Just watched Marvis Frazier vs James Broad when both were up and coming youngsters. What struck me was Fraziers workrate and ability to move in and out, slip and fire in good shots. I only knew him from the two first round kayos against Holmes and Tyson and so had him down as a"son of Joe" rather than a fighter in his own right. At 198lbs he could surely have got down to 190 / 195 and been a real handful as a cruiser before moving up and making his money in the heavies. Does anyone else think he maybe lost the chance to build his own legacy by following his fathers footsteps...and before he was ready?
Marvis was a good fighter he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. After the Tyson fight it probably would have been a good idea to drop down in weight but I dont think the money was right or his pride just wouldnt allow it.
He had a pretty good amateur career. They say that Joe changed his style and made him a fighter in the style of himself. Marvis didnt have the equipment to fight like his father. He wasn`t as strong and didn`t have that crushing power that Joe Frazier had. Anyway there was nothing $$ in the Cruisers. That`s the name of the game make $ and get out with your health.
He took over the gym him and His pops were runnin together till Joe's passing. And I believe since then hes opened up a few more gyms In Philly..:bbb Marvis is doin just find, and hes a class act!
There is a lot of speculation posted here about Marvis Frazier and the one true thing said is that he is a class guy. Much of the rest of it is part right, some is not right at all. Coming from a man who spent the past four years interviewing Marvis, I hope this site will allow me to say that the best way to understand Marvis Frazier is to read the book that resulted from those hundreds of hours of interviews (and coinciding research). "Meet Marvis Frazier: The Story of the Son of Smokin' Joe" will introduce you to a man who was a great fighter himself (not just "a pretty good amateur" but the best in the world in 1980), but also, unfortunately, a man who suffered many tragic setbacks and has struggled throughout his life to overcome them. There is nowhere near enough space to go into detail here but his book is available both on Amazon and at his own website: http://www.meetmarvisfrazier.com Thank you, Jamie Potter
