Did Frazier get the recognition he deserved for winning the Fight of the century in 1971 ?

Yes I believe he did. He elevated himself into the all time great fraternity with that win and to this day the fight of the century is still one of the most talked about meetings

 

Yes, it just faded a bit over time due to the Foreman and Ali losses.

But we love him and we know that a champ with a style like that can only push it so long before his body falls apart.

Joe Frazier will live on in eternity, winner of the FOTC, and ATG!

 

Of course he did. Ranking wise Ali winning the series and whooping Foreman as well who blew Joe out x two hurts him. His losses however were against ATG Heavyweights tho, one being the GOAT for most and foreman making a lot of top 5's.

However he got and gets loads and credit for that initial win.

 

It still ranks as among the greatest wins of all time in boxing and arguably the greatest (especially considering the stakes and the stage).

It doesn’t make Joe the greatest heavyweight ever, but it put him in rarefied air and that win will forever be glorified.

I think Joe got his flowers.

 

I really think had Frazier just retire and stay retire before the Foreman fight, we be talking about Joe in the top 3 or 4 heavyweights of all time. I really think as said before the losses to Foreman and later Ali really hurt Frazier in the ATG list.

 

You can say that about a couple of them tho. If Tyson disappeared before Douglas he'd be top 5 minimum. If Holmes stopped before Spinks more would have him #3. If Liston suddenly retired prior to Ali he be remembered better. Imagine RJJ in the lower weights stopping psot ruiz.

 

Not even near it. The Ali industry has never stopped talking the win down, & never will.

 

Joe was the clear winner in what is one of, if not the most significant, title fights in the history of boxing. The only other contender for the most significant fight would be Louis vs Schmelling 2. Given the cultural situation of the world at those times, and the status that boxing still held on the world stage, both of those fights can be argued to be the greatest individual sporting event, not just boxing.
Although Ali was and is a cultural phenomenon and icon that ultimately overshadowed Joe in and out of the ring, Joe rose to the occasion of the ATG victory on the night, and with the man, that mattered most.

 

This.

 

"]Not even near it. The Ali industry has never stopped talking the win down, & never will.”

The Ali Industry. So true.

 

It's one of the best wins of all time, right there with Duran beating Leonard in Montreal, Hearns over Duran outside at Caesar's, Louis crushing Schmeling at Yankee Stadium, Ali over Foreman in Zaire, that kind of thing. What happened that night in 1971 at MSG is classed as one of the greatest wins of all time by most people here. And the boxing media too, a lot of people wanted to see Ali lose, so I'm sure running the tape of that stunning left hook knockdown over and over was pure euphoria for some. It may be my favorite single win ever in boxing. Hell, take those other fights and have them 2-5 and then put Frazier over Ali at MSG as my #1, I wouldn't mind.

 

Frazier is not the only one in that regard.

 

Of course he did.
1971 Ali was very famous and considered a great champion, but he was still far from be considered the undisputed GOAT, American sport hero and "Citizen of the World" he became later. Many groups inside and outside boxing still saw him as an inflated champion, a traitor, a fraud, a communist, an extremist, etc. and celebrated Frazier's victory.