I Am Joe Frazier (2025) Movie Script
1
Hey, Joe?
What's the highlight
of your career?
There's a lot of things in
in my life that
the whole world
just they don't know
'cause I never sit
down and tell 'em.
Mom and Dad had probably
15 (kids) together.
Out of all of them, I
was the youngest one.
I knocked my arm out of place
when I was a little boy.
My Mom said, "Listen, you
go down to the pen..."
"Feed the hog, do
not tease him."
"Yes, ma'am."
When I went down to feed the hog
I started teasing him.
He was a big old bull,
man, he was that high
and he jumped on the fence.
He couldn't run
no faster than me
I took away from him, but
when I tripped and hit the brick
the brick took the
arm out of place.
And back in them days
Mom and Dad didn't have the
finance.
My Dad didn't have the love.
You know how you
spell love, right?
M-O-N-E-Y
I grew up with a bad arm,
but that never stopped me.
Come home in the evening
I had 30 minutes
to punch the bag.
It was like a daily recitation.
So I decided I'd
find a better way
for Mom and Dad.
I tell them, "One of these days, I'm
gonna build y'all whatever you want."
"I'm gonna be champion
of the world."
I couldn't understand why
we had different schools.
I couldn't ride the bus.
I had to get out of town. at
certain times during the day.
We had problems, you know
racial problems, you know
with my white brothers.
I never could understand why
because we all had the same arm
the same leg
some of them
shorter than others.
I was borrowing cars
that wasn't mine
and didn't bring it back.
I had to leave
because that wasn't gonna work
being a thief.
I lived with an aunt
she was like a maid
and my uncle, who was here
his name was Cadillac.
Mr. Yank Durham, God bless him.
I didn't go anywhere
without him.
I had all knockouts before I
went to the (Olympic) tryout.
I'm telling my
family and my friends
"Hey, I'm gonna beat 'em all."
I didn't think
Mathis won the fight
but he got it anyway, so
I came back with a little
tear dripping down.
Tokyo was like a whole
different world altogether.
The second to last guy
he was 231 pounds
of nothing but muscle and bone.
I said come on with it.
I dropped him two times
third time they didn't
let him come back out
and that's where I
bust up the thumb then.
Put some hot water
some salt
and sugar
an old remedy that Mom used
to give me and Dad, you know.
Nobody won the
gold medal but me.
It was a great thrill
to know that
I saved America.
Time was real bad
I didn't have a job.
I was working at
the slaughterhouse
and then I got laid off.
Well I was going blind in '64
when I came back from the Games.
Blind and broke wasn't no fun.
That one particular fight
I didn't like the
way I performed.
He could punch.
He was trying to get
that third knockdown
with a push and a shove.
Because he knew if he
pushed me down a third time
they were gonna stop the fight.
He said he was the greatest.
Nobody could beat him.
I came outta Mama like this.
I wanna shut him down!
I hit him with everything and
he just wouldn't fall, man.
He was a tough guy.
He said, "You got my title."
I said, "I ain't
got your title."
I didn't take it away from you.
You know what happened.
You didn't fulfill
your responsibility.
"That's why you lost the title."
He said, "Joe Frazier, I
need to go to New York."
I said, "Alright. I'll
take you to New York."
I put him in my car.
I took him to New York.
We got to start talking.
He said he didn't
have enough money.
I can't remember what it was
five hundred dollars
two hundred dollars
three hundred dollars
but I gave him some money.
We go into New York
he got out of the car
"Joe Frazier
got my title.
"I want my title!"
Man, come on man.
Give me a break, I brought you.
"That's Joe Frazier!"
Take it easy, man.
We'll get the contract together.
Just chill out, you
know what I mean?
I helped him with a
lot of things that
most people, they wouldn't do.
We went to the President
of the United States.
President Nixon.
"Mr, President, for me, would
you give Muhammad his license?"
He says, "Joe, do you
think you can take him?"
"I believe I can take him."
He was the champion
of the world.
But, therefore
if you ain't got something
right to say to me
then you better
keep being quiet.
'Cause I'm gonna
peel off and hit you.
Joe Frazier, you's a Tom!
Tom?
I ain't no Peepin' Tom,
what you talking about?
I ain't peeped in
nobody's window.
I was there to get the job done.
I can't let the people down.
Some of the shots
that I hit him with
they would knock down buildings.
I went back to the corner.
I said, "Yank?"
"What's wrong with this guy, man,
I'm hitting him with all I've got?"
"Just go right back where
you left off from...
Them body shots, he will
fall after a while."
I caught him coming
out of the corner.
He was going to my left.
I caught him with a
hook, on a ricochet.
Boom!
If the ropes wasn't there, he
would fall out of the ring.
I throw two left hooks at him.
Second one was on the chin.
Bang!
If I didn't dust him off, he
might have got the decision.
But he got hurt
in the third round
eleventh round
and every round.
Every round he got
hurt, trust me.
I feel like I did, let's
say, a blessing to the world.
I know what the people
would like to know
Why I went to the hospital.
I used to go to the doctor
every day after training
make sure that the
blood pressure is right.
I'd take a handful of
pills, you know what I mean?
Hey, babe, what's happening?
What's happening?
My dad was a hard working man.
He drove the farm bus
to pick up the
workers in the fields
where they were all ladies.
So Dad had control
of all the females.
Wich Mom didn't like
that, you know, but
that was my daddy.
I keep getting up every time he
knocked me down. He got mad one time
"Joe, why don't you stay down?"
"Why don't you stay down there, man?
I'm tired of knocking you down."
It wasn't no fight.
The guy just came
and took me out.
He was much too powerful for me.
The problem was that we were trying to
find a referee to break up that mugging
around my neck
with his left hand.
I thought George was gonna
catch him a little earlier.
The guys that fought Muhammad
they let him have his way.
Let him move when he wanted
throw punched when he wanted.
No.
No.
Muhammad stayed at the palace
and I stayed at the hotel.
I wasn't into politics, no.
I was into sports
being a champion and
getting the job done.
My right eye got closed
the left eye I
couldn't see out of.
He said, "Now let's call
it." "I told him, "No."
He said, "No, wait
a minute now."
"Don't do my job."
I said, "All right."
I heard that Muhammad wasn't
going to get up off the stool
but that's not my corner
and I wasn't over
there to see that.
I'm not mad about it
because I can see
I can walk, I can talk,
I can have a good time.
My working is always forward.
I don't know how to back up. That's
the only way I know how to fight.
I was blind in this eye here.
I wear two contact lenses now.
I tried to move for a while
but then he knocked
the lens out.
The only thing I did wrong was
sign that contract two times.
That was the wrong
thing I did, okay?
I sit down and teach these guys.
I'm not gonna be afraid to go and
tell them what's wrong with it.
'Cause I've been there.
But that's the name of the game
win.
Yeah, well, he knows I
wasn't going to back down.
Yeah, that's for sure.
I'm not gonna start fighting.
I'll just go over and say
"Hello, man." You know.
He's handicapped, I'll
help him cross the street.
I'll stop the trucks.
I want the guy to
enjoy life like me.
Enjoy some of the
things that he missed.
I've learned to put
a cover over my mouth
by saying things
that I shouldn't say.
A few of them slip out.
I'm here talking to you.
My mind's all together
my eyes all together
my brain's all together.
The fight game,
nothing but the best.
The fight game has
been good to me.
I've met a lot of people
I've been a lot of places
I've done a lot of things, and
where would I be if
I wasn't a champion?
Fightin' is...
Fightin' is my love.
Hey, Joe?
What's the highlight
of your career?
There's a lot of things in
in my life that
the whole world
just they don't know
'cause I never sit
down and tell 'em.
Mom and Dad had probably
15 (kids) together.
Out of all of them, I
was the youngest one.
I knocked my arm out of place
when I was a little boy.
My Mom said, "Listen, you
go down to the pen..."
"Feed the hog, do
not tease him."
"Yes, ma'am."
When I went down to feed the hog
I started teasing him.
He was a big old bull,
man, he was that high
and he jumped on the fence.
He couldn't run
no faster than me
I took away from him, but
when I tripped and hit the brick
the brick took the
arm out of place.
And back in them days
Mom and Dad didn't have the
finance.
My Dad didn't have the love.
You know how you
spell love, right?
M-O-N-E-Y
I grew up with a bad arm,
but that never stopped me.
Come home in the evening
I had 30 minutes
to punch the bag.
It was like a daily recitation.
So I decided I'd
find a better way
for Mom and Dad.
I tell them, "One of these days, I'm
gonna build y'all whatever you want."
"I'm gonna be champion
of the world."
I couldn't understand why
we had different schools.
I couldn't ride the bus.
I had to get out of town. at
certain times during the day.
We had problems, you know
racial problems, you know
with my white brothers.
I never could understand why
because we all had the same arm
the same leg
some of them
shorter than others.
I was borrowing cars
that wasn't mine
and didn't bring it back.
I had to leave
because that wasn't gonna work
being a thief.
I lived with an aunt
she was like a maid
and my uncle, who was here
his name was Cadillac.
Mr. Yank Durham, God bless him.
I didn't go anywhere
without him.
I had all knockouts before I
went to the (Olympic) tryout.
I'm telling my
family and my friends
"Hey, I'm gonna beat 'em all."
I didn't think
Mathis won the fight
but he got it anyway, so
I came back with a little
tear dripping down.
Tokyo was like a whole
different world altogether.
The second to last guy
he was 231 pounds
of nothing but muscle and bone.
I said come on with it.
I dropped him two times
third time they didn't
let him come back out
and that's where I
bust up the thumb then.
Put some hot water
some salt
and sugar
an old remedy that Mom used
to give me and Dad, you know.
Nobody won the
gold medal but me.
It was a great thrill
to know that
I saved America.
Time was real bad
I didn't have a job.
I was working at
the slaughterhouse
and then I got laid off.
Well I was going blind in '64
when I came back from the Games.
Blind and broke wasn't no fun.
That one particular fight
I didn't like the
way I performed.
He could punch.
He was trying to get
that third knockdown
with a push and a shove.
Because he knew if he
pushed me down a third time
they were gonna stop the fight.
He said he was the greatest.
Nobody could beat him.
I came outta Mama like this.
I wanna shut him down!
I hit him with everything and
he just wouldn't fall, man.
He was a tough guy.
He said, "You got my title."
I said, "I ain't
got your title."
I didn't take it away from you.
You know what happened.
You didn't fulfill
your responsibility.
"That's why you lost the title."
He said, "Joe Frazier, I
need to go to New York."
I said, "Alright. I'll
take you to New York."
I put him in my car.
I took him to New York.
We got to start talking.
He said he didn't
have enough money.
I can't remember what it was
five hundred dollars
two hundred dollars
three hundred dollars
but I gave him some money.
We go into New York
he got out of the car
"Joe Frazier
got my title.
"I want my title!"
Man, come on man.
Give me a break, I brought you.
"That's Joe Frazier!"
Take it easy, man.
We'll get the contract together.
Just chill out, you
know what I mean?
I helped him with a
lot of things that
most people, they wouldn't do.
We went to the President
of the United States.
President Nixon.
"Mr, President, for me, would
you give Muhammad his license?"
He says, "Joe, do you
think you can take him?"
"I believe I can take him."
He was the champion
of the world.
But, therefore
if you ain't got something
right to say to me
then you better
keep being quiet.
'Cause I'm gonna
peel off and hit you.
Joe Frazier, you's a Tom!
Tom?
I ain't no Peepin' Tom,
what you talking about?
I ain't peeped in
nobody's window.
I was there to get the job done.
I can't let the people down.
Some of the shots
that I hit him with
they would knock down buildings.
I went back to the corner.
I said, "Yank?"
"What's wrong with this guy, man,
I'm hitting him with all I've got?"
"Just go right back where
you left off from...
Them body shots, he will
fall after a while."
I caught him coming
out of the corner.
He was going to my left.
I caught him with a
hook, on a ricochet.
Boom!
If the ropes wasn't there, he
would fall out of the ring.
I throw two left hooks at him.
Second one was on the chin.
Bang!
If I didn't dust him off, he
might have got the decision.
But he got hurt
in the third round
eleventh round
and every round.
Every round he got
hurt, trust me.
I feel like I did, let's
say, a blessing to the world.
I know what the people
would like to know
Why I went to the hospital.
I used to go to the doctor
every day after training
make sure that the
blood pressure is right.
I'd take a handful of
pills, you know what I mean?
Hey, babe, what's happening?
What's happening?
My dad was a hard working man.
He drove the farm bus
to pick up the
workers in the fields
where they were all ladies.
So Dad had control
of all the females.
Wich Mom didn't like
that, you know, but
that was my daddy.
I keep getting up every time he
knocked me down. He got mad one time
"Joe, why don't you stay down?"
"Why don't you stay down there, man?
I'm tired of knocking you down."
It wasn't no fight.
The guy just came
and took me out.
He was much too powerful for me.
The problem was that we were trying to
find a referee to break up that mugging
around my neck
with his left hand.
I thought George was gonna
catch him a little earlier.
The guys that fought Muhammad
they let him have his way.
Let him move when he wanted
throw punched when he wanted.
No.
No.
Muhammad stayed at the palace
and I stayed at the hotel.
I wasn't into politics, no.
I was into sports
being a champion and
getting the job done.
My right eye got closed
the left eye I
couldn't see out of.
He said, "Now let's call
it." "I told him, "No."
He said, "No, wait
a minute now."
"Don't do my job."
I said, "All right."
I heard that Muhammad wasn't
going to get up off the stool
but that's not my corner
and I wasn't over
there to see that.
I'm not mad about it
because I can see
I can walk, I can talk,
I can have a good time.
My working is always forward.
I don't know how to back up. That's
the only way I know how to fight.
I was blind in this eye here.
I wear two contact lenses now.
I tried to move for a while
but then he knocked
the lens out.
The only thing I did wrong was
sign that contract two times.
That was the wrong
thing I did, okay?
I sit down and teach these guys.
I'm not gonna be afraid to go and
tell them what's wrong with it.
'Cause I've been there.
But that's the name of the game
win.
Yeah, well, he knows I
wasn't going to back down.
Yeah, that's for sure.
I'm not gonna start fighting.
I'll just go over and say
"Hello, man." You know.
He's handicapped, I'll
help him cross the street.
I'll stop the trucks.
I want the guy to
enjoy life like me.
Enjoy some of the
things that he missed.
I've learned to put
a cover over my mouth
by saying things
that I shouldn't say.
A few of them slip out.
I'm here talking to you.
My mind's all together
my eyes all together
my brain's all together.
The fight game,
nothing but the best.
The fight game has
been good to me.
I've met a lot of people
I've been a lot of places
I've done a lot of things, and
where would I be if
I wasn't a champion?
Fightin' is...
Fightin' is my love.