There was a feeling of immensity in the air when Smokin’ Joe Frazier made his entrance at the Ringside for Youth XVI event at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa June 17.

The legendary former heavyweight champion who left a huge mark in boxing history for his trilogy of fights against Muhammad Ali was the special guest at an annual charity boxing event.

The 16th annual fundraiser with a five-bout amateur card raised over $155,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa. In return, fans got a glimpse of the champ in the ring sharing stories about his career, past fights and even how he got his nickname, Smokin’ Joe Frazier.

When asked why he decided to support the event, Frazier wore a humble smile. “Someone’s got to do it, so why not me?”

The Boys and Girls Club has served the Ottawa community for 85 years with after-school and weekend programs targeted to keep youth active during hours when youth are most at risk of juvenile crimes and risky behaviours including drug and alcohol abuse.

The second youngest of 12 children, Frazier said the importance of providing opportunities in sport for youth is something he feels very strongly about. Not only did he experience it, he also saw the positive effects of sport, particularly with troubled youth, when he ran his own boxing gym in Philadelphia.

“Boxing is dominant in the heart,” he said. “You can win a fight in the street, but in a fair fight... you gotta be special to walk under those ropes and get in those four squares,” he said. “Boxers are a special kind of people.”

Frazier can attest to this first-hand. After leaving his South Carolina home at 15 and a brief stint in New York, Frazier moved to Philadelphia where he started training in a boxing gym. While earning his living in a slaughterhouse, it was quickly apparent that Frazier was a force to be reckoned with. In fact, the famous scene in Rocky where Sylvester Stallone trains by punching sides of frozen beef was based on Frazier’s real-life story.

With one of the most devastating left hooks in the sport, Frazier went on to win an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo in 1964. From there, he worked his way through the pros to earn the heavyweight title that was stripped from Muhammad Ali for refusing to participate in the Vietnam War. Frazier took the belt after stopping Buster Mathis in the 11th round in March 1968. From 1968 to 1970 he made six title defences.

When Frazier defeated Ali for the title defence on March 8, 1971 in a 15 round decision, Frazier left the ring an undisputed champion. He later lost the title to George Foreman in 1973. Frazier faced Muhammad Ali twice more before hanging up his gloves, and lost both fights. In the last, Thrilla in Manilla, Frazier’s corner threw in the towel after the fourteenth round because his eyes were swollen shut. Ali later claimed “it was the closest thing to dying I know of.”

Frazier stakes claim to an impressive boxing career that has and will inspire generations of boxers and fans worldwide. But at 66, Frazier is not a man who lives in the past.

“I don’t like looking back,” he said. “I always look forward.”

He has a lot of reason to. One of the things Frazier hopes to see is the unification of the boxing divisions. He even hopes to set up a meeting with President Barrack Obama to lobby the issue.

Frazier held unified World Heavyweight Champion title from 1970-1973. But under today’s four governing associations, there are just as many as “world champions” in some weight categories. The current heavyweight division has three champions, including David Haye (WBA champion), Vitali Klitschko (WBC and WBO champ) and his brother Wladimir (the IBF champion).

“There’s too many champions walking around,” said Frazier, “but no one is really the champ.”

If you wish to contact the author of this article, email Natalie Dunleavy at FightNews Canada