When one of the true giants and legends of the sport of boxing passes, everyone in its community feels the loss. The tradition of course is to hold a silent count before a fight as the bell tolls up to 10, the tribute and final goodbye for a lifetime spent in and around the squared circle.
Earlier this week, heavyweight great Smokin’ Joe Frazier passed, and with tonight’s Pacquiao vs. Marquez III fight, Mike Tyson will be doing the honors of ringing the bell for the 10 count.
A young Mike Tyson, at his best, was often compared to the legendary Smokin’ Joe, and had a style very reminiscent of his. Tyson would bob and weave, employ lots of head movment, and of course threw that violent, concussive left hook. Nobody did it better than the original though, and Smokin’ Joe was inimitable.
It’ll be a touching tribute at tonight’s Pacquiao vs. Marquez PPV. With the fight time scheduled for about 11:30 PM, but the pay-per-view opening at 9, boxing fans can tune in and see one heavyweight great paying homage to another, as boxing fans everywhere acknowledge the all-too-soon passing of Smokin’ Joe.
