FIGHT OF THE WEEK 3- Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali I FOTC (50th anniversary)

Joe Frazier v Muhammad Ali 1

1 10-9
2 10-9 (better from Ali but still a Frazier round)
3 10-9 (trickier one to score. Ali did well to stifle Frazier before Frazier worked the body and his way back into the round. Frazier edges it)
4 9-10
5 9-10
6 10-9 (close)
7 10-9
8 10-9
9 9-10
10 10-9
11 10-8
12 10-9
13 9-10 (close)
14 9-10
15 10-8

Frazier 145 - 138 Ali

 

Good call on the 11th being a 10-8 round for Frazier, he nearly knocked Ali out

 

Wasn't this scored RBR (round by round)? I'm going to score it as it actually was.

 

Yeah, it was. I always score on a 10-point must but in rounds I had it 10-5 Frazier.

 

Cheers Jel.

 

Rd 1- Ali
Rd 2- Ali
Rd 3-Ali
Rd 4- even
Rd 5-Frazier
Rd 6-Frazier
Rd 7- Ali
Rd 8- Frazier
Rd 9- Frazier
Rd 10- Frazier
Rd 11- Frazier (big)
Rd 12- Frazier
Rd 13- Frazier
Rd 14- even
Rd 15- Frazier (big) knockdown

9-4-2 even Joe Frazier
Like Archie Moore said Ali wasn't fighting Frazier as much as he was fighting him off. In a way one might try to fend off a Pitt Bull. Ali expended energy in those first 4 rounds but never came close to backing Joe up.

I didn't give Ali round 9. Most people do it seems but he was being pummeled most of the round until the last 15 seconds. Frazier had landed his best left hook earlier in the round Ali (as Dunphy said) "is in real trouble here"

Ali surviving the 15th is one of the most remarkable things I've seen in the history of sport. It wasn't just the knockdown...after he got up Joe landed punches that should have ended the evening.

I know Joe respected that part of Ali. As a fighter.

 

My scorecard from a couple weeks ago.

 

I actually thought the round was pretty clear for Frazier. As a rough summary of my thoughts for it, he won two minutes to one, and landed the cleaner, harder shots.

And tbh, I'd still say that I'd have that round 10-8, anyway. And even if there was water, the punch clearly had an impact and influence on Ali going down.

 

Always though Frazier was done dirty by boxing historians with a hard-on for Ali after this fight: "Ali wasn't his best! Out of the ring for X years! A diminished version of himself!" as if he didn't have two comeback fights against at-the-time two top contenders and for several rounds looked as Ali as ever. How about giving Frazier credit for chasing Ali down and not letting him float or sting effectively instead, ass-holes?

 

McGrain, where's your scorecard if you don't mind my asking? I'd be very interested in seeing it.

 

I disagree. I thought Ali was clearly busier and more effective. I vaguely remember one good left hook from Frazier but Ali was landing hooks of his own.

 

I agree, Frazier deserves more credit for his victory, but to be fair to Ali he'd had 2 fights in 4 years, the latter of which Ferdie Pacheo (Ali's primary cornerman and physician) said Ali had taken more punishment in this bout than he'd had in any of his previous bouts. It was more than clear, this was not the same Ali of 3 years ago.