I think at his best Tyson is better in every area and I think he has the punch to stop Frazier. The only thing that Joe has over him is fighting heart but I can see Tyson finishing this before that became a factor.
Joe is a slow starter, Mike is a fast starter. There is a more ridiculous element on the forum that thinks every puncher ever blows Frazier out quickly; obviously that is mong, but at the very least Frazier is going to have some serious ground to make up. Frazier always fancied the job, if that makes any difference.
I dont think Frazier gets blown away easy, but he has got the brutal losses to Foreman. Tyson isnt the puncher that Foreman was but he is more precise and much better combination puncher. In anyones book Tyson has a good chin and I think he can take what Joe has to offer. So to sum up IMO Tyson has the better chin and the better punch, I just cant see Frazier winning this one. As for him fancying the job, I think he is the sort of bloke who would fancy his chances against anyone, he was a proper hard *******!
Joe wasn't always as slow a starter as he's frequently stereotyped as being. He was not Michael Spinks or Duane Bobick in that respect. He fired off 64 shots in the opening round of Quarry I, decked Ziggy 13 seconds after the opening bell en route to a first round knockout, dropped Daniels in the opening stanza, and only the ropes prevented Ramos from going down towards the end of the initial three minutes. Against this opponent, I'd expect the Smoke of 1969 and 1970 to be ready to go from the outset. Still, Tyson should have the early advantage. I'm assuming the three knockdown rule would be waived, as it was for Foreman-Frazier I. Mike could drop Joe early, but keeping Smoke floored was impossible without rendering him unconscious. Tyson was not a true infighter, while Frazier was the greatest infighter of all the heavyweight champions. (Gibbons neutralized Dempsey in part by smothering him in close, and Charles took away Marciano's punching room the same way in their 15 round initiation. Nobody did this to Smoke though, and I consider him the best infighter to hold the heavyweight title.) Frazier's cross armed defense could afford some protection from Tyson's uppercuts. Mike's head movement and peek a boo guard would not deter Joe's hooks from going into the right side of his body. Tyson did not have the size and freakish physical strength Foreman used to neutralize Frazier. Most of Mike's opponents were taller and longer armed than he was. Dealing with a first rate adversary of Joe's stature would be something of a novelty. Smoke dealt with foes his own size all the time. My belief is that Joe would weather his usual early rocky moments to start coming on late in the second round or early in the third. Mike would get discouraged, and then begin to wilt. Tyson was physically durable, but relentless punishment would see him succumb sometime after the eighth round. The first knockdown Frazier scored on him would end the match.
That's true, Doud, about Frazier sometimes starting faster, but he's got 60 punches in a minute in some of the later rounds of some of his pre FOTC fights. So even at his hottest in round one he wasn't even approaching his hottest later in the fight.
Tyson early KO/TKO. Stylistic trouble. Same ordeal with Marciano, except I think it could last longer. Dempsey might get taken out first. Remember the announcer for the pre-fight against Tyson vs Marvis? Nobody is picking Tyson because we think Marvis is a bad fighter. He's a good fighter, but we believe a swarmer against a puncher with Tyson's speed is a bad style matchup for Marvis. It's possible Joe could weather the storm and win, but I think it gets stopped before he could.
I vehemently disagree. Frazier although he had heart lacked the durability to withstand an accurate and devastating puncher of Tyson's caliber. Where as Tyson has fought bigger punchers than Frazier and withstood their punishment. The initial advantage as you and I both agree would be Tyson's and that is all he would need to close the deal. Mike Tyson has never lost a fight in which he was able to land his shots with regularity. He would never wilt in frustration because his opponent is still standing. In addition if you look at all his fights his losses were determined within the first 3 rounds. Holyfield, Douglas and Lewis all had the advantage in terms of momentum going in to round 4 of their respective fights. It was never a situation where Tyson had the early lead and then lost it because he was "outwilled" Never works that way except in fantasy matches. He fought Ruddock and Donovan took some pretty mean shots in their second fight yet he was never discouraged. Even if you think Frazier would provide greater resistance than Razor, it doesn't take away the fact that Frazier would have to take serious artillery to get his point across. Artillery which historically Frazier could not withstand. Tyson TKO4 (I realize that he lost to Williams and McBride but at that point he was not very relevant)
Presumably, that's going to be hugely significant, especially for those posters who think that Frazier's going to look to fight inside and that Tyson's not.
If you pick Frazier you need a serious leap in faith. I'm not going to jump with the Mendoza extreme that Frazier had a glass jaw. But his durability wasn'5 incredible, and it's not like he has a way around going forward against a two-fisted explosive fighter like Tyson. It's a near suicide style, in which I just can't see Frazier winning. He would have to get very lucky to make Tyson miss his best shots consistently.