Fights Where The Tailor-Made Fighter Won

Pacquiao's aggressive style was tailor made for a counterpunching master like JMM but has managed to edge him in close fights prior to getting KO'd in their last fight.

Bernard Hopkins seemed like the kind of fighter that would be a nightmare for Joe Calzaghe but Calzaghe was able to beat him.

 

To a certain degree, Joe Frazier was tailor made for Ali in the Fight of the Century. Joe was a come forward, somewhat slow, know only one way to fight, shorter man with a much shorter reach. In theory, this kind of opponent for Ali, was like fresh meat to a lion. Many times, Ali had his way with this kind of guy. However, March 8, 1971 was different. Smokin' Joe was a man on a mission and his indomitable will and fighting spirit got him one of the best wins in heavyweight history.

 

I understand where you're coming from, but I think a peak Frazier IS a tough style match up for Ali, partially for the reasons given in your final sentence.

I've either been having some strange dreams, or I recall reading/hearing a Frazier quote pre-FOTC that went along the lines of - "Ali may be fast, but he can't move backwards faster than I can move forwards" - if I've recalled correctly, I think this succinct statement gives a wonderful insight into Joe's mindset.

Peak Frazier had faster feet than often given credit for once he got into his groove 2 or 3-rounds into the fight, he could maintain an insane work rate for 15-rounds and his left hook once in range was wicked. It's extremely tough for a boxer to keep Joe off them through movement alone for 15-rounds, due to a combination of these reasons & Joe's mindset, as alluded to in the above quote. You really had to keep Frazier off you with power, and given he had a decent chin, it took huge power to do that, something Ali did not possess.

I'm not saying the best ever version of Frazier beats the best ever version of Ali, but I can see peak Ali schooling some massive HWs with huge power, that could KO Frazier early, yet even at his very best, Frazier gives him a tough, tough fight, at the very least.

 

A face first brawler with mediocre boxing ability like Ricardo Mayorga should have been tailor made for a skilled boxer like Vernon Forest. But.....

 

Iran Barkley beating Thomas Hearns twice. You’d think that Barkley’s style would be ideal for a guy like Hearns.

 

Great post!

 

When Sammy Serrano defended his jr. lightweight title against Yasutsune Uehara, it looked like a slam dunk. Serrano was a slick boxer going against the methodical Uehara and it was just a glaring 15 round decision for Serrano. And that was the way it was through the first 5 rounds until Serrano was simply caught with a one-punch bomb in the 6th and it was good night Sammy. Serrano got it right in the rematch and walked away with the 15 round decision that he was supposed to get the first time around.

 

Agreed. I don't think Frazier was Taylor made for Ali, at all. If anything, it was the exact opposite. Frazier was already shorter than Ali, but his crouching stance made him an even lower target than that. Ali would thus be forced to throw an uppercut, and since he would drop his hands every time he threw one, Frazier would be able to exploit the opening and hit him with his left hook, and it worked like a charm.

Add Frazier's exhausting pressure and erratic head movement, and it was just hell for Ali. Elusive feet and great foowork as a whole can leave a fighter vulnerable when taken away, which is what Frazier did with his fast and rapid pressure. Add his erratic bobbing and weaving, and Ali just had a hard time hitting him in FOTC. Eddie Futch compared it to a speed bag.'' As long as it's coming straight back, you can close your eyes all night long and hit it. But if it wobbles a little bit, then you have to hesitate to find where it's coming from. I wanted Joe's head to do that''.

The only fighters that I feel could beat a prime Frazier, are the ones who could knock him out. Foreman might have legitimately been the sheer worst historical match up for him, and it's unforunate, because it seems his H2H ability has fallen due to that. He just happened to face a murderous puncher that was specifically trained to negate his best assets. I don't think the likes of Holyfield, Holmes or Usyk would beat Frazier, it would take a herculian effort for them to do that. I'm not sure that even a peak Ali would do it, but the fact that Ali managed to twice Frazier, is herculian on its own. Neither were truly at their peak, and maybe things would have turned out differently with a FOTC Frazier vs 60's Ali, but still.

 

Anyone know what Frazier did for cardio in his prime? The way he just seemed to get stronger as the fight went on was always a bit crazy. I wonder what led to that level of conditioning.

 

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/joe-fraziers-workout.167567/

 

Yes. And peak Frazier wasn't slow. Quite the opposite.

 

Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith 1.

 

Nigel Benn against Gerald McClellan

 

Ad Wolgast vs Battling Nelson in 1909, then in 1910 for the Lightweight Championship of the World and then again in 1913.
3 times that happened, and in all Nelson lost to a theoretical tailor-made opponent.
One might say that Ad's win in a fight to the finish for the title in 1910 (fight stopped in the 40th round) suits this thread better than the other 2 fights, but honestly, all 3 fit, in my opinion. But hey, I'm a major Ad's fan so...eheheh