Joe Frazier, an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981, tragically lost his life due to liver cancer on November 7, 2011.
His ex-wife, Florence Smith, partner, Denise Menz, and 11 children survive him.
Highlights
- Joe Frazier had five children with Florence Smith, whom he married in 1962.
- After divorcing Florence, Joe began his relationship with Denise Menz.
- Joe had two children with a former girlfriend, Rosetta, and four with other women.
Joseph William Frazier, aka Smokin’ Joe, was regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time who defeated Muhammad Ali in 1971.
He was renowned for his durability, strength, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fighting style. As an amateur fighter, he won gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Moreover, he was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973 and held the NYSAC heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973.
His best-known punch was a powerful left hook. Throughout his boxing career, he only lost to two fighters: twice to George Foreman and twice to Muhammad Ali.
The professional boxer attempted a comeback in 1981 but then retired for good and was inducted into the Madison Square Garden Walk of Fame in 1996.
Joe Frazier Had 5 Children With Florence Smith
Joe Frazier married Florence Smith, his South Carolina girlfriend, in 1963, when he was 19. The couple began dating in their teenage years.
Florence rose to the limelight because she married a professional boxer and made wise decisions to support his career.
Joe Frazier was an American professional boxer born and raised in Beaufort, South Carolina and was the first man in the world to defeat Muhammad Ali.
— ment (@mentnelson) December 26, 2017
In 1971 he purchased a plantation in Yemassee, South Carolina where he can be seen here with his wife and family pic.twitter.com/bDc35CoLc2
Joe was confused when F. Bruce Baldwin, the president of Abbotts Dairies, asked him to sign a deal and consulted his wife before signing a deal that turned out to be beneficial.
They had different ups and downs during their 22-year of marriage. However, they officially ended their relationship in 1985, and Florence kept her personal life private.
Some sources have claimed that the boxer fathered children with different women while he was still married to Florence.
The married couple had five children: Marvis, Jacqueline, Weatha, Jo-Netta, and Natasha. Marvis and Jacqueline followed in their father’s footsteps and pursued a career in boxing.
Joe trained Marvis for the world heavyweight title and Jacqueline for the WIBA world light-heavyweight champion. His daughter continued the feud with Muhammad Ali’s family, fighting Laila Ali.
Marvis married Daralyn in 1983 and has two daughters, Tamryn and Tiara Frazier.
Apart from five children with Florence, Joe had Renne and Hector with Rosetta in the early 1960s. Likewise, Derek, Joseph Ruben, Brandon, and Joseph Jordan are his other children from different women.
Joe Frazier’s Partner, Denise Menz, Helped Him With Self-confidence
Joe Frazier met Denise Menz at a party after his winning fight against Buster Mathis. He was 24 when he met the courageous and determined 19-year-old from New Jersey.
Denise became his lover, nurse, office manager, historian, interior decorator, and companion for the rest of his life.
Denise has a Ph.D. in Franzierology, and they have been sharing an apartment since his last spinal surgery in 2008.
She is an interior designer who has decorated their apartment comfortably and gracefully. She also runs the popular Menz Restaurant with her family in New Jersey.
Denise went from being the other woman to his constant companion and most significant figure, helping him through his post-retirement years with self-confidence.
Although she was his constant companion, his infidelity didn’t stop. She got mad at Joe, usually over women over the decades.
I was so naive. I knew I was the other woman, but I didn’t know there were others.
Denise Menz
The claim of an affair between Frazier and Foreman’s wife appears to be a rumor without any substantiation.
Additional Information
- Joe Frazier, the twelfth child of Dolly Alston-Frazier and Rubin, was born on January 12, 1944, in Beaufort, South Carolina. His parents worked as farm laborers.
- His fighting style was often compared to Henry Armstrong and, occasionally, Rocky Marciano.
- He released his autobiography, Smokin’ Joe: The Autobiography of a Heavyweight Champion of the World, in March 1996.
- In the late 1970s, he formed a soul-funk group called Joe Frazier and the Knockouts and toured widely in the US and Europe.
