A friend of mine asked me this question. My guess is,his second fight with Muhammad Ali. Muhammad was the slight favourite prior to this bout. Can anyone confirm this ?
Frazier was only the betting underdog three times. Ali 2 & 3,and Foreman 2. Even after being off for five years,he was still the favourite for the Floyd Cummings mess.
Then what were the odds for the rematch with Jerry Quarry? I was under the impression that Joe was expected to lose that one.
Some scribes favoured Quarry,because he was coming off a good run against Lyle and Shavers,but Joe was still the betting favourite. I think.
Quarry did better against Joe in their first fight. In 1974 Jerry was accusing all the top fighters of dodging him,which was bull****.
Except for the first round, where Quarry boxed competently, Frazier was totally in control in the rematch. Quarry looked like a shot fighter, and was repeatedly tagged and hurt. I don't think the cuts were a factor in this fight. The first fight, in 1969, was much different. Quarry was competitive all the way until the end, even though Frazier was winning the rounds. It was ferocious. By the way, I have heard that Quarry was actually the betting favorite for the Frazier rematch. The perception was that Quarry -- who was on an impressive winning streak -- was a rejuvenated fighter under new trainer Gil Clancy. Frazier, by contrast, was thought to be in decline after struggling to beat Bugner, and losing to Ali and Foreman.
