumental and taught me to respect other people.”

He explains his brother and sisters: “realise had they done more of what my mother had told them to do, they probably would have been successful as well.” Although refusing to go into too much detail, the gentle giant revealed some of his siblings had been on the wrong side of the law.

Holyfield, the youngest of nine said: “I’m just one woman away, (my mother), from being the same as Mike Tyson. My Mother said you go to school, you listen, you follow direction and you do what that teacher tells you do to. I would’ve ended up like him had my Muma not been so tough and strong.”

The man who's been called “God's champion”, was never supposed to make anything of his life. He was told over and over again that he was too poor, too inarticulate, and too Black to break the grip of poverty and despair. But armed with a strong faith in succeeding, a strong self belief, and a strong jaw, Holyfield defied the odds, and rewrote boxing history, by earning more than $150 million.

Living by the philosophy that: “no one chooses his start, but everyone can choose his finish”, Evander amazingly went from being paid a mere $2.65 an hour for his first job at the age of 17 working for Epps Aviation in Atlanta, to an eye watering $34 million, in 1997, to fight Mike Tyson for the second time in Las Vegas, which he admits was “the largest amount ever paid for a single performance in any field.”

Holyfield had knocked out ‘Mad Mike’ in their first fight and was set to do it again, until Tyson bit off and spat out a chunk of his ear. It was found on the bloodied canvas and given back to the champion in an iced plastic bag as he was rushed to hospital.

After leaping out of his seat, he explained: “It was painful. I was shocked, because it’s not something you expect.” However it was not the first time he had experienced the sensation of his flesh being bitten. Holyfield sounded briefly confused as he repeated “I’ve been bitten a lot of times. I lived in a neighbourhood that if you had to fight somebody and you were frightened, they would bite you to just get away. So when people bite you they give up, they can’t handle it. So I didn’t take it as anything over than he wanted to get out. He quit, he didn’t want to fight anymore.”

Despite winning only six of his 14 bouts since 1999, he explains: “Being bitten isn’t so much painful, more sort of shocking because you don’t expect them to do it. Getting hit is a lot more painful, than someone biting you. Although you bleed, it’s not as painful as fighting the whole fight.”

Tyson feasted on him so ferociously that the stunned referee that night, Mills Lane, told Holyfield he should change his nickname from ‘The Real Deal’ to The Real Meal.

Although Holyfield, won the fight against his raging and disqualified opponent, he is now set for a third encounter with ‘Iron Mike’. He explains: “I realised if I want to be Heavyweight Champion, I have to attract the champions to fight me. If I fight Mike Tyson, I would do that.”

Although many boxing insiders, and even Holyfield's family and friends, believe he should retire, he’s not thinking about calling it quits. “People are telling me, ‘Evander, you've made a lot of money. Your best bet is to get on out of boxing before you get hurt. You don't want to be walking around like these other fighters. We love you and we really care about you. We think you're the only one who may have some sense.’ But I can't walk away. I have to retire as undisputed heavyweight champion. I know that I am supposed to. I know that I can. It's a matter of being patient.”

The boxer says one secret to his success has been his approach to life. “It’s impossible to be me. But you can be yourself and achieve what I’ve achieved if you listen, follow direction, and not quit. God made everyone special. You just have to realise how special you are by working hard at what you want to achieve.”

As we left the back room of the bookstore, where he had completed a signing session, Evander shook my hand and waved goodbye. “Take care James”.

Interview transcript:

You have already become Heavy weight Champion of the world, as well as winning a gold medal at the Olympics. What is next for you and do you have any more goals or ambitions you wish to achieve?

I want to end as Heavy Weight Champion of the world but my ultimate goal is to give as many underprivileged kids the opportunity to reach their goals through the Holyfield Foundation.

Where did it all begin? How did you get into boxing? Did you have any early influences who pushed you to become a champion?

I was the youngest of nine in my family, and I started at the boys club. I just wanted to be successful. This man told me I could be the Heavy Weight Champion of the World, when I was eight years old and just sixty five pounds. I believed him and I asked my Mom and she said yea if you don’t quit. I didn’t quit and Twenty years later I was Heavy Weight Champion of the World.

Did you have this believe in your ability, and where did this drive for success come from?

My Mother was instrumental in me not quitting. When I was eleven years old things weren’t going my way so I told my Mom I quit. My Muma said she didn’t raise a quitter so she said to go back, and I went back. This happened quite a few times, but my mother explained to me that just because things aren’t going your way doesn’t mean you just give it up. Just make some adjustments, which I did and I realised the key to life is, if you love something and don’t give up you can over come it.

Where does your desire to come back and box come from? You have already been highly successful?

I never stopped. I was told I had a heart condition, and I was able to prove to them that I didn’t have a bad heart. I realised the most important thing was to end as Champion.

How did these hurdles affect you personally? Was there ever a point you wanted to quit?

It was a misdiagnosis. I messed up my shoulder and the doctor said it was my heart, which it wasn’t. They over medicated me and gave me too much morphine, which put a lot of pressure on my heart and caused me to have a heart attack. But I never wanted to quit.

What were the early days like? Did you best everyone? Were you the biggest, the strongest?

I wasn’t always the biggest, but I was the youngest of nine so I was tough anyway, because things were real hard. But I was very good at sports. I wouldn’t say I was better than everyone else, I just had power. I always wanted to be the very best because I was the youngest one and all my brothers and sisters were better than me, and it was a struggle to keep up with them when they were four or five years older.

What do your family think of your achievements?

They’re happy for me. But they realise had they done more of what my Mother had told them to do, they probably would have been successful as well.

What were you like in school?

I was very dedicated in school, but I wasn’t a very smart student. My Mother only had a Six Grade Education, and my Father didn’t go to school at all, so she was very keen I learned to read. I’m just one woman away, my mother, from being the same as Mike Tyson. Muma’s whippings meant I didn’t end up like Tyson. My Mother said you go to school, you listen, you follow direction and you do what that teacher tells you do to. My mother was very hard on me, but she would always say there are always going to be people good at things you’re not, but there are going to be things you’re good at that they’re not. My mother just said be the very best you can be. No one chooses his start, but everyone can choose his finish.

What was it like to have your ear bitten by Mike Tyson, and what were your thoughts and feelings at the time?

It was painful (laughs). I was shocked, because it’s not something you expect. I’ve been bitten a lot of times. I lived in a neighbourhood that if you had to fight somebody and you were frightened, they would bite you to just get away. So when people bite you they give up, they can’t handle it. So I didn’t take it as anything over than he wanted to get out. He quit, he didn’t want to fight anymore.

How does that pain compare to anything else you’ve experienced while boxing?

Being bitten isn’t so much painful, more sort of shocking because you don’t expect them to do it. Getting hit is a lot more painful, than someone biting you. Although you bleed, it’s not as painful as fighting the whole fight.

It has been reported you and Mike Tyson are to have a rematch sometime this year? What are your reasons for wanting to get back in the ring with Mike?

It wasn’t really my reasons, he approached me wanting to do it. I realised if I want to be Heavy Weight Champion, I have to attract the champions to fight me. If I fight Mike Tyson, I would do that. The pay day would be so big that the Champion would say how in the world are they making more money than me. So they would want to fight the winner of that match to make some money.

What is the proudest moment of your career?

One of my proudest moments is beating Mike Tyson because at the time he was the guy you had to beat to be considered the best. And I did it. But I have so many proud moments because I have been the Champion so many times.

What does it feel like being Heavy Weight Champion? Can you explain it in words?

To be the very best in the world is big. To be the very best in your class is one thing, but the best in the world is a whole other thing. It allowed me to feel good about myself because I didn’t quit, and became the best fighter the world knew about.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’m a people person and I like helping people. I like helping people for the simple reason because if nobody helped me I wouldn’t be the person I am today. My mother was very instrumental and put me in a position were I could receive good advice, as she taught me to respect other people. When I travel, and see the expression on peoples faces and hear the things they say that means so much to me. I just hope I inspire people to do their best.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become, if possible, the next Evander Holyfield?

It’s impossible to be me. But you can be yourself and achieve what I’ve achieved if you listen, follow direction, and not quit. God made everyone special. You just have to realise how special you are by working hard at what you want to achieve.

The National Student February 09

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When James met...Smokin' Joe Frazier

 James and Smokin' Joe 

When boxing was bold, bright and glamorous and each fight was a ‘contender’ for hottest sporting event of the year, Joe Frazier, as Heavyweight Champion of the World, was King.

From 1970 to 1973, Smokin’ Joe reigned supreme and, with his career record standing at thirty-two wins (twenty-seven of which were from knockouts), four losses and one draw- not to mention an Olympic gold medal- Frazier leaves little question that he is one of the sport’s all time greats.
 
Well-known, loved and revered as both a gentleman and a fierce competitor in the ring, his good-hearted nature and uncanny ability to make people laugh have always- according to those who know him best- been part of his colourful character.
James Davies went ten-rounds with the living legend to look back at his remarkable story.

Born in 1944, Joe Frazier, the youngest of eleven children, grew up in South Carolina. After his father Rubin, a sharecropper, lost his arm in a shooting accident, a young Joe became his close companion, running errands on the family farm and making Moonshine- “a potent type of alcohol”, he assured me- in the back woods.

As Joe came to the end of singing one of many songs during our chat, he explained: “I went everywhere with my father- we had a good time together. I learnt some good, some bad, but nothing ugly.

After a slight pause, Joe took a sip from his drink and mused: “I came from humble beginnings and saw how hard my mother and father worked and said to myself, one day I will get mom, dad and the whole family a new life. Fortunately the good Lord answered my prayers.”

Although it is easy to envisage a teenage Joe praying that one day he will become a boxing superstar, somewhat surprisingly he told me that nothing could be further from the truth. He says he became a boxer by accident, going to the gym to work himself into shape, not to become a prized fighter.

“My uncle Rock was the one who inspired me to become a boxer. In the old days the men would sit on the stoop, watching fight-night and drinking Moonshine. Children were not allowed to mingle with the adults, but I would always walk through to take a look. My father would say: ‘Billy-Boy what are you doing out here?’ But Uncle Rock would tell my father to leave me alone, saying, ‘Who knows, he might be the next Joe Louis!’”

With a wry smile, Joe joked: “I took it to heart!”

Determined to develop his skills in the ring, Joe, along with the cowboy hat he has worn for many years, left school and moved north. Aged just fifteen, Frazier settled with relatives in Philadelphia- a boxing Mecca.

Sitting back in his chair, looking rather relaxed, he explained: “I wanted to make sure I made something out of myself. I knew what I wanted to do. I just wanted to put those gloves on and be champion of the world one day.”

To pay the bills, Joe worked at a slaughter house, where he became the original ‘Rocky’, practising his jab against slabs of meat and staying in shape by running the streets of the city. “I used to run from where I lived to work really early in the morning- like four o’clock am!”

Smokin' Joe takes on Ali

As I began to ask him about the amateur fights that followed, Joe enthusiastically shouted, “Knock out, knock out, knock out!”, his way of explaining he won rather easily. It was here he began fighting competitively and became one of the world’s best amateur heavyweights, winning ‘The Golden Gloves’ three years in a row.

Joe did not lose until he ran into Buster Mathis, his sparring partner, in the all important 1964 Olympic trials. But when Mathis hurt his hand just before the Games, Joe took his place and flew the flag for the United States.

Like a child, Joe rather excitedly explained: “No one thought I could do it. There were like twelve boxers from America and everybody lost, besides me.”

In the Olympic semi-finals, Joe broke his left thumb. He kept the injury a secret from officials, going for the gold with a fractured fist.

“Had I told them, I would have been disqualified and I knew it was down to me to bring that gold medal back, as everyone else was out.”
Adding, after a brief chuckle, “I knew if I just hit him once, he’d be in trouble.”

Joe Frazier was an Olympic Champion. “It’s my proudest moment in boxing. I was fighting for the Championship of the World, not just America!”

After winning the gold medal, Joe returned to Philadelphia confident that his future was secure. But things were not that simple. “I had a gold medal round my neck but I still couldn’t get the proper management that I needed. They said I was too short and I was too small, and that big guys would just eat me up for breakfast, lunch and supper.”

Despite his success in Tokyo, Joe remained an afterthought.

But veteran trainer Yank Durham saw things differently. He and Joe went it alone in 1965. With Yank in his corner, Joe developed his signature style, and ran off eleven straight wins.

Like a locomotive train, Joe never stopped and it was for this reason, according to Joe, that they called him “Smoke”.

In September 1966, the Olympic Champion ran into tough guy Oscar Bonavena. The Argentine knocked-down Frazier twice in one round, but Smokin’ Joe came off the deck, showing his fans the heart and character that would mark his career, to win in the tenth round.

After Bonavena, Frazier knocked out contenders Doug Jones and George Chuvalo, ending the year with nineteen straight wins.

With Muhammad Ali’s exile from the sport, the Heavyweight division was in disarray. While the World Boxing Association (W.B.A) held an elimination tournament, Frazier was matched with his nemesis from his amateur days, Buster Mathis, for the New York State world title on March 4th , 1968.

This time Mathis was not able to dance his way to victory over three rounds. A relentless Frazier wore down the bigger, heavier man and the bout was stopped in the eleventh-round.

From 1968-70, Joe made six defences of his title, including a fifth-round knock-out of W.B.A champ Jimmy Ellis.

But in the summer of 1970, Ali was finally granted a license to fight and the demand quickly grew for a showdown between the former undefeated champ and the reigning king.

Now the two undefeated champions prepared for a battle like no other.

By the end of 1970, Ali knocked out top contenders Jerry Quarry and Bonavena, setting the stage for the most anticipated heavyweight title fight since the Louis-Conn rematch of 1946.

Frazier had befriended Ali during his exile, publicly supporting his right to fight and privately lending him money to survive. But once the bout was set, Ali cast himself as a symbol of ‘Black-Pride’ and Joe Frazier as an ‘Uncle Tom’.

When Ali began to humiliate Joe during the promotion of the fight, Joe felt brutally betrayed.

For the first time during the interview, Joe’s smile disappeared. “He was trying to make me afraid of him. I wasn’t afraid though.”

Nevertheless, Ali’s taunts tormented Frazier. “I would go to bed at night and all I could see was him. I would always wake up the next morning in a sweat because I had fought him all night long in my dreams.”

As the build up to the fight reached fever pitch, Joe’s family received a number of serious death threats.

Joe’s confidence seemed to drift for a moment: “I was worried for my family but that never stopped me thinking about the fight and how I would get the job done.”

On 8th March 1971, Joe Frazier fought Muhammad Ali in what would later be called ‘The Fight of the Century’, at Madison Square Garden with three-hundred million others tuning in from around the world.

Each fighter was paid the then unheard of sum of $2.5 million. The build up to the fight was unparalleled in boxing history; transcending the sport and the sporting world.

Before a sell-out crowd the two waged one of the greatest heavyweight battles ever. “I can still hear the roar that went up”.

That night Joe Frazier was about as good a fighter as anyone has ever been in the ring, defeating Ali in the fifteenth-round with perhaps the most famous left hook in history, catching Ali on the jaw and knocking out the former champ for a four-count.

Firing a jab towards my direction, Joe came alive. “He said before the fight ‘if I lose I will get on my hands and knees, crawl across the ring and say you are the greatest.’ He didn’t do that but I think he was too busy trying to get to the hospital.”

Joe Frazier had won ‘The Fight of the Century’, beating Ali, but his troubles were far from over.

The fight took a lot out of Joe, who did not fight again for the rest of the year. Having won the bout, Joe fiercely defended his title. To fellow fighters he seemed invincible.

But in January 1973, Joe lost to George Foreman and his reign as champion ended in Kingston, Jamaica.

Foreman knocked Frazier down six times before the fight was stopped in the second-round. “George was my hardest opponent. After the fourth knock-down I realised I was getting my butt whipped. He was tough because I couldn’t get out of the way of his punches!”

Although Joe had lost his Heavy-weight crown, he went on to beat Joe Bugner in his next fight, only to be beaten by Ali in their rematch in January 1974.

Although neither was a champ anymore, the bout was a sell out once again. “I was disappointed because I felt I won the fight. But at that time Ali was Ali and he couldn’t be beaten.”

Joe soon got back to winning ways, setting the stage for yet another highly anticipated dual with Ali, who had since lifted the title from Foreman.

In 1975, Frazier and Ali met for their third and final time, in a fight later coined The Thriller in Manila.

As fight night drew near, Ali let loose with another barrage of insults. For Ali all the taunting and name-calling was part of the game, but Joe couldn’t take it in that way.

Once again Joe’s smile slowly disappeared. “I had a lot of anger. I didn’t understand why he was doing it. We had all the contracts signed, we made all the money, the seats were filled. There was a lot of wrong stuff that went down.”

Joe, however, had more than just insults to worry about. High blood pressure and arthritis were breaking down his body while a cataract rendered his left eye all but blind.

“I knew I was going blind but I still had that dream of being the champion so I wasn’t going to stop.”

Frazier and Ali gave it all they had, battering each other round after round in the suffocating heat. The two ageing warriors duelled for fourteen rounds until a cut over Frazier’s good eye had left him nearly sightless in the ring. “I couldn’t see,” confessed Joe.

As the bout reached its climax both fighters were exhausted, but Frazier’s eyes were nearly swollen shut, and his corner stopped the fight.

‘The Thriller in Manila’ secured Joe Frazier’s legend.

Joe Frazier had fought his final championship round but his children vowed to re-capture the throne.

“The bad thing for my kids was that everyone and their sister wanted to beat them up because I was their Daddy. They had a rough deal but they managed.”

Joe’s son Hector and his daughter Jacqui would fight professionally but it was Marvis- the family Heavyweight- who followed directly in his father’s footsteps, despite Joe’s misgivings.

A confused looking Joe started to scratch his head as he said, “The kids had a great life. They all went to school and they were all smart, so I didn’t understand why they wanted to fight.”

As Marvis moved up the ranks of Heavyweight contenders, Joe moved into his corner. “Some people said I wanted him (Marvis) to fight like me. That’s right, I did, otherwise he wouldn’t be champion! (laughs)”

In 1983, Marvis got his wish and fought for the Heavyweight crown against Larry Holmes. The fight was stopped in the first round.

“How could I be mad?”, Frazier beamed. “I’d been there before. He tried his best.”

For forty years Joe Frazier has called the gym his home, explaining: “Wherever I’m at, wherever I am in the world, my gym is my home. I’m comfortable there.”

The life of a legend has not changed Joe’s routine. He still does the things he loved as a child- boxing, singing and tinkering with old cars.

Although his body and voice show the strains of age, Joe is still in the game, training local kids in a neighbourhood that has seen better days.

“It’s about community, it’s about touching lives, and it’s about changing lives. I think that kids appreciate it when they see someone who’s concerned about what they’re doing. If I turned my head and walked on, acting as though I don’t see, that’s wrong.


“I would say to the next generation of boxer, work hard, be true to your coaches and yourself. Something money can’t buy is love, time, loyalty, respect, integrity and honesty. I want for the young men and women what I achieved for myself! The secret to my success was my discipline, my hard work, and my faith in God!”

Their three classic battles have forever linked Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, but Joe’s bitterness from his insults lasted longer than the bruises from their fights. However in 2002, mutual friends brought the two legends together once again.

So when I asked Joe to sum up his relationship with Ali, he simply said: “We had some rugged years and some hard times but it’s all over man. It’s done, it’s gone.”