How highly do you rate this win for Joe, especially considering Foster was mainly a Light-heavyweight?
As Frazier said to his "friend" Foster post-fight: "Bob, I had to take you out, because you were trying to take my title". It was a decent win for Frazier, being up to that point, no Lightheavy champ had beaten a legit heavyweight champ for the Hvywt title. But at least the good Lthvy champs had the guts to go after the Big Boys. And 3 months later Ali & Frazier tangled to settle it all.
Bob had a poor record at HW . Bob on Joe 's CV is just another LHW Champ who was unsuccessful at HW despite being a dominant champion.
How much did Foster actually weigh for the fight? I take it he didn't really make much of an effort to bulk himself up to heavyweight but maybe came in at just over his natural light heavyweight weight?
It was an impressive win because Foster was at his absolute prime and Joe destroyed him. He lost a decision five year earlier to a tough Foley and was stopped earlier in his career in competitive bouts against Terrell and Doug Jones .. still, all three loses were competitive .. No against Joe . It remains painful to watch.
Foster never beat a ranked hwt. Joe looked great in stopping Foster but it was a forgone conclusion going into the bout.
only lost against good/decent heavies (in his prime). Decent win for joe imo and one of the best photos of a heavyweight fight ive seen, with frazier standing over him. probably due to the fact it happened on the day i was born so i have an extra vested interest in it.
I think it was impressive not that he beat Foster but the way he beat him. He took care of business the way a good champion should. Frazier was at his peak right about that time. He was gearing up for Ali. Bob was roadkill.
Correct. It would have been a absolute massive upset if foster had beaten smokin. But there was no way that was happening. Joe went through the built up light heavy s like a knife through butter.