Most powerful heavyweight left hooks: Does Frazier rank high?

You can evaluate the overall effectiveness/greatness of a punch by looking at multiple categories: power, speed, timing, accuracy, technique, utility, recovery,

Frazier's left hook stats for me would be:

Power: 3/5. He didn't have as much raw destructive power as boxers such as Tua, Morrison, etc, but he could hurt just about anyone with it if it landed flush. The true danger was in the sheer number of them he would throw, round after round. Just about every opponent got busted up with swollen jaws, eyes, abdomens, etc and he dropped many foes with it. Best of all, the power remained even in the final round.

Speed: 4.5/5. His hook cracked like a sharp whip and was a thing of beauty. He could double it or even triple it. Quick boxers such as Ali, Ellis, and Machen all had trouble getting away from the damn thing. It sliced through the air and left a slight blur.

Timing: 4/5. Frazier had excellent timing and never just threw wildly or haphazardly. Perhaps the best examples were when he timed Ali punching with him, or when Quarry had a lag in his defense and Frazier landed a devastating hook to the jaw freezing the Californian. Frazier's hook was in sync with his rhythm, bobbing, and weaving.

Accuracy: 5/5. You just couldn't get away from the damn thing. It was like trying to flee from a pack of wolves after they've locked onto your scent and have been tracking you for miles. Frazier spent a lot of time with Yank practicing on the medicine ball and sparring to target sensitive areas such as the ribs, liver, jaw, temple, etc. Frazier's chilling accuracy was on full display against Chuvalo where he targeted the same bloody spot on the Canadian's face over and over. It was extremely rare to see Frazier completely miss, and nearly anytime he landed it was flush and painful.

Technique: 3.5/5. Frazier didn't have as much proper fundamentals as other left hook specialists. He would sometimes punch with just his arm or upper torso. Sometimes he slapped with it. But to his credit, Frazier did come up with his own way of using the punch and it made it extremely difficult for opponents to deal with. The trajectory was a whip like motion and he put a lot of shoulder strength and leg power into the punch. What he lacked was sometimes failing to fully use his hips, and his hand position weren't always ideal.

Utility: 4/5 Frazier had mastered many different uses for his favorite punch. He could throw it as a lead almost replacing the jab. He'd use it as a range finder with a pawing motion. The hook could either be used to finish a combination, or simply combo into itself: double hook to the head, hook to the body+head, double hook ot the body+head, etc. This unique approach was part of what made him such a formidable swarmer because the hook itself is a short range punch and Frazier was a shorter heavyweight, so once he got close he could unleash hell with unpredictable bombs. He could throw a quick light hook, a sharp one, or a powerful one aiming for a knockout blow.

Recovery: 5/5. Stamina is perhaps Frazier's best quality, and it applies to his hook as well. Unlike any other hook specialist, Frazier was just as deadly and full of energy in the 15th round as he was in the 1st. Still fast, powerful, accurate, and with good timing. In addition to that, Frazier could immediately recover after throwing the hook and was in position to continue punching or to block whether he threw it with the intent to score or as a power punch.



Overall rating: 4/5. A superb punch and one of the best in the history of HW boxing.

 

Joe Frazier could have been the happy left hooker.

 

Yeah maybe for the worst chin in HW history along with worst skills of his time.