Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier has lost his battle with liver cancer.
The 67-year-old was admitted into hospice care earlier this week.
His family have released a statement saying the boxing legend passed away at his Philadelphia home earlier this afternoon (New Zealand time).
Leslie Wolff, who has been the fighter's manager for seven years, said Frazier was flooded with get-well messages from former boxers and fans.
"There is evidence that there are certain people that fight much harder than other people, and in doing so, they last longer," Wolff said earlier Monday.
"They have the heart of a champion. Joe ain't no quitter. Even in this struggle, he's showing people you don't give up."
Frazier was the first man to beat Muhammad Ali, knocking him down and taking a decision in the so-called Fight of the Century in 1971. He would go on to lose two more fights to Ali, including the epic "Thrilla in Manila" bout.
Frazier won the heavyweight title in 1970 by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their fight at Madison Square Garden.
He defended it successfully four times before George Foreman knocked him down six times in the first two rounds to take the title from him in 1973. Frazier would never be heavyweight champion again.
RIP Joe Frazier 1944-2011
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