Ali v Fraizer II

i wasn't around in 1974 but my guess is people thought Ali was a favourite after Frazier's brutal loss to Foreman.

 

I remember it well. There was interest, but the buildup and interest were nothing like that of their first fight. This time neither man was champion. Frazier had lost the title to Foreman in devastating fashion. He had a victory over Bugner but was shaken after decking Bugner. Ali had his jaw broken in his loss to Norton. He looked good in winning a decision over Norton and had been active. Ali was the favorite over Frazier this time. I remember DJ Dan Ingraham on WABC radio saying "Ali won't let it go past 5 or 6 rounds." But George Foreman ruled the division now and as one sports writer put it, "The Ali-Frazier rematch is bush league now." While the actual fight was lacklustre compared to their first, I believe Joe Frazier exceeded expectations by making the fight as competitive and close as he did.

 

Exactamundo. There was a new sheriff in town so interest in the bout was a ton lower.

 

Viewed in isolation Ali-Frazier II was a pretty good fight. It's only when compared to the drama and brutality of the first and third bouts,it pales in comparisson. And,of course,without the world titlle at stake it was n't as signifigant as the first and third.

Muhammad was favourite as he looked to have declined less than Joe since FOTC three years previously. And there are some,myself included,who think that Ali was better in the second bout than he was in the first.
All three bouts were closely contested but I see the second one as having more daylight between the two warriors than I & III. Not TOO much daylight,though.

 

Man--are those days long gone or what? Managers/promoters/networks just do not take these kinds of risks because one of the 2 is coming out with the L. Go sign up for a face first guy instead.

 

Hi Buddy.
Perfect breakdown of the fight, thank you, there was a lot of anticipation prior to the 2nd encounter, you are right of course they were both now fighters that were not undefeated which took the sheen off a bit, and yes Frazier had been brutalised by Foreman, a fight that was a huge upset at the time, it's easy to forget that Frazier was seen as invincible at the time, anf Foreman somewhat a big plodding, slowish, heavyweight albeit he could punch, Ali took Norton lightly and payed the price, so yea it was a intriguing fight rather than a much anticipated return encounter, most of the press ( from memory ) thought Ali would prevail, that the knockdowns suffreed against George , would leave a lasting effect, as I am sure they did, for what it's worth, I saw the fight on CCT, in the cinema, in the early hours over here in the UK, and was so annoyed at the tactics Ali used, I left the cinema half way through the fight, much to the surprise of the hundreds that were packed in that night.
stay safe buddy, chat soon.

 

Tony Perez ruined this fight so bad for me I can't even watch it.

 

There was a lot of animus in the build up to the fight. They even got in a tussle before the fight during an interview by Howard Cosell and were fined. Foreman was the champ and owned the division. Both fighters were looked it as past it.

 

Ali vs Frazier II is like The Godfather III.

 

No fight--in fact IMHO no sporting event in my lifetime compares to the FOTC with regards to the intensity of interest and anticipation!! As I had stated on a previous thread--it became more than just a boxing match. It became a political and social referendum at a flash-point time in history when there was a lot of turmoil here and abroad. Ali and Frazier became symbols of what side you were on.

I know I had recommended this documentary on a previous thread as well-but it's so well done and captures that moment in time so accurately that I have to once again recommend it to everyone. ESPECIALLY if you weren't alive back then--it's a fabulous history lesson!!

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Thank you, Mike, for the reminder of how Frazier was viewed as invincible prior to the Foreman fight. I remember knowledgeable boxing people saying that a big, slow-moving guy like Foreman was Frazier's cup of tea. One notable exception was Howard Cosell, who was "afraid that Foreman might kill Frazier." Joe's air of invincibility was brutally stripped away with that fight. Also at that time, there were rumors that Frazier was not a well man and should not be fighting. The feeling after the Foreman fight was that Joe was finished, despite his saying that he would continue his boxing career. Comparing Ali and Frazier's activity following the Fight of the Century, Ali was the far more active of the two. In 1972 he shared the Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year award and the Ring writer noted that it was significant that neither world champion Frazier nor George Foreman had been in contention for the award. Since FOTC Joe had made the two easy defenses against Daniels and Stander, lost the title to Foreman, and won a hard-fought decision against Joe Bugner, just four fights before the rematch with Ali. The far more active Ali had sharpened his skills and adapted his style, so was the favorite this time around. A friend of mine who watched the fight on closed circuit TV said that Ali looked like he had against Cleveland Williams. Quite a few expected another Foreman-style blowout, and for a moment in the 2nd round it looked like it might happen when Ali stung Joe and the ref mistakenly thought the round ended. In the meantime Frazier recovered and went on to make a fight of it. When I later watched the bout on TV, I scored it 7-5 for Ali but a couple years ago caught the last round on TV. I had originally scored that round for Ali but this time I saw Joe the clear winner of that round, which would change my (very unofficial) score to a draw. I figured on re-watching the fight to see how I scored it now, but have not been able to psyche myself up to the task. I, too, didn't care for the tactics Ali used and find it hard to watch. While Joe did not win, he did achieve a sort of moral victory. He fought a good fight and did better than most expected, and as Ring Magazine observed, proved beyond a doubt that he is not a sick man and indeed a healthy fighter.

 

Thanks , was about to say the same thing..

 

I think that 7-5 card is right, if the ref had did his job and taken points from Ali for holding and let Frazier fight he might have won.

 

I thought it was a decent enough fight,not historic in any way, but entertaining in parts.