Has time been unkind to Smokin' Joe?

What fighting exhibitions did Ali do in exile?

 

I can verify that he did some exhibitions during his exile (it's in his autobiography) even if I don't know the names. It wasn't on a very regular basis, though.

 

Frazier had less than 2 full rounds in the 12 months immediately preceding the FOTC.

Ali had 18 rounds against top-notch competition in the 6 months preceding the FOTC.

If anybody thinks that Ali laid away completely from the sport in those 3 years, they are mistaken.

If anybody thinks Ali was ever going to get into the ring for what he KNEW was going to be the fight of his life and one of the most defining sporting events of all-time and not be fully ready, they are mistaken.

Ali was 98% of his best for the FOTC.

Frazier was actually slightly past his peak for the FOTC, imo.

Joe's sin?

Having the audacity to beat an icon and media darling in their first and most important fight of their trilogy.

I guess he didn't read the script.

 

Well Ali's performance against Bonavena prior to his fight with Frazier proved he wasn't yet ready to take that fight. Too much too soon. You can't be out of top flight boxing for over 3 years without losing a lot. Ali performed great against Frazier when you consider these points. Ask any fighter how hard it is to get back to your best after a long lay-off.

 

:good

 

Very true ,Ali was sloppy against Bonavena ,got caught with telegraphed punches and as he said himself was shook in the 9th,he needed a couple more fights before facing Frazier,18 rds in 3 1/2 years wasnt enough to get his stamina and timing back.

 

Frazier was slightly past his peak ? On what do you base this?
Frazier was 26 years old and had boxed precisely 175 rounds of competiton as a pro Your statement is absurd!

 

So Moore was in his prime at 40 . Have you ever been in a ring? No one is in there prime at 40 .So 18 rds of competition in 3 1/2 years is enough to take on the no 1 Fighter in the prime of his career? The Quarry fight ended prematurely due to the cut eye ,we dont know how Ali would have done had the fight gone into the later stages,he looked unimpressive to me against Bonavena and was shaken up in the 9th.Doing some "sparring exhibition type things" AINT FIGHTING.

 

I'm sorry I can't take your posts seriously ,disagree with me by all means ,many do ,but when you make asinine comments like Frazier was past his peak for the FOTC,you dsq yourself in terms of credibility.The General Forum beckons you!

 

I don't give a rat's ass what you think of my posts.

Fact is, there are quite a few astute observers who understand that the actual peak years of Frazier were '67 to '70.

Again, I believe Frazier was SLIGHTLY past his peak for the FOTC. His blood pressure problems had been a issue coming into the FOTC and in fact Yank Durham advised Frazier to retire immediately after the FOTC.

 

Durham advised him to retire because of the stick he took from Ali,up to that fight what great punishment had he taken?His most competitive fights had been with clumsy Bonavena,and a 7 rounder with Quarry.Frazier had been in action defending his title less than 4 months previously so he was not ring rusty at all,less than 2 full rounds in a year but 1 month over a year and he had 5 rounds aginst Ellis,I think that is selective fact finding on your part.
They are astute observers if they happen to agree with you is that it?,Frazier was 26 in the best shape of his life for Christ sake! Can you show a source for your assertions about Fraziers medical condition ,?There is nothing in Pepe's book to suggest he was in anything but prime shape for Ali.A fact that Durham agreed with in a Tv interview after the fight ,"Joe was in the best shape of his life ,and it showed"

 

Bonavena was a spoiler. No one looked good against him. Frazier himself hardly looked invincible against Ringo. To the contrary, it is very impressive that Ali became the one and only man ever to stop Bonavena in that match, and did it in the 15th round after a hard, bruising first 14! This thoroughly proves that: A. Ali was in very, very good shape at the time, and B. Ali was performing at an absolutely elite professional level. In his two fights since hiatus, Ali had: A. stopped Quarry faster than anyone else ever stopped him, and B. become the only man ever to stop Bonavena.

 

But already against Bonavena the lack of movement was clear to see, which it also was in FOTC. Nobody says he was shot, though. He was still very good, just not quite as good as 4 years earlier.

 

No one looked good against him ? I suggest you watch Oscar's fight s with Zora Folley and Jimmy Ellis plus an aging Floyd Patterson,if you thinkAli looked good aginst Bonavena ,you must have been drunk watching the fight.He stopped Quarry on a cut which proved jack ****.

 

He had never been as stationary before as he was against Bonavena and Frazier. What could be the reason for that except that he had good cause not to trust his stamina and legs enough to move around like he did pre-exile?