Review by Booklist Review
While Mark Kram Sr. immortalized the ferociously pitched battles in and out of the ring between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in legendary pieces for Esquire and Sports Illustrated, his son shows in this fulsome biography that Frazier was no mere foil to the more elegant, glibber, prettier, and far more revered Ali. His way was the hard way, the author says of Frazier, whose life journey began in the deepest poverty the South could deliver to a Black child born in 1944. Only the most focused will to succeed combined with innate strength and a savvy, caring trainer in Yank Durham could lead Frazier through an obstacle course of Jim Crow institutions, murderous ring opponents, questionable business partners, and the cannonade of grievous insults Ali voiced not only to him, but also to the world, on the way to his heavyweight titles. This is not hagiography, for Frazier's wandering eye alone scuttles that, but it gives this man of uncommon will and humanity his due.--Alan Moores Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Journalist Kram (Like Any Normal Day) delivers a sympathetic account of a boxing great fated to be overshadowed by Muhammad Ali. Born to rural poverty in South Carolina in 1944, Frazier displayed prodigious strength from childhood and quickly gained a reputation as a fearsome brawler. Yet it was not until he moved to Philadelphia in 1962 that he started boxing seriously, winning Olympic gold in Tokyo two years later. Undersize but a devastating puncher, Frazier became heavyweight champion in 1970 when he beat Jimmy Ellis. Then, in 1971, Frazier defeated Ali in what was billed as the Fight of the Century. They would battle two more times (Ali won the second and the final, "Thrilla in Manila"), and Frazier would spend the rest of his life losing the popularity battle to the loquacious legend. Kram's fluid account balances Frazier's remarkable generosity (giving cash to homeless people, pulling over for stranded motorists) with his chronic infidelity and explosive rage. Kram vividly describes Frazier's South Carolina upbringing and moonshiner father, and includes well-told though familiar stories of his rivalry with Ali; however, one wishes for a deeper evaluation of his life, especially his meteoric rise from boxing novice to Olympic hero. Nevertheless, boxing fans will welcome this celebration of a champion. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
It is sad but necessary that in a biography of boxer Joe Frazier (1944-2011) the subject shares considerable space with arch nemesis Muhammad Ali. The sadness derives, first, from that, were it not for two losses to Ali and two at the hands of George Foreman, Frazier would have gone undefeated and been heralded as one of the best heavyweights of all time; and, second, because of the animosity, mostly on Frazier's part, that lasted for more than three decades between the two. Kram, the son of a Sports Illustrated writer who covered many of the events described herein, presents a readable account of what has been called the golden age of boxing and of the symbiotic rivalry between two of the all-time greats. But Frazier's fights with Ali, especially the last of the three, the Thrilla in Manila, defined the greatness of both, and showed boxing at its courageous best and brutal worst. Thus, Ali must lurk in the shadows throughout this book, which documents Frazier's rise from rural poverty to world championship riches along with an on-and-off again music career. -VERDICT Boxing historians and fans of both fighters should approve of this straightforward -account.-Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A spirited biography of the thunder-punching boxer.Former Philadelphia Daily News sportswriter Kram Jr. (Like Any Normal Day: A Story of Devotion, 2012) picks up where his late father left off with his reporting for Sports Illustrated on the long feud between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier (1944-2011), particularly as played out in 1975 in a celebrated match, the "Thrilla in Manila." As the story opens, Fraziercalled "Smokin' Joe" after promising the press corps that he would "come out smokin' " in a 1967 prizefightis in a reflective mood, surprisingly gentle for someone reputed to be so fierce. Yet Frazier earned every bit of that reputation: "His way was the hard way," writes the author. "In the ring, he lived and died by the simple yet daring principle of engagement that in order to deliver one bone-crunching blow, it was too frequently necessary to absorb three in exchange." Absorb the blows he did, while pounding just about everyone who came up against him, including Rocky-era Sylvester Stallone, who recalls "a thunderous left hook that was planted extremely deep in my body." The author speculates that Frazier, who died in 2011 with no autopsy, may have been finally felled by chronic traumatic encephalopathy following years of concussive blows. The author covers all the bases while focusing, appropriately, on the long enmity between Frazier and Ali, who called the younger boxer a "gorilla" and played mind games, race cards, and all sorts of mischief, later claiming that he did it to stir up attention and sales at the box office. Frazier was thought never to have forgiven Ali for the barrage of insults, but the closing of the narrative finds the two boxers in a tender moment, albeit one that might have blown apart had the two been their younger, healthier selves. The narrative is sometimes by-the-numbers, but Kram pays appropriate homage to a fighter who, though lacking in finesse, dominated heavyweight boxing for nearly a decade.Bookish fans of the sweet science will flock to this biography. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
