Some rare pics here of the great World Heavyweight Boxing champ Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Pictured with long time MGRA Chairman Harold Matthews and equally long time Director Andy Simpson. Joe made it to Olympic Park to make some presentations and was a super hit with the crowd. In Melbourne for a fight which took place on the 2nd of March 1975. It was held at St.Kilda’s Junction Oval. The fight was billed as the Showdown in St.Kilda. It was a rematch with Jimmy Ellis after they had fought years earlier at Madison Square Gardens, a fight won by Frazier. In the Melbourne fight Frazier knocked Ellis out in nine rounds. The win again established Frazier as the top heavyweight challenger for the title, which Ali had won from Foreman in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” five months earlier. Ellis was trained and managed by the legendary Angelo Dundee. It was very much a Channel 9 production, ring announcer was the late great Sports Broadcaster Tony Charlton AM and TV Commentors were Sydney’s Ron Casey with special comments from former Australian Boxing Champion Tommy Burns. I have included a copy of the fight.
