Ali leads tributes for Joe Frazier

Former world heavyweight champion leads tributes to Frazieru00a0-- the man who handed him his first defeatu00a0-- after the 67-year-old lost his battle with cancerMuhammad Ali yesterday paid tribute to his great rival Joe Frazier, saying: The world has lost a great champion. Frazier, who had been suffering from liver cancer, died overnight at the age of 67, his family confirmed in a statement.Joe FrazierThis morning tributes poured in from throughout the world of boxing and beyond. But it is his fights with Ali for which Frazier is best remembered. Epic battle: Joe Frazier knocks out Muhammad Ali at the Madison Square Garden, in New York in 1971. Pic/AFPFrazier beat Ali on points in the so-called 'Fight of the Century' in 1971, but lost in two further meetings including the epic 'Thrilla in Manila' in 1975.Muhammad AliAli said: The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration. My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones. The pair had an at-times fraught relationship, dating back to taunts Ali directed at his rival in the build-up to their famous trilogy of fights. But they were reported to have been on better terms in recent years.