Ok! Still don’t get it lol, but some others may. I think a few would surpass Frazier Ali introducing all weight divisions. Still don’t personally have the Tunney Greb fights that high on my list. Armstrong Ross and Duran Leonard creep into the conversation here as well.
Definitely. Duran's win over Leonard was incredibly impressive, Ali over Foreman, Schmeling over Louis and Leonard over Hagler, both Ambers and Armstrong, Lewis and Britton (all 207 of them), McLarnin over Canzoneri even Mayweather over Pacquiao. There all great wins but I like Greb over Tunney and the other way around
I haven't seen the Tunney yet, but I'm completely with you on Armstrong Ross and Duran Leonard. I'm surprised a Robinson fight isn't mentioned in the same breath, really.
I'll pick Tyson here. Frazier is a swarmer facing a bigger, stronger and more explosive guy. Tyson had a good chin too so he'd likely survive any scares in a shootout.
Frazier's gonna get hurt in this fight, he's gonna get rocked, he's gonna get floored, but he's never gonna stop coming at Tyson. Tyson could hit him with the kitchen sink and Joe will still keep moving forward. These guys had very similar styles but Tyson had a big physical advantage, he was much more athletic than Joe, but Joe has the mental edge. He had more heart and more pain tolerance than any other fighter in history, he really was willing to die in that ring if that's what it took. Tyson would lose all will and spirit when his opponent refused to be bullied, and Joe could not be bullied. Tyson would look into his eyes and see absolutely no fear. To win this fight one of this guys would need to go through hell, and I don't think Tyson is prepared to do that. As the fight enters the deep round, with Tyson having exhausted his whole arsenal to no effect, he'd begin to lose hope. We'd see elbows, headbutts and maybe some biting, anything to get himself out of that ring. Tyson has the speed and power advantage, but Frazier has what you need in a war. He has the chin, the cardio and he has the heart. I have Frazier by late disqualification win.
This sounds like a great guess except Joe was such a stronger puncher than Holyfield. Mike wouldn't have had time for a disqualification his chin just wasn't that great. But yeah it would be the lack of Mike's fighting spirit that would ruin him. Holyfield and Douglas weren't Joe Frazier, baby.
Foreman bullied Frazier.Stamina and heart wouldn't be factors here imo Tyson would stop him before they came into play .Faster, hit harder, bigger,better chin ,and had two handed power.
Foreman had a unique blend of length and strength that was perfect for fighting a swarmer like Frazier. Tyson has the strength but he has no reach advantage over Joe, if he's in range, so is Joe. Tyson is far more similar to Joe himself than Foreman. He has that same tight guard and bobbing head movement. Tyson absolutely does not have a better chin than Frazier. You're crazy if you think that uppercut from Douglas or that right hook from Lewis would have stopped Smokin' Joe.
How could the greatest fight ever be a fight we can't even see? Part of making a fight memorable and great, isn't just the records of the fighters on paper. It's the atmosphere pre-fight, the energy during the fight, the fight itself and how it played out from a technically and drama point of view. If we aren't privy to most of these factors, I can see no way to call a fight the best ever.
I agree with so much of this. But Lewis really did have a right that shamed Ali, things were trickier there imo.
Tyson doesn't need the reach advantage because he has the speed advantage. Tyson's left hook was harder than Joe's and so was his right hand for that matter. He had a better delivery system and a more varied arsenal not to mention his chin was much better; a 36 year old Joe Frazier wouldn't have lasted more than 2 rounds against the Lewis that Tyson fought. Just for context Joe Frazier was 36 in 1980, can you picture him facing a Lewis caliber fighter at that age keeping in mind that Lewis was also a big puncher. I like Frazier. A lot. His style was beautiful to watch. Its probably the same reason why I also like Tyson, Dempsey and Marciano. Joe holds one of the most prestigious wins in Heavyweight history scaling the mountain in what could possibly be the ultimate signature victory against the greatest Heavyweight Champion in history* (I rate Louis as #1 but I won't fault anyone who rates Ali ahead). But Joe had his limitations that his intangibles couldn't overcompensate for and there are just some fighters who are simply all wrong for Joe. Tyson was one of those fighters and he would have stopped Joe inside 5.
Its not a good matchup for Joe Frazier. I could see Frazier being knocked down a few times early. He would keep coming back at Mike. One thing in Joe's favor compared to facing Foreman is that Tyson was the shorter man. He could reach him easier. Joe would be able to get more of his own firepower off. It could be a quick TKO for Tyson. The other scenario is Joe lands something big to take Tyson's aggression away. If he survived the early storm I think he drowns Tyson in the deep end of the pool. It's just not the most likely scenario but Mike was a little light on the left side. If I'm betting I go Tyson by stoppage.
Mike Bruce and Oscar Bonavena do not drop Tyson.Tyson 5took some monster shots from very big guys and didnt go down .Ruddock, Smith,Bruno etc. Frazier met one heavyweight top puncher and got turned into a yo yo. Apart from chin,Tyson is superior in; Punching power. Two handed power. Speed. Size.
