Is anyone here old enough to remember Frazier losing the title to Foreman?

Whatever I say here I will get nailed to the floor as it's well known that I think BGF is overrated ( not useless or bad or a bum etc etc ..just overrated) .. I was a young boy but remember it well. The awe that BGF had , like some awesome wrecking ball.
Then he beat Norton in similar style. Everyone was terrified of this man.
I remember how calm and serene Ali was.
I watched a chat show where he picked apart every aspect of BGF and how he would beat him...then he went and did it.... how good was Ali ? He understood what other folk couldnt see ...
It's only with hindsight that things are clearer ...JF won the FOTC and beat an unbeaten GOAT .. and make NO mistake for you younger posters ALI was and is and always will be the GOAT...but through a combination of JF at his peak and Ali on his comeback, JF won the FOTC fair and Square...
But make no mistake JF peaked that day like no other fighter and was nowhere near the same again.
BGF fans will never hear this song, because they dont like what I'm singing. . But man o man , Smoky Joe's fire weren't so Smoky after 2 years playing with his band and putting on weight . Ten pounds heavier for BGF . Joe had blood pressure issues ( low) plus eye trouble his manager want him to quit.
Sure BGF layed it to him but it's like laying the pretty girl in the 6th grade and thinking you the man , until you find out later on that she was just easy,
it's not quite the achievement you thought it was.
BGF Caused an intake of breath
But retrospective study of JF and where he was at, rather re sites the BGF mythology.
Ali proved he was a genius and having evaluated and critiqued BGF at the time , in real time , proved his analysis correct in Zaire by proving BGF to be exactly what He ( Ali) said he was .... a big slow mummy.
So whilst BGF rocked the world of its understanding by beating JF , had the world understood where JF really was , 2 years and no significant fights down the line from the FOTC , maybe BGF's win wouldn't have been such a surprise.
After Ali had prized open the lid of the can , Lyle peeled it off , then Young threw it in the dumpster.
Big George was wrong man wrong time for Frazier . Credit BGF for taking his opportunity .
I don't agree that he was a Buster D of the time although I get the sentiment... BGF was all wrong for Frazier and Norton but wouldve always got exposed by the resilient but not particularly great Lyle and Young and of course Ali
BGF was ruthlessly exposed on 3 occasions at his peak , something I cant think of , for any other peak ATG at HW .
Please nobody throw Lennox in... one lucky punch from McCall and Lennoxs Complacency against Rahman are not the same thing. Lewis was never bettered by anybody wheres BGF clearly was
So yes ...the earth shifted when BGF battered Frazier but a reasonable analysis of facts shows that BGF was in the right place at the right time, then got exposed.
The man deserves enormous credit for his efforts in his comeback in his later years .

 

You and me both, Hookman. Stunned is another word I would use to describe my response.

 

Fascinating post. You might be completely right (or not), but it was still a massive shocker at the time.

 

If you read my post I did say it WAS .
I'm trying to combine 2 things ...
The reaction at the time...in real time
The retrospective analysis

 

A good comparison might be Saddler destroying Pep in 4.

 

I get slated for saying BGF is overrated but I've never denied the mans place in a terrific era in boxing history. I just try to put him into perspective. So many people on here particularly younger posters just seem to assume he could walk through walls, well he couldnt and he didnt.
Ali , Lyle , Young, ( all when at his murderous peak ).. Holyfield Morrison etc

 

And you did a provocative analysis. Nicely done.

 

First question Ali was asked by Cosell several weeks after he beat Foreman:

Anything surprise you about Foreman?

Ali.....”He was fast!”

 

Secondly most would say the best Frazier was probably PRE 1971. Joe and Ali were sucking wind mid fight. They put a ferocious pace early then faded. Then came round 11 where Ali nearly was stopped and Joe then coasted to victory from here.

 

I was in the eighth grade and was watching television, when it flashed on the bottom of the tv screen. George Foreman wins title, knocking down Joe Frazier 6 times for a TKO, round 2, to win the World Heavyweight Championship tonight in Kingston, Jamaica. The fight was televised on closed circuit television, as many big fights were in those days. I was happy because I had bet a classmate $10.00, and I won too. I picked George, because Joe was picking rather tame opponents, Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, this after The Fight Of The Century in 1971. Also being a boxing fan, I saw George Foreman fight on television.

 

Johnson was far from unbeatable. Particularly at that stage in his career.

 

My first viewed fight, ever. I was a little boy.

My dad wanted me to watch the fight. He was a HUGE fan of Joe and Ali, and wanted me to get into boxing.

He was smiling as he cracked open a Coca-Cola can and said "see, son, now you'll see what an animal Frazier is".

I watched the pre-fight and was amazed when they ran through Joe's highlights. I thought he looked like a vicious, scary man.

My father's words had me on the edge of the seat when the bell rang "okay, here goes....get ready, Frazier's going to load up on the hook and waste this guy..."

We both lost our breath at the first knockdown. After that my father was quiet while I was completely confused. Cosell's screaming didn't help.

George at that time became my favorite fighter until Ali beat him. Then it was Ali until I stopped watching boxing for awhile. Until Holmes-Norton (and you can bet, watching that fight it was easy to come back to boxing lol). Shortly after that Larry became my favorite fighter and has remained since.

 

Really great story.
Forgive me, I'm going to get a little nit-picky with my question. It sounds like you watched it live on HBO, judging by your description & your dad's reaction. Didn't Don Dunphy do the live HBO call and Cosell do the delayed ABC-tv call?

 

Again....Johnson was considered unbeatable at that time. Hindsight is always 20/20.

 

Patterson got floored against someone making a pro debut? What fight was that?