How does JOE FRAZIER do in today's heavyweight division?

Looking at this highlight tape got me wondering how a prime Frazier would fare against the current crop of heavyweights.

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Here are my thoughts on some matchups:

vs Wladimir Klitschko - by far the toughest matchup for Frazier due to Klitschko's sheer size and understanding of distance behind his left jab. It's possible that he keeps Frazier at a distance and catches him coming in. However, given a prime Frazier's footwork, unpredictable bobbing and weaving defense, and in-fighting skills, I see him closing the distance on a tentative Klitschko and making him uncomfortable in close, wearing him down, and stopping him in the middle rounds. Klitschko's kryptonite (or style he is susceptible to if you will) is a skilled, but powerful, swarmer who can get in close.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 7

vs Samuel Peter - Peter couldn't deal with a dynamic swarming attack like Frazier's. He'd be forced to fight at a much faster pace than he likes and broken down in close, especially to the body. Simply put, he doesn't have the stamina or defense to last long against somebody with the workrate and power of Frazier. Despite Peter being considered a 'slugger', he's more of a sloppy boxer puncher, and he lacks the power of Foreman, eliminating a real possibility of an early stoppage in his favor.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 4

vs Ruslan Chagaev - Chagaev's a tough guy who can do a variety of things; he can apply pressure, punch a little bit, box/move/and counterpunch. However, I can't see him being effective in any style against Frazier. If he tries to fight with Frazier on even terms, he'd get busted up by a much harder puncher, a more technical in-fighter. If he tried boxing, Frazier would simply get the better of him by closing the distance and applying the relentless pressure that defined his game.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 7

vs Nicolay Valuev - Valuev is a mammoth of a man. Virtually the opposite of Frazier in this regard. Despite his obvious size advantage, I don't believe he has power, movement, or pole-like jab to keep Frazier off of him. More often than not, Frazier would get in close, connecting on a huge target in Valuev's body. He can take a shot and has excellent stamina for a big guy, so it would be interesting to see if Frazier could chop him down. I think the body attack would be they key, zapping Valuev's energy for the late rounds where the ref is forced to put a halt to the contest.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 10

vs Alexander Povetkin - The problem for Povetkin, as promosing as he is, is that he'd be utilizes a similar gameplan as a prime Frazier. He swarms you, throws a high volume of punches, and looks for his body work to pay dividends should the fight go into the later rounds. Frazier was physically stronger, had a good deal more power, and had noticably better defensive skills. I see him busting Povetkin up in close. While I believe Povetkin has a good chin, there's only so much you can take.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 6

vs Vladimir Virchis - Virchis is similar to Foreman in some regards; he's not relatively fast, not terribly skilled, but can punch like a mule. With that said, I don't see him finding the same sucess as Foreman. Perhaps he could drop Frazier once, as Bonavena did with right hands, but Frazier was a dog. He'd get right back up, bring the fight to Virchis, and his faster hands and more compact punches would be key during inside exchanges.
My Pick: Frazier TKO 7

vs David Haye - Haye's untested at heavyweight, but if his reign at cruiserweight showed us something, it's that his chin is very shaky, his defense is suspect, and his stamina needs work. In all likelihood, he'll be stronger at heavyweight with a better chin, but could he handle Frazier? If it were my guess, I'd say absolutely not.
My Pick: Frazier KO 2

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My conclusion is that, despite his small stature in comparison to most modern heavyweights, Frazier's legendary conditioning, heart, underrated defense, and in-fighting would be too much for the current group of heavyweights. It's not about the size of the dog, but the size of the heart in the dog - Frazier embodied this.

Discuss

 

You think Peter could beat him?

In my opinion, this would be a terrible matchup for Peter because he lacks in-fighting skills. He'd have a tough time finding Frazier too.

 

Bump

 

This is a great post. Love the unbiased take on things.

To me, Klitschko easily represents the biggest problem for Frazier not only because of his size, but ability to use that size to his advantage. They both possess weapons that could end the other's night early. Could Frazier slip Klitschko's jab and get inside to do damage? Or would Klitschko keep him at bay with the jab, setting up big powershots off of it? When Frazier gets in close, could he effectively tie him up? As you know, I lean towards Frazier, but it's an interesting fight.

Good point about Peter's balance and legs; he doesn't look as sturdy as he did pre-Klitschko, which is why I'd pick Vitali, Wladimir, Haye, Virchis, and Tua to take him out. I'd also take Povetkin, Ibragimov, Chagaev, Valuev, Ruiz, and possibly Chambers over him. H2H, I have trouble putting him top 10.

 

You know Povetkin much better than I do. How do you see him fighting Frazier? Would he try to swarm him, implement a boxing strategy, or fight an in and out fight?