Frazier Vs. Stander...This is some of the meanest Frazier Ive seen. Looks great.

You get it.

Amazing that others seem to think Frazier looked great against Stander.

Frazier was never the same after the FOTC.

Physical issues compounded by punishment absorbed in the FOTC, losing his mental edge and desire after climbing his mountain, short primes for swarmer types, outside musical interests, all combined to lessen what Joe had once been in the squared circle.

 

...You know what...

 

Yes, but Stander was in the mold of a Texas Cobb........ Stander was tuff, rugged and there to be tagged.... Stander was game against Frazier in '72, but also made-to-order like a Philly Cheese-Steak sandwhich, as well.... Even a slightly puffy Frazier could hammer Stander......

MR.BILL:bbb

 

The FOTC took more out of Joe than it did Muhammad,though. Frazier went into a slow decline,formwise,whilst Ali made up a bit of lost ground culminating n his late 1973-74 form. After the Foreman fight,he started a slow but sure decline.

 

According to the book 'Ghosts of Manilla' Joe was virtually comatose at times for a couple of weeks after the fight.

 

Ive never bought all that baloney about Frazier being in such bad shape after the Ali fight. I remember him giving interviews almost daily on TV. A guy who is almost comatose doesnt spend that much time with reporters.

However, the fight certainly took more out of him than Ali but I dont think that was physical so much as it dulled his mental edge. He climbed the pinnacle of the mountain that had been his goal since turning pro. There was nothing left for him to mentally get "up" for and that fire that typified his career was for the most part gone.

 

Joe set a wicked pace in the FOTC on top of his hypertension problems. This was one of the reasons why he was in hospital for a prolonged stay. His blood levels needed to return to a normal state. There was concern in his camp of numbness which is why there was a fear of Joe suffering a stroke after the FOTC.

I agree with you about Joe losing his drive as the champion. The evidence was his fight against Foreman. Even in the shape he was, he still managed to land a few solid shots against George who eventually blasted him out in two rounds.

I can't think of many heavyweights who would get up from 6 knockdowns. At the same time, I don't know how much weight you can really put into what Foreman says, but apparently this was the second time he felt fear against Joe Frazier. He was scared of him before the fight started after watching Joe stalk Ali, and he was even more scared after watching Joe get up after the 6th knockdown. George said he knew the potential danger of letting Joe get into his rhythm after the early rounds.

 

George tends to be a bit 'over respectful' sometimes. Surely he could have seen that Frazier had nothing left after the third knockdown.

 

Good post. I also get sick of the BS of Joe almost dying after the 1st Ali fight. I think a lot that comes from the ******* Ferdie Pacheo.

 

Both Muhammad and Joe went way beyond the call of duty in their trilogy,did n't they ?

 

I agree 1000% that Frazier lost his mental, eye of the tiger, edge following the FOTC.