Prime: Larry Holmes . Vs. Joe Frazier

Frazier did an interview in the Boxing Illustrated whilst he was Champion,before he fought Ali ,and said he saw himself as more like Armstong than Marciano ,he did not ouright say Marciano was crude ,but the implication was there.
Of course,he may have changed his opinion.

 

Frazier can't be out boxed? Hardly. Even a fat Buster Mathis was up on the cards in the first seven round until Frazier's pressure and power turned the tides.

As a boxer Frazier didn't have much of a jab or right hand at all. His uppercut was seldom used. Frazier wasn't a great boxer. He was a great fighter.

 

"Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. Rocky Marciano is second only to Louis. Where do I rate Ali? Somewhere below me. I beat him, and if I could beat him, no doubt Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano could have beaten him."
-- Joe Frazier

 

My own all-time rating of Joe benefits from my rejection of his reasoning. Because I believe Frazier would have beaten more of history's other great heavyweights than Foreman would have, I rank Joe over George, and would do so even if I was convinced that Foreman would have always had his number for stylistic reasons. (I also believe the peak Frazier of 1969 to 1971 could have weathered the early storm against George to drown him in deep water, but again, that's aside from why I place Joe higher on an all time basis. Foreman did not defeat a peak Frazier though, and Joe did not defeat a peak Ali.)

 

Ali needed another "Tune-Up" fight and another three to four months of training for Joe Frazier in 1971, but the economic demand was too great of a force to stall and Ali went ahead with the March date...

Regardless of Joe Frazier getting the nod over Ali in '71, Ali was right there all the way with Frazier to the very end... Sure Frazier rocked Ali well in round 11 and floored Ali in round 15, but Ali actually apeared to have speared Frazier more so with razor rights and stinging lefts all through the fight.... Had Ali not gone down in round 15, I could picture Ali getting the nod over Frazier....... WORD!

MR.BILL

 

Prime Frazier, at his very highest peak, which might just been one fight, was arguably the best heavyweight of all time.

So I say Frazier will win. Either decision or stoppage in the championship rounds.

 

That's a bold statement, dude.......... However, Frazier was hot-to-trot from 1969 thru '72......

But I still feel Ali from 1964 thru '67 was perfect for being the heavyweight champion of the world.... At 6' 3" tall and anywhere between 206 to 213 pounds, Ali had it all.... Size, speed, reflex, guile, savvy and underrated power......

MR.BILL:hat

 

Pick 'em fight that could go either way. Either Larry outboxes him to a decision or Frazier just pounds the hell out of him with that relentless pressure. As huge a fan I am of Holmes, I look at it this way. Norton was not as good as Frazier. He was Joe's sparring partner. Norton barely lost to Holmes and he didn't apply anywhere near the pressure or nonstop offense that a prime Joe applied, and Holmes barely beat a semi-aged Norton. But then it is also fair to say that Larry improved thereafter. Tough fight for either.

 

I say Frazier and Norton were on par with each other......... BUT! Inspite that they are basically the same age, they peaked at different times..... Frazier was peaked around 1969 to 1972, while Norton peaked from 1973 to 1977....... Frazier hit his prime at about age 25 and Norton hit his peak closer to age 30 yrs........

Frazier gets Norton outta there in circa--1971, and Norton stops Frazier in circa--1976....... That's fair........ I think I can sell that notion.........

MR.BILLbbb

 

Tough fight, hard to call. I lean just a shade towards Smokin Joe. The Frazier of superfight 1, was a monster! Holmes may have been able to outbox him, with that awesome jab and sharp right cross. But Frazier`s pressure was unmerciful, and he`d breath down Holmes` chest. You needed Foreman power to keep Joe at bay for 12-15 rds. I think Joe might even rock Holmes at times, who didn`t have Ali`s chin. I don`t think Joe could stop him, but probably outwork and outhustle him over 15. Frazier `71` edition was a beast...

 

What actually forced the timing of the FOTC was the impending SCOTUS ruling on Ali's conviction for refusing draft induction. It was then widely suspected that Nixon appointees on Warren Burger's Supreme Court might rule against him, so there was something of a rush to have this event scheduled before that ruling could take place. On June 28, 1971, they unanimously ruled in Ali's favor. If that had happened a year earlier, Frazier might well have gone 0-3 against the GOAT, but we'll never know.

 

Tough call, I could see either guy winning this one.