Philadelphia’s Joe Frazier Was Apart Of Boxing’s Golden Age

March 8th will mark the 50th anniversary of “The Fight” between Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali and Philadelphia's Smokin' Joe Frazier.  The Golden Age of Boxing saw the best heavyweights of their time, Joe Frazier at 26-0 against Muhammed Ali at 31-0 fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  The event, which was billed as the biggest fight in history, was the first time two undefeated boxers would fight each other for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title.  Frazier won the 15 round bout with a unanimous decision.  As a little boy I remember the hype of the fight which could only be seen on closed circuit TV, a prelude to modern day Pay-per-view.  We couldn’t afford to watch it so like most Americans, we listened to the fight on the radio.  The next day in the paper the headlines read, “Joe’s left right up Muhammad's Ally” - "The Fight of the Century" lived up to the expectations, something I’ll never forget.  Americans were split on who they wanted to win because many people detested Ali’s anti-war stance against the Vietnam war and most Philadelphians wanted Frazier to win and bring a championship home!! 

On Saturday's edition of The Locker Room with Billy Schweim we will talk with Joe Hand and his son Joe Jr. - Joe Sr. created Joe Hand productions in 1971 and has been the leader of his profession promoting events for 50 years.  Today his company has grown into the biggest TV distributor of Pay-per-view boxing events.  We will walk down memory lane with Joe Sr, and Joe Jr. as the recount Ali versus Frazier along with the impact on the history of the sport of boxing.  We will also recap the Sixers wins before the NBA All-Star Break, preview Flyers versus Penguins, and talk Phillies first week of Spring Training.

On Sunday's show, we will talk about the Flyers and Sixers welcoming the return of fans into the stands on a limited basis.  We will visit with the Flyers Anthemist Lauren Hart before she sings before a live crowd for the first time in over a year.  We will preview the Flyers facing the Washington Capitals after their three game set with the Penguins.  We will recap all the Phillies and Eagles news and more!

All the action starts every Saturday and Sunday at 10am in The Locker Room with Billy Schweim on 97.3 ESPN Radio.