Joe Frazier, 1971 vs Eddie Machen, 1960

Brilliant thread Richard, I've never thought of this before. I find it hard to say who would win, since Machen was so unpredictable. He could dance, fight inside, on the ropes, he could hit-and-run, body-punch, slug, bob-and-weave. He could fight any fight he set his mind to.

 

Because of styles, I favor Frazier over Machen in any fight, but this is a great two-sided war imo. Frazier was just a boxer-killer. I personally think Machen leaned a bit more towards punching than either Ellis or Ali, both of whom we all know Frazier beat badly, so I think Machen would be much more problematic for Frazier. I don't think it would be in Machen's best interests to be on the ropes or engage in any inside fighting, but stick-and-move is for survival, not victory. I think Machen would do best if he boxed offensively from outside. Machen was higher-energy than either Ali or Ellis; he could do anything with those legs. I hope Machen would stay on the ropes like in their actual fight and make this a thriller. However, there would be NO knockdowns Richard .

 

Frazier UD in a close contest.

 

Machen thought & fought outside the box, unlike his close contemporary Zora Folley. It would depend in most cases which Eddie showed up....but the problem is 1971 FOTC Joe Frazier is showing up...so really, who do you think will win?

 

I'm afraid not Richard. Machen's not know for being put down, and Frazier was only put down by the same two guys, both of whom were significantly more powerful than Machen. This could be a great fight without knockdowns. Lots of fights have been.

 

Well, maybe if you make a thread on Patterson vs. Mildenberger you wouldn't be so disappointed.

 

Even at his best Machen was too passive and not busy enough to handle Frazier. You are picking a 1971 Frazier who dropped and defeated Ali who even in 1971 was better at literally everything than the best Machen. He was bigger, faster, busier, tougher, hit harder, had a longer reach, better footwork, was more elusive, etc. What does a 1960 version of Machen have to deal with a 1971 version of Frazier? Its one thing to say Machen was past his prime when he fought Frazier in 1966 but Frazier only had 12 fights at that point and had only been ten rounds once and had only gone over 5 three times.

 

No version of Machen stands a chance against Frazier at his best. Machen's success in the Quarry bout has nothing to do with how Eddie would do and actually did against Frazier. Quarry was intimidated by Machen's reputation and played into Eddie's hands by being too careful and trying to outbox him at long range. Had he pressured Machen I think he would have won easily. Instead he gave Eddie ample opportunity to rest on the ropes as was his habit and counter punch. Jerry gave the old man too much respect as Frazier demonstrated later on. Just another example of Quarry's all-too-frequent habit of choosing the wrong strategy for a big fight. Machen could never have taken Frazier's pressure

 

Good match up. I've got Machen winning for long stretches of the fight but this is a Frazier that won't be stopped!
Joe finally nails his man with the left and drops him.
Frazier by 12 rounds KO.