That's how I pretty much see it too. By going 12 rounds with Tua and taking a decision he proved that his chin was sturdy enough.. And his win over Chris Byrd confirmed that he was capable of chasing down a better than average boxer for the stoppage.. But how much can we really conclude from TWO fights and against men who granted were respectable but not a Joe Frazier ? It's kind of tough call. The one thing that can be certain is that if Ike had any vulnerability to being knocked out or stopped, Joe would still have to work for it.. Ibeabuchi was a strong, durable, and hard punching man with skills.. And if Frazier opts for a decision, he'd be in for a long night as he'd no doubt get hit with some pretty hard shots.. Maybe his incredible hand speed, upper body movement and work rate could see him through.. But it's not something I'd feel comfortable placing a wager on.. Not even a small one...
Frazier never tangled with Shavers & Lyle either....and that might have been a "management" decision. Don't see Ike retreating to the ropes like Ali did...so the fight would probably be at mid-ring. Mando Ramos and Bonavena had Frazier down. If Ike puts Frazier down like Foreman did, would the ref stop the fight??
Why not? What have you seen in Ike that makes you so certain of his inability to deal with 205-lbs of straight-ahead pressure fighter?
Ike had quite a punch and a very good chin. Frazier couldn't win this war. He's giving up a lot of size and weight too.
I don`t agree. I watched Ike/Tua last night and though it was a good performance by the President. He was busy and he scored a lot of punches. I don`t think he was hitting with the authority to knock Frazier out or even down. His power wouldn't be a problem but he did bring a lot of activity. Tua broke through in the middle rounds and a decent case can be made he won that fight. Not saying it was a robbery. Close fight, both fighters got hit a lot. Tua was strong as an ox but he wasn`t on par with Joe Frazier as far as skills or even quickness was concerned. Frazier was busier and more consistant throwing every round. Joe Frazier slipped and rolled with head movement so much better than David Tua ever did. The biggest problem Joe would have would be Ike`s volume especially early in the fight.I think this fight goes the distance both would have some damage. Ike could eke out a decision but he would have to fight even better than he did against David Tua. Not sure if he`s capable of that.
Yeah, ur right ...only staggered him. Only been 48 years ago, and my memory has slipped some. That fight was the first time people realized Frazier could be hurt early. (I think it was shown on ABC as tape delayed). "The bout was held at MSG on June 24, 1968. The iconic arena had just opened four months earlier, and Ramos was the first Mexican fighter to appear there. The match was an intense two-round battle, in which Ramos briefly staggered Frazier, but was then knocked down twice and lost by referee stoppage when he signaled that he was unable to continue. This was to be Ramos's only world title fight."
