Frazier was only ever dropped by two fighters, Foreman and Bonavena. Foreman is quite possibly the hardest hitter ever, and when Frazier was dropped by Oscar he was young and green. Plus Bonavena was a strong and hard hitting fighter himself. It takes a very elite level puncher to get Smokin Joe out.
Frazier was a passion fighter to some degree. Comparisons with Roberto Duran can be made in that sense. His style was a very intense one that required everything you've got. When he was motivated and "brought it" like in the FOTC he was absolutely unbelievable. His overconfidence and weight are well known going against Foreman the first time. Bowe isn't stopping a motivated Frazier.
I think Bowe's power and boxing ability would be too much for Joe, and no other smaller heavyweight with that style has succeeded in coming in on Bowe who was good at keeping his range and boxing from a distance. If Frazier could suck Bowe into a toe to toe brawl, then i like his chances but i feel that Riddock is simply too strong, so i like him by decision. Bowe would have ran into problems with a Lennox Lewis type of fighter that had the tools and ability to take advantage of his defensive flaws that were exposed later in his career.
Flase. Frazier was floored by a no-name in his second pro fight. He was also floored a few times in the amatuers.
You're right, he was down for a flash KD early on. But faulting someones chin overly much for having an "8 count" in their second pro fight is wrong. Ali was dropped by Sonny Banks who wasn't exactly George Foreman.
Actually I like Bowe in this one, especially over 12 rounds. Riddick simply has to come in in great shape though...something he didn't always do. Why I take Bowe is that he doesn't have to come inside as does Frazier. He has a huge reach and height advantage, had a very good snapping jab and a big right hand. Good left hook too. He can fight at long range or get in the trenches and fight in close. A rare combination indeed. His commitment and desire wasn't always there, but when it was he was a hell of a good fighter, albeit with a porous defence. Bowe was also tough, very adept on the inside and liked a brawl, so it's not at all certain a trench war actually suits Frazier. Every time Frazier bangs a hook below he's got to be prepared to take a big uppercut from Bowe, who excelled in close with that punch. He nearly took Pierre Coetzer's head clean off with the uppercut, and he hurt Evander several times with that punch. Joe is great but I have to lean towards the bigger (probably stronger) guy who has more options at his disposal.
If we're talking about a version of Bowe who is in shape and at his best... Damn. This is a good one, and strangely enough, one I don't ever recall seeing done before. I'm inclined to believe Bowe wins a close decision, but I'd not be surprised if he dropped one, either. Bowe is a very difficult fighter to analyze in any historical content, because his 'prime' was so short, but at his best, he matches up well against any heavyweight in history. Good power, good chin, and as many have mentioned, an uncanny ability to fight both from the outside and on the inside.
An in shape motivated Bowe wins this one 10 times out of 10. He could fight superbly on both the inside as well as the outside. One hell of a chin also imo.
Frazier gradually wears Bowe down, paving the way for a late round TKO. I could definitely see this being competitive for a while, though.