Thoughts On Joe Frazier?

Frazier is perhaps my favorite fighter of all time (switches between him and Liston) but even I would have a hard time justifying having him anywhere below no .5

 

I love watching him. He has a real acceptance of the price he has to pay to fight the way he does, in fact he glories in it. How can you not love that? He cuts off the ring magnificently, is massively strong for his size, and might be a little one-handed but the results at the highest level are there to pick apart.

I'm not sure where he would rank, maybe the bottom area of the top ten, something like that. I don't have an exact number.

 

Probably my favourite HW of all time. As said previously amazing pressure fighter, just sheer relentless heart. Had a left hook that would dent an armoured vehicle. For me he is a top 10 HW ATG. His win over Ali in FOTC was a due reward for his pressure. And had he come out for the 15th in Manila who knows where his standing would be with a potential trilogy win over Ali. Admittedly I had Ali up by a round at the end of the 14th.

 

Fantastic fighter that made the most of his strengths. He knew what he was and fought accordingly.

As for comparing him to other era's I will pass and just appreciate him for what he was and what he did in his time which will never be forgotten.

 

Frazier's effort in FOTC was arguably the greatest athletic performance of all time.

 

Ellis 1 was another goodie. Yeah him n Hammering Hank r my must studies for applying pressure. Like Chavez too but so many of his fights he's just slaughtering lol.

 

Joe Frazier is my favourite boxer tied with Sugar Ray Leonard. I can't objectively put him in my top 5 heavyweights but still my favourite heavyweight. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in Tokyo in 1964 as a last minute replacement. His volume of punches and work capacity is arguably the best of any heavyweight his knockout record could even rival Mike Tyson. He gave Muhammad Ali two of the hardest fights of his career in 1971 and 1975 even when he was taking a beating from George Foreman in their first fight he got back up after every knockdown the man had a heart that may never have been seen before or after. He also seemed like a very humble, modest and personable person. He lived in his gym in Philadelphia and mentored up and coming boxers like Bert Cooper, Bernard Hopkins and Meldrick Taylor. He remained in a neighborhood that most would have given up on and tried to give back to his community. I'd objectively put him in my top 10 heavyweights but he still remains my favourite heavyweight.

 

Frazier was slicker than most give him credit for, his ability to slip and
counter, bob/weave while in attack mode is/was a thing of beauty. A Duran type of
ability without Duran's total offensive repertoire.
His ability to land that left hook from a distance,
or in close, different and unexpected angles, ability to reset it
and punch again quickly and efficiently with it, demonstrates
his absolute mastery of his land hand.
His right hand gets overlooked, because of his left hook, but
he had good pop in it. He also parried opponents open to land
that left hook with his educated right hand.
Frazier in my opinion is in the top ten of greatest heavyweights
to ever live, though maybe not top five, he would be an absolute nightmare
for most heavyweights champs in history head to head.
All the size kings on these sites see what happened to Frazier against
Foreman and assume any large heavyweight would be able to do something
similar.
But they don't consider the uniqueness of Foreman's abilities,
and no heavyweight since has demonstrated that ability that separates "BIG "
George from other big heavyweights. It's HOW Foreman used his physical advantages
against Frazier that is the key to his win in Kingston Jamaica, not just because he
was "bigger".
Also Frazier wasn't the same after FOTC, and clearly had lost a step or two by the
time they fought.
Personally in my opinion he'd be a champ today, his biggest threat would be Fury
but Fury isn't as skilled as Mathis Sr, though he is slightly bigger. I believe Frazier's pace would eventually
break down Fury just like it did to Mathis Sr. Especially in a 15 rd fight.
The rest , like Usyk, Wilder, Joshua etc. Don't have the ability to keep Frazier off of them and would
eventually get steamrolled prime vs prime.

 

Joe's solidly a top 10 ATG. Unleashed on todays heavys would be a treat.

 

As a kid I remember this short dude bobbing and weaving, weaving and bobbing, going forward relentlessly, throwing bomb after bomb.I liked his style.
He was a warrior, a guy with guts and courage in the ring that was perhaps a little too big, if that’s possible. A guy who played to his strengths and boy could he bang with that left.

He’s Top 10 for me.