FOTC Frazier vs 1973 Foreman

Well, if you put it that way, then anyone can be beat.

 

I think the closest we come to unbeatable are the FOTC Frazier and the 60s Ali.

There are other candidates, of course, but to me those two were Elite.

 

FOTC Frazier is very beatable for me.
60's Ali was great, but he was also beatable.
For me, the closest to unbeatable is 88 Tyson

 

I there are a few champions that had performances pretty close to unbeatable. The difficulty is matching them together, imagining them at their primes and deciding a winner.

And how good was the opponent the night they looked unbeatable winning?

Everyone looks good winning.

Frazier vs Ali was a rare p, bragging rights fight where two guys really wanted to win who had not tasted defeat.

You can find performances where a champion looks unbeatable, but you will be hard pushed to find more than a few fights where two champions were that close to their best, unbeaten and both fighting for the role of best in the world at their weight.

 

When you reference Bonavena in regards to Joe it doesn't quite hold water. That was a 12 fight green version of Frazier. Joe faced him two years later and had Oscar pinned to the ropes most of the fight taking an unholy beating.

It was a step up for Frazier at the time. 11 fights other than Evander Holyfield who else was fighting that kind of tough opponent so soon? Just sayin.

 

I like Mike as well, why '88 though? Spinks was a famous win but Tyson may have started slipping by then. Spinks wouldn't bring that out.

 

Roberto Duran?

 

Frazier made adjustments in the rematch with Bonavena and was a better, more experienced fighter overall.

All I was saying was that specifically in the first fight in the first few rounds, Bonavena used the same tactics as Foreman and produced 2 knockdowns. I don't think that's a coincidence and I think it does point to a stylistic flaw. If Bonavena fought the exact same way in fight #2 and it didn't work then that would be a major hole in this theory.

Unlike Bonavena, Foreman was a brutally effective finisher and know how to keep a guy down after hurting him. Bonavena was sloppy and didn't capitalize enough after dropping Frazier, plus he didn't hit as hard as Foreman nor did he have those looping heavy uppercuts.

 

That is hard indeed.

That is a great point you are making here and I agree completely.

 

Mike started slipping only after he fired Rooney.
I picked 88 cause he still had all his physical qualities, doubled by the experience he had gained, and the fact that he still had Rooney to guide him and give him advice in the ring.

 

Him too. Anyone.

 

rules is a troll who is outdated always ali and joe showed both flaws that could be took advantage of anybody see this dont take him serious

mike wasnt unbeatable ether I think the best lennox which was 90s and holy would beat him but the young holy no he brawled to much and didnt have as good a defense

and fury would be a problem for mike

ali is overrated he was the best skilled in his own era where he had no real challenge on a skill level in the 90s he would and lose

 

I dont get this bull myth always would destroy joe like people keep repeating it like cause others say it no real logic in it

cause didnt joe make ali who was the best puncher tech back then and had great speed miss

George never had great speed or tech why is it to assume he destroys Joe easy like he did its no logic saying he would
he would struggle to hit joe

joe never was a big puncher where it only takes him a low amount to put somebody down but he could wear George down I see no reason he couldnt replace ali with George and that match is tough for George

I never had been a big fan of Joe's style but I wont just say George runs through him

 

Just to let you in on something you obviously don't know - Joe was still heavyweight champion when they fought.

He'd never been defeated and was 29-0. His actual rounds fought was pretty low. He was 27yo.

So yeah no idea why people are assuming he destroys the Joe of less than two years prior.

 

Well Joe was a hell of a lot better fighter in 1971. That said Foreman would still take him out. Foreman had the prefect strategy for beating Joe, by turning Joe. Watch the 1st Frazier-Foreman fight and watch how Foreman would step around Joe, still n punching range. Foreman would punch Joe, Joe would try to retaliate, but Foreman would no longer be in front of Joe, he would at Joe's side. Joe would have to start al over again and Foreman would do the same thing gain, right up to the point Foreman hurt Frazier, then Foreman went in to kill mode. Most people over look Foreman's side stepping of Frazier early in the first round, what a great game plan.