Big Brother 23 star Derek Frazier has a very famous father, boxer Joe Frazier a.k.a. Smokin’ Joe, who became the first athlete to beat Muhammad Ali in a boxing match. Now best known as “Big D”, Derek F was introduced on BB23 as a 29-year-old safety officer from Philadelphia, PA. During his first few days inside the Big Brother house, Derek joined various alliances, such as the Cookout (with Azah, Kyland, Tiffany, and Xavier) and the Slaughterhouse (with Alyssa, Brent, Christian, Frenchie, Kyland, Whitney, and Xavier).
Aside from those two large alliances, Derek Frazier wasted no time before striking Final 2 deals with Big Brother co-stars Christian Birkenberger and Brandon Frenchie. Alas, from the start, his truest alliance has been with Frenchie. After winning the first Head of Household competition of the season, Frenchie was able to make quite a few allies on BB23. With that said, the friendship between Derek F and Frenchie clearly stood out in the pack.
Many Big Brother fans might not know it, but Derek Frazier’s father is boxing legend Joe Frazier. Best known as Smokin’ Joe, he was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali in a match. Between 1970 and 1973, Smokin’ Joe was considered the undisputed heavyweight champion. Then, at the 1964 Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, Smokin’ Joe won a gold medal in the heavyweight category. Overall, Joe was an active boxer from 1965 all the way to 1981. His boxing track record includes 37 fights: 32 wins, four losses, and one draw. As seen below, Derek Frazier has shared a picture with his father and grandfather to celebrate Father’s day a few weeks before going into the BB23 house.
Unfortunately, Smokin’ Joe Frazier passed away 10 years before his son Derek F would enter Big Brother 23 as a houseguest. The boxer passed away on November 7, 2011 after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Joe Frazier is said to have inspired many of the scenes in the 1976 film Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone. In the 2001 film Ali, which told the story of Muhammad Ali, Smokin’ Joe was played by James Toney. Now, his son Derek Frazier gets to be a star as well by competing for $750,000 on Big Brother 23.
It’s still too early to tell how far “Big D” will make it on BB23. So far, however, he is playing a safe game and has established several alliances early on. There is a lot of potential for Derek F to get very far on the show.
Big Brother 23 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8pm ET/PT on CBS.
Sources: Derek Frazier on Instagram
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