Marvis Frazier discussion

What screwed Marvis was, he was really a solid 198 to 202 pound man...... But Cruiserweight was 190 when he was active.... 190 was too lean and light for guys like Marvis Frazier and Leon Stinks.... Had Cruiserweight been at 200 pounds back in the 1980s, them two would've found a good home...... Oh, I'm sure Leon Stinks and Marvis Frazier felt strong at 206 to 210 pounds, but they were small and not strong enough to handle the elite dudes at heavyweight....... Frazier had okay skills, but Stinks' skills sucked........

MR.BILL

 

Thats a damned good and under appreciated record for a guy with so few fights.

You'd be hard pressed to find a fighter snubbed for losses to two ATG's more so then Marvis. Hatton doesn't even come close.

 

Totally agree, one of his problems is that after losing to Tyson he automatically becomes a "bum" in the eyes of Tyson-Haters. It's also a shame that Joe made him into a brawler like himself, I heard he was better suited as a boxer in the amateurs.

 

Yeah, thats a better resume then some of the top tier 80's "forgotten generation" of fighters. All that after a handful of fights.

 

I got my tape of "Lazy Bones" Smith vs. Frazier going on right now....... Frazier is much more spry than Smith, but Smith had way more power than Frazier, yet Smith was slow as a snail in the ring..... Still, mid-way into the 10 rounder Smith decks Frazier with a right, but Frazier gets up and carries on to win a decision......

Marvis Frazier would go on to get iced by Tyson, while Smith would string an impressive streak together in 1986 to become WBA paper champion of the world...

MR.BILL

 

He potentially had more talent than Snipes but Biggs and Williams was certainly a cut above him.

 

In avenging his amateur upset to Broad, Marvis actually controlled the action from long range, out jabbing Broad at a distance as well as hurting the big man early and sending him to the ropes. Broad got the same flack for his weight that Page was on the receiving end of throughout his career, but he came in at 228 for Marvis, adding credit to the winner's achievement. (Broad carried on a good naturedly comical grudge with then broadcaster Randy Gordon over Gordon's continual chiding of Broad over his weight. James had a sense of humor which rivaled Cobb's.)

Marvis was naturally a mobile cutie and well proportioned athlete who could out jab taller super heavyweights like Broad, Ribalta, Bugner, Banjo, Smith, and Philip Brown. His true historical model should have been Loughran. While he was never going to beat a prime Holmes or Tyson, he was clearly good enough to snatch a share of a secondary HW title, as the win over Smith indicates. Although he had a decent punch, he didn't have the thick solid physical makeup of a swarming pressure infighter like his old man.

The nature of his losses to Holmes and Tyson don't do justice to the quality of heavyweight he was. It deserves mentioning that Tyson was not the end of his career. He finished with a streak of three wins, concluding with a finale over a hot 30-2-2 Philip Brown, winner of eight straight. (Brown's string began at the expense of Marvis's big cousin Rodney. Philip lost his last nine after Marvis beat him. At the time, Brown had only lost to a prime 25-1 Cooney and up and coming 23-1 Bruno.)

As far as I'm concerned, Marvis proved he did not need a 200 pound cruiserweight division to be a success. With the right style, he had the talent and ability to compete with any heavyweight of the day who was not a peaking ATG.

 

Extremely well said.

Marvis is never managed as a potentially a far better talent and fighter then he ended up being. Shame.

 

Yeah, doesn't get much worse then it did with Marvis. Maybe Joe falsely believed in his son, maybe he was just a pushy *******.

 

The problem with Marvis was that he was either matched against moderately good fighters,such as Smith,Broad etc. or thrown to the lions,who were Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson. He should have tried his hand at the tier between. Your Witherspoons,Tubbs',Pages. Personally,I do n't think he'd have beaten those guys,but nothing's cast in stone.

 

I'm with Stevie G on Marvis.Plus, it's a blessing that he lost to Broad in the Olympic Trials.If he had won, and they would have went to Moscow, Stevenson would have killed him.

 

I think most would take the opportunity to fight Larry Holmes for good money in only their 11th professional fight. Not sure what was the point of "feeding" him to a young Tyson though, he was on a good run and could have probably gotten himself a title shot.