Smokin' Joe Frazier Dead at 67

Muhammad Ali helped in and out of the service

(NEWSER) - Muhammad Ali and several boxing greats attended the funeral of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier in Philadelphia today. Ex-champs Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks joined the crowd at a north Philly baptist church, where condolence videos were shown from Mike Tyson, Mickey Roarke, and Donald Trump, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Jesse Jackson stirred the crowd by asking them to "show their love" for Frazier, who died last week after a battle with liver cancer, reports the AP . More»

Both in the ring and out: Dave Anderson

(NEWSER) - Frazier and Ali—the names are inseparable in the annals of boxing, but for veteran sports writer Dave Anderson, Joe Frazier is the ultimate champ. The boxer who died yesterday "was the better better fighter," writes Anderson in the New York Times . "And the better man." He thumped Ali in their classic 1971 fight at Madison Square Garden, and while he lost the "Thrilla in Manila" a few years later, you wouldn't have known it by seeing the two fighters afterward. (Ali could barely move, while Frazier was dancing.) More»

Boxers reconcile 12 years after bizarre championship bout

(NEWSER) - Evander Holyfield forgives Mike Tyson for biting his ear during their heavyweight title fight in 1997, he said during a joint appearance with his former opponent on today's Oprah Winfrey Show. The boxers—who knew each other as teens—shook hands, and Holyfield said the famous bite “wasn't really as bad as they made it out to be.” Tyson said in response: "I just want you to know it's been a pleasure passing through life, being acquainted with you." More»

(NEWSER) - EA has a new poster boy: Mike Tyson. The infamous boxer will adorn the cover of Fight Night Round 4 alongside Muhammad Ali and will be a playable character within, Silicon Alley Insider reports. As the star of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out! for the original Nintendo, Tyson was once the face of video-game boxing. Then he was convicted of rape and took a bite out of an opponent’s ear. Chances are, nostalgic gamers won’t care. More»

Having won citizenship, champ aims for spot on US Olympic team

(NEWSER) - As a Dominican native, Fernando Guerrero had to fight for US citizenship. This week, the middleweight boxer is saving his jabs for the ring, where he hopes to earn a spot on the US Olympic squad headed for Beijing. The 20-year-old champ, whose career detoured because he wasn’t a naturalized citizen, is within striking distance of his dream. More»