How was Frazier viewed for skipping the WBA tournament?

I was too young to understand all that sort of stuff, but afaik he was considered champ. He didn’t have to do the tournament, same as Michael Spinks didn’t have to sign up for HBO’s ‘Mike Tyson show.’

Both could do their thing and wait out to fight the winner in a unification for more $$$.

They’d have been fools to not do it that way.

 

Even if Frazier was seen as ducking the tournament beating Ellis to unify the titles surely silenced any detractions.

 

Nobody that I can remember viewed it as ducking. It was more or less viewed as a business decision and “lets wait and see how everything turns out.” He went his way, the tournament went its way, and most people figured after a while the two paths would converge, which they did. It helped that Frazier cleaned out all of the top guys in the tournament along the way.

 

One thing to remember is this decision was made in May 1967. Despite his high rating and obvious ability, Frazier was still pretty green and his best win so far was a hair's breadth split decision over Bonavena the previous year. It's understandable Yancey Durham didn't want to subject his young prospect to a string of fights against much more experienced contenders so early in his career. Better to take things at his own pace and be in position to challenge the tournament winner after another year or more.

 

I think his management did not want him in the WBA tournament.

 

I can't speak to how most people viewed it, except that I don't recall any complaints about his choice to accept Harry Markson's offer to fight Mathis at the Garden, but I always thought Frazier would come out on top in Ali's absence no matter how things played out.