Max Baer vs joe frazier

Max Baer doesn’t impress at all on film. He also fought very dirty in the Schmeling bout his best win.
Max was a big man, strong and with a good chin and a haymaker right hand. But he had no jab, no footwork, no defense.
Max received favorable press for whatever reason, but a look at his resume shows that he lost to most boxers he faced that had a good chin or boxing ability. Frazier was a serious guy when he cut through the division until he faced Foreman. I don’t think Max could duplicate Foreman’s performance. Frazier likely stops Max in the mid late rounds imo

 

A look at his resume also shows that he didn't lose by KO at all (only legit KOs are against Louis - far better puncher than Frazier - and Nova - his last fight.

Easy to say that Frazier would win by decision, but KO? I don't see it.

 

Frazier beat Ali, Schmeling beat Louis. Outside of that, both have similar resume. Of course, Louis was closer to his prime than Ali. Why is it so ridiculous in your opinion?

 

Ha! The backhander was the only punch in the whole sequence Max didn't telegraph in. If the GIFs being used to support Baer are anything to go by, Joe goes through him like shite through a goose.

Baer looks rubbish. His right hand looks like the Aussie cricketer Jeff Thomson bowling. He doesn't appear to have a left (thus the backhander) and an awful lot of fighters went an awful lot of rounds with him considering he was such a devastating hitter.

From the 60s on, I honestly can't see Max consistently cracking a top ten (maybe the current one).

 

The press after Baer won the title is interesting.

People were saying things like:

"We finally have a top talent holding the heavyweight title, but he seems to be more interested in acting than boxing!"

 

Sorry 70sfan. I would have replied earlier. I was away from laptop.

Telling you to put your tin hat on was more a reflection on how the debate was going than personal opinion but, yes, I do think that's quite an extreme view. Frazier consistently makes all time top ten lists. Max never does. Joe is a good level above Schmeling in most fans' eyes.

Given Louis' inexperience, lack of focus at the time and tendency to get hit and hurt, Max's victory rates as a surprise but not a terrible shock. Louis was flying close to the sun as far as being a top athlete is concerned at that time.

Now, I know Ali was hardly locked away in training camp for Frazier but he was a top fighter that put it all together that night. To beat him took something even more special than what Max had produced.

But your counter argument was good and you backed it up. Fair play to you, And, as I say, I didn't think your view was ridiculous. I just thought it might have stirred up some of the other posters more than it actually seems to have done.

 

Fair post. I would still pick Frazier over Baer here, but it's not as one sided as some believe here.

 

Baer is waayy too sloppy and defensively lapse to beat Frazier imo.

Those telegraphed right hands that look more at home in a bar brawl in a John Wayne western would be easily avoided by Joe allowing him to work easily inside (and at range is the only area where Max could have any success). Baer doesn’t have the defense nor inside game to have any success with Joe once he’s in close and gets systematically ground down.

Max had a great chin and I see him remaining on his feet but he’d be pounded and swollen so badly that a referee or corner stoppage would be inevitable otherwise he’d be badly hurt.

Baer isn’t some precursor to Foreman. He doesn’t have the telephone pole jab,the monster uppercut nor the sheer brute strength (despite obviously being a very strong man). Foreman was also smart enough to push Joe off to control range (albeit illegally) which I doubt Baer would be (he was a brawler who met you head on which would be a terrible idea against Frazier as Quarry and Chuvalo found out the painful way).

 

Frazier for sure.

 

TBH... his technical skills and motivation at times seemed to be in line with a neighborhood palooka

 

Someone you describe wouldn't have so much success in boxing. Baer had problems with motivation, but he wouldn't beat Schaff, Risko, Levinsky, Schmeling, Carnera, Farr, Foord, Galento or Comiskey only with good chin and right hand.

 

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Max would hit Joe like a freight train. Joe would come right to Max. No doubt Frazer would land some, but Baer's chin is like granite and Frazier would not survive the exchange

 

Max Baer, Very underrated.

 

Ummm that's exactly why he was able to beat them.

 

There have been tons of club fighters with great chin and right hand, none of them accomplished anything. By your logic, Baer had to have the best chin and right hand ever.