On this day: November 7
2011: Retired professional boxer Joe Frazier, a former Olympic gold medalist and undisputed world heavyweight champion, dies of liver cancer at the age of 67 in Philadelphia. Frazier was the first boxer to beat Muhammad Ali as a professional, winning a 15-round unanimous decision in 1971 to retain his WBC and WBA world heavyweight titles in what was known as the "Fight of the Century." Two years later Frazier lost his title when he was knocked out by George Foreman. He retired in 1976 following a second loss to Foreman, but returned for one last fight in 1981. Hide Caption
On this day: September 18
2013: Former boxing champion Ken Norton, who rose to the top of the boxing world in 1973 by outdueling Muhammad Ali, dies at age 70 in Henderson, Nevada. Norton had been in poor health for several years after sustaining a series of strokes. He was best known for his 12-round victory over Ali on March 31, 1973, when he famously broke Ali's jaw. Norton and Ali would fight twice more, with Ali narrowly winning both return bouts. Norton lost the WBC title in his first defense of it, a 15-round split decision loss to Larry Holmes in 1978.