How would you rate Smokin’ Joe’s chin out of 10? I thought he had a terrific ability to take a punch, something he isn’t always credited for. He KO’d 3 times. Twice against an ATG puncher/fighter and stylistic nightmare in George Foreman, and he wasn’t allowed to see the final round against Ali, well past his best and having been through one of the most brutal fights in the history of the sport. He went down a few other times (once in each of his matches with Bonavena are the only instances that come to mind for me however) but when they get up and win I almost always give the fighter a pass. I would probably rate it 8.5
Thanku for getting this rite. Too many people on here dont have the common sense to see it this way or they just copy someone else's opinion and accept it as gospel. Did a undefeated Foreman drop him 6 times with flush shots yes he did but Joe got up 6 times. Very doubtful many in history would get up from those shots 6 times let alone 1 or 2. One uppercut lifter Frazier off his feet and another was behind the head and Joe got up. Joe having a weak chin is one of the biggest Myths in boxing history.
Yes it always sort of infuriates me when it comes up. I think Marciano, Tyson, or pretty much any other great inside style heavyweight would be hard pressed to see 4 rounds against Foreman, his style was just perfect for theirs
Yeah I agree. Tyson’s handspeed, head and upper body movement and punching angles would be all wrong for the Mummy and it wouldn’t go past 4 rounds.
Oh I wish Mr. Bazooka himself would come and enlighten us peasants with his vast storehouse of knowledge and expertise!
Frazier was tough. ATG heart and will to win. In terms of chin a fighter can’t fight as Frazier did and have a weak chin. However Joe was rocked on many occasions. Knocked down 8 times vs Foreman. Knocked down twice by Bonevena. Knocked down once by Mike Bruce. Rocked by quite a few other opponents..Machen, Ali (numerous times), Stander others. If we give say Chuvalo a “10” in terms of chin you can’t give Frazier a “9”. More like a “7”.
At least an 8 bare minimum. His head movement and tight cross guard made straight punches pretty ineffective. His main weakness were that his face would swell easily (making it harder to see shots coming) and he was a sucker for uppercuts and looping power shots from taller guys who could intercept him before he got into his preferred close range. You cant be a swarmer standing right in the line of fire with an aggressive come forward approach and have a weak or even average chin in the heavyweight division. He'd have way more than 3 stoppage losses. Incidentally, contrary to popular belief, he was never actually counted out or rendered unconscious. Each time he was stopped was either his cornermen Futch throwing in the towel or the ref waving it off. I'd rate his recovery 10/10. Unbelievable that he was dropped 6x by foreman and was back on his feet banging his fists together saying "come on". Legs weren't shaking, nor was he glossy eyed. You had to bring a baseball bat to keep him down for good. People who argue that his chin wasnt very good must concede that a man with his swarming slugging style must have had better defense than he's given credit for. You can't have it both ways.
Depends on what kind of shape he was in. When Frazier was in top physical condition and doing his road work like he was supposed to he was very durable and recovered from punches very well, but when he was out of shape and neglected his roadwork his durability and ability to recuperate suffered. I can always tell when a guy is slacking on his roadwork, since their legs tend to go weak too easily and after taking a hard blow their legs don’t recover like they should.