Gives me a chuckle to see everyone dismissing Frazier's chances on the basis he was to small when Tyson Fury's the best fighter today, and the closest he ever came to a loss was against a guy who was..... 212 pounds.
Apologies for being pedantic (hopefully you'll forgive me on the basis it marginally further supports your case), but Cunningham was only 210lbs vs Fury. Fury was pre-prime then, so arguably an even better example of your point is that Usyk is 1 of the best 2 HWs in the world today and he probably has a natural fighting weight roughly equal to Frazier's at his very best. Tbf, Frazier's come forward style isn't as well suited to bigger, heavier, stronger & (in some, but not all instances) more powerful men, as Usyk's "constantly move in varying directions" style, and there are too many unknown variables for me to confidently pick a winner in a Frazier vs the best modern SHW's time machine fantasy fight, but I must admit, if you asked me 5-years ago, I'd have said the days of the best or 2nd best HW in the world being naturally c.205-210lbs & actually weighing c.215-222lbs in the ring, were gone forever. Usyk has proven me wrong in that regard.
Steve Cunningham is 6'3", naturally bigger than Frazier as his bf% appears significantly lower at a similar weight, and had an 82" reach. Frazier was 5'11" (a gentleman's 6' on occasion) but seemed shorter than that and had a 73" reach. To say Frazier would find a long overhand right like Cunningham did on Fury, Cunningham was also a very technical boxer in his own right, is not a one to one comparison. Also that punch was as close to a "lucky shot" as anyone could find, so banking on it happening again would not be a smart bet.
I agree and just to point out Fury's achilles heel appears to be the right hand, that's where all his knockdowns have come from vs Pajkic, Cunningham, Wilder. Frazier isn't known for an overhand right. For me Frazier's swarming style matches up well vs Usyk, but not so much Fury for me.
Frazier doesn't have Wilder's height and reach which could make it a lot more difficult to land effectively on Fury given the massive disparity in height
I guess 6'3" 243 lbs Mathis Sr. Who looks far more polished in the ring than any of these heavyweights today was a small guy. And Mathis Sr. Did try the push and hold style to wear Frazier down. It didn't work well for him. As he went "Timberrrrr" in the 11th rd. Frazier's 4 losses came at the hands of two ATG'S. Two fighters that should be in anyone's top ten. And top five head to head. I've seen the slow pushed jabs of Fury, the telegraphed right hands of Wilder, the overratedness of Joshua ( Which I wrote well before his 1st loss) and Usyk turned into a head to head favorite over most ATG'S with a grand total of four fights at the weight. No one today. Not one , could ever do, what Frazier did on his greatest night. Not only that, but cut a swath through the best heavyweights of his day. Frazier's style, like most pressure fighters pretty much guaranteed he'd have a short career. But Frazier at his best, against any heavyweight of the last 15-20 yrs, at their best. I have no problem going with Frazier. He actually proved it in the ring.
Honestly, this is a good point and it has nothing to do with nostalgia. Bugner and Mathis were just as good if not better than some of the large belt holders we've had since Frazier's retirement: Tucker, Smith, Martin, Parker, etc. Frazier could realistically get a belt in multiple time frames even in the big men era. Size alone wouldn't deter Frazier, but elite skill+power+size would probably be a bridge too far. I can't see him beating the Klitschko brothers, Lewis, etc but the guys one step below that, he has a chance. It also depends on the ref: if the big guy is allowed to clinch, lean, and wrestle without fear of point deductions even some of the less skilled big men could possibly cause an upset.
The one elite big who he matches up well against is Bowe. Bowe had crappy defense and was easy to get inside on. Does poorly against Lewis, K bros, Fury. Probably gets laid out by Wilder. Joshua probably finds a way to win, but that one is close. Golota and Grant lose. Tua and Ruiz would probably be too big and durable for him. Prime Ortiz wins too.
Again untrue. A myth repeated by casuals. Liston fought approximately 8 men under 190 pounds. He wasn't looking for fighters based on their size, he was looking for the best in the world. When he did face modern heavyweights, he wiped the floor with them as show by his bouts against Williams, Valdez, Dejohn, etc.
