1977 Jimmy Young vs 1971 Joe Frazier

A buddy of mine who was older than me used to know Jimmy and train there at one time back when guys like Cobb and Benton were still there. He suggested we leave work early and go down to the gym to see what was going on. When we got there Marvis and Bert were going hard both doin there grunting it was pretty awsome. I got to know Marvis a little bit. He used to live in the township I worked in. When I was in his house he gave me a glove signed by a ton of guys from the HOF from his personal collection for one of my sons. Very nice open man. Bigger than I remembered. Looked strong.

 

Awesome story! How did Marvis fare against Bert?

 

in the same ambulance

 

lol

 

It was so long ago all I remember is they were rumbling but I couldn't say one was better than the other.

 

Awesome story nonetheless!

 

Quarry and Frazier sparred a coupla rounds in Times Square NY as publicity , before both of their fights .
1974 "Smokin Joe"- took on "Scrap Iron " Johnson in his.
Jerry I know took on Charlie "Emperor" Harris in one or maybe even both of them

 

1968-71 "Smokin Joe" by stoppage anytime in Young's career, No diss to Jimmy and his great boxing skills, you had to have a pretty good sock just to attempt to keep Joe off you even for a moment

Jimmy had great fights, Foreman, Ali, Norton, Lyle (twice) Shavers (twice).
yet even that resume is not gonna stand up to Frazier's overall

 

Jimmy Young was a very good fighter in the latter half of the 1970s. He had good hand speed, good accuracy with his punches, was a versatile fighter who could move backwards or forwards during a fight, had good stamina, could take a good punch, and his best attribute was that he was an exceptional counterpuncher. Jimmy Young was first brought to prominence during his fight with a declining and overweight Muhammad Ali in April of 1976 and reached the pinacle of his career with his heralded victory over George Foreman in 1977. In his fight with post-prime George Foreman, Young showcased his versatility as a fighter, his counterpunching, his stamina, his intelligence, and his ability to take a punch. Like Muhammad Ali, Young was a stylistic nightmare for George Foreman due to his versatility as a fighter while Frazier and Norton were made to order for George Foreman due to their lack of versatility and overt inability to change fight plans or move backward during a fight. Finally, Jimmy Young beat Ron Lyle twice and fared very well against a prime Kenny Norton in 1977, losing on a controversial decision. However, none of the fighters Jimmy Young faced applied the same pressure and ferocity as 1971 27-year-old prime Joe Frazier. Unlike George Foreman who had very slow hands and tired easily, Joe Frazier had exceptional stamina and reasonably fast and accurate hands. In addition, Joe Frazier constantly moved forward cornering his opponent and beating him with body and head shots into submission. While Jimmy Young was a very good fighter, he simply did not have the punching power to keep Joe Frazier off of him and while he could have scored counterpunches and sporadic combinations against 1971 Frazier, these punches simply could not stop a relentless Joe Frazier in pursuit of dominance. Therefore, while I am a Jimmy Young fan, 1971 Joe Frazier was a special fighter and his relentless aggression and pursuit against Jimmy Young with devastating left hooks would have proven too much for Young, especially in light of the fact that Young lacked significant punching power, could not hurt Frazier, and therefore could not keep Smoking Joe Frazier off of him. I see 1971 Joe Frazier winning this fight by knockout or TKO anywhere from round 9 to round 13.

 

With all his vaunted (and IMO overblown, not overrated) defensive skills, there is no way Jimmy Young keeps 1971 Joe Frazier off him and keeps from being beaten down into jelly very easily and quickly. He might see Round 5 but he doesn’t see any rounds beyond that.

 

Frazier wears him down and wins a 15 round decision or stops him late. If is is 12 rounds then Frazier wins decision. Young did not have the power to keep Frazier off of him but would fair well for first 2-3 rounds.

 

Young built his rep by catching great/hof fighters when they were on the downside (that includes Foreman, who hadn't mentally recovered from Zaire by the time of his 1st retirement). FOTC Frazier would be something Young hadn't seen before, an ATG still @ the height of his powers, & I think he'd simply be overmatched/outclassed.

Frazier didn't need an up-&-comer like Young to get a 3rd fight w/ Ali, & after losing the Thrilla his career rapidly wound down.