There is no shortage of material in boxing literature about the epic rivalry of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, but most of those accounts center on Ali. This compelling blend of reportage and narrative nonfiction changes the focus to Frazier, delving into his career in the ring and his life after his third fight with Ali, the iconic "Thrilla in Manilla," as well as exploring the brief boxing career of Frazier's son Marvis. Drawing on interviews conducted by journalist Lewis with Joe, Marvis, and others in the Frazier entourage in 1980, the book offers insightful portraits of both father and son, capturing not only Joe's love for Marvis, but also the former heavyweight champion's arguable mismanagement of his son's career by attempting to force the younger Frazier into adopting the same kind of brawling, ever-advancing approach that defined Joe's style. Along the way, Lewis reprises the high and low points in Joe's own career, offering a convincing argument that Frazier should have been awarded the decision in his second Ali bout and sensitively describing the effects on Frazier of Ali's cruel taunting of his rival, especially the absurd claim that Joe was an "Uncle Tom." This Maileresque combination of personal reflection, boxing analysis, and sports biography is a must read for fight fans, especially those whose understandable idolatry of Ali have kept them from seeing Frazier as a notably complex, generous, and loving man.
Not only is Sparring with Smokin’ Joe one of the best books having to do with Frazier, and hence his trilogy with Ali, but one of the better boxing books of recent years, a testament to the reporting of Lewis, a director of journalism at York College and professor of print journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
Fighting, family, race, resilience, and the ever-looming presence of Muhammad Ali -- Glenn Lewis provides full context for this intimate portrait of the great Joe Frazier. Lewis views Frazier with clear eyes and genuine heart. In these pages, we feel the fire that burned within Smokin' Joe.
Although he ranks among the greatest professional boxers, Joe Frazier never seemed to escape the glow of his charismatic nemesis, Muhammad Ali. Their rivalry was psychological as well as physical, and lasted long after they left the ring. In this remarkable on-the-scene account, Glenn Lewis creates a memorable, sensitive portrait of Smokin’ Joe. It’s a father-son story, a story of pride, courage, deep faith, resentment, defeat and victory. You don’t have to be a boxing fan to love this book.
Glenn Lewis gives us one smokin' page after another in taking us through the boxing life of one of the greatest heavyweight champions ever, Smokin' Joe Frazier, and of his unparalleled rivalry with Muhammad Ali.
Glenn Lewis delivers some unforgettable action-packed rounds of storytelling: The complicated, but loving tale of a father and a son. The long, bitter rivalry of a boxing great and The Greatest. The rollicking ride of a young sportswriter and a superstar athlete on the cusp of his twilight years. But what lands most indelibly, with the power of a patented Frazier left hook, is a portrait of an underappreciated American legend who never gave up in the ring or beyond, and always came out smokin’.
Even if you're not a boxing fan, you'll love this sizzling book. It’s a real eye opener into the lives and minds of two great fighters and the people around them, with never-before-known nuggets. Relive ‘The Fight of the Century’ and their two other venomous brawls. Go down to ringside with Frank Sinatra, Norman Mailer, Woody Allen, and even Burt Lancaster. Spectacularly human and a real page-turner.
When one thinks of Joe Frazier, your mind immediately turns to his rivalry with Muhammad Ali. They both became boxing legends and cultural touchstones for an era, and this book comes just as we arrive at the fiftieth anniversary of the Fight of the Century (Ali-Frazier I). Sparring with Smokin' Joe is a penetrating, and at times brutally candid, look at Frazier.
Joe Frazier was always overshadowed by Muhammad Ali, in the ring and out, but his gifts as a fighter have been getting more appreciation in recent years. Now, with Glenn Lewis’s Sparring with Smokin’ Joe, readers get a glimpse of why Frazier was equally memorable as a man—one for whom life, knockdowns and all, remained “nothing but a party.
In the spring of 1980, journalist Glenn Lewis visited Joe Frazier's boxing gym, the first step in shadowing Joe and his son Marvis for a long article. It was a propitious time. Joe's fighting days were all but over, and Marvis's professional career was close at hand. In most cases, the end of a fighter's career is not a happy time: it is often punctuated by painful losses and anxiety about the future. Joe, however, had a plan. Convinced that he could sing, he was intent on taking his act on the road. Marvis also had dreams—dreams of Olympic glory and then a heavyweight title. Both men would face bitter disappointment, but the story of their season of high hopes provides an interesting look at both father and son. Lewis, a journalism professor at York College (CUNY), presents a convincing tale. Recommended.
In the spring of 1980, journalist Glenn Lewis visited Joe Frazier's boxing gym, the first step in shadowing Joe and his son Marvis for a long article. It was a propitious time. Joe's fighting days were all but over, and Marvis's professional career was close at hand. In most cases, the end of a fighter's career is not a happy time: it is often punctuated by painful losses and anxiety about the future. Joe, however, had a plan. Convinced that he could sing, he was intent on taking his act on the road. Marvis also had dreams—dreams of Olympic glory and then a heavyweight title. Both men would face bitter disappointment, but the story of their season of high hopes provides an interesting look at both father and son. Lewis, a journalism professor at York College (CUNY), presents a convincing tale. Recommended.
02/01/2021
Potential readers of this book may initially have a problem. The subtitle implies an emphasis on the fights between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, but they are only cursorily addressed, mainly near the end of the book. Lewis (journalism, York College, CUNY) had a secret weapon, though: extensive access to the Frazier family dating back to 1980. The author covers aspects of Joe Frazier's (1944–2011) story, from his South Carolina roots, through his glory days and after, as he juggled a singing career with managing and training son Marvis, who turns out to be somewhat the star of the show, if not the ring, in Joe's own scrap iron image. Toward the end of the book, the narrative follows Marvis as he returns to the ring and faces Mike Tyson. Lewis is not shy about his admiration for Smokin' Joe, referring to him as the "The Greatest"—a nickname usually reserved for Ali. Although Ali isn't present in every chapter, his shadow looms large, as he was always a serious threat to Joe. VERDICT Fans of Ali might not be pleased, but Lewis portrays Frazier as a fighter for the ages in this admiring book.—Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL
