Joe Frazier

very good and passionate post. what sticks out for me for how consistently frazier went to ali's hips. he pounded away at his sides all night and took away his movement the hard way. a lesson to fighters nowadays about the benefits of long term investment in fights

 

not as flashy and judges tend to ignore it. joe had two of the most basic, solid combinations of all time: a) left to the body and left to the head b) right uppercut and left to the head. what he did, he did REAL well and he danced with the one that brought him. part of joe's genius is his simplicity

 

Ali showed heart getting up from that left hook in rnd 15. Frazier had all the motivation in the world to beat Ali and gave I would say his best performance that night.

 

i agree and would say it's also one of the top 5 heavyweight performances of all time as well

 

Frazier went BEYOND the call of duty in that first ali fight. He pushed himself through the exhaustion barrier and paid the price. even though he won it took more out of him than ali. I dont think frazier was ever quite the same and that foreman therefore did not face the same joe frazier that ali, foster, ellis, quarry and chuvalo fought.
frazier was an excelent champion. he did what it said on the tin. he was a real world champion in the full sence of the word since he beat the best heavyweight in the world to do it- who was also unbeaten.

 

At 2:38 he actually pulls Ali off the ropes so he can beat him up some more, i never saw that before

 

Frazier beat the hell out of Ali. Man, I love it!!

David Tua needs to sit down and watch this fight. He could learn a lot from Frazier (body punching, intensity, bobbing and weaving to get inside and slip punches, etc)

 

Joe Frazier along with Joe Louis And Jack Dempsey were my favorite heavyweights of alltime ...Dempsey for his fury and toughness, Louis as the best combination puncher, who oozed class and dignity, Joe Frazier for his relentless attack,and never ever dogged it style...The first time I saw Frazier was in the 1964 Olympic trials,losing a dec. to big Buster Mathis...The second time I saw Frazier was in 1971,I believe,training at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills..I remember before the sparring he and I were alone,sitting maybe 7 feet apart, while he was taping his own hands,before Yank Durham and sparring partners arrived...Sitting so close to me,looking so mean,I kept thinking how lucky I was'nt facing him...The last and most memorable time was March 8,1971 at MSG..A night to remember forever for me..My friend bought me my ticket,surprising me several hours before the fight...Frazier was great that night,and I feel was never the same after that bout,for whatever reason...I will always admireSmoking Joe...A great and honest alltime great....

 

I thought Fraziers best night was Ali 1 and although he was still formidable after was not the same fighter after Ali 1. I think the sudden stardom, traveling with Joe Frazier and the Knockouts, girls,partying,etc. got to him. Frzier still had 2 good fights with Ali after 1 but his lost his edge IMO...On the night of Ali 1 he was top 10 ATG close to 5

 

Joe Frazier was great, truly great. And I feel he's a bit underrated.
Ali-Frazier 1 is definitely the best of the trilogy, and probably the most significant heavyweight title fight of all-time. A great performance.

 

Yes it was indeed Smokin' Joe's finest hour. Although I've always been a Muhammad Ali fan,through and through,I still had a lot of respect for Frazier. Joe reached a peak that night of March 8 1971,and was never quite the same again. A truly magnificent fight that lived up to the hype,and then some ! Muhammad,in spite of being handed his first loss,also came through with flying colours. Proving to the world that he could take it,as well as he could dish it out,and could take a punch,as well as he could avoid one. Both Ali and Frazier had true warrior guts and fighting hearts.