Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Joe Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be linked to Muhammad Ali.
Ali made a statement on the passing of Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Check what he had to say after the jump…

He was once a heavyweight champion, and a great one at that. Ali would say as much after Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971.

But he bore the burden of being Ali’s foil, and he paid the price. Bitter for years about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Frazier only in recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had forgiven Ali for everything he said.

Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as “The Greatest” unless he, too, was linked to Smokin’ Joe.

“I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration,” Ali said in a statement. “My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.”

Source: ESPN