Smokin' Joe Frazier Vs. Lennox Lewis

Styles makes fights and Lewis has the advantage here. Despite Fraziers constant head movement and high workrate he lacks the speed of foot or reach to get inside often enough to beat Lennox. We saw how Ali frustrated Frazier by tying him up in there second fight and whenever Joe gets in close he would only get a few shots off before Lewis grabs him.

This is simply not just about Lewis being bigger he just has the right style to negate Fraziers swarming attack. Good jab, movement, brutal uppercut on the inside and the strength to tie Frazier up whenever he does get too close.

Lewis by KO in 5

 

He also only fought 2 great HWs.

 

Joe Frazier's only hope is his left hook and Lewis has fought great left hookers all throughout his career:

Ruddock
Morrison
Tua
Tyson

And he came through with flying colors.

 

We all know it would be either Frazier KO 2 or Lewis UD 12. If they fight 15 though I take Frazier on pts. Lewis just couldn't keep him away for 15.

 

Frazier would decision Lewis.Lewis was more cautious against the better opponents.

 

Says the guy who considers Michael Moorer the best LHW of all time.

 

:good LL easy win. After all these years reading ESB it still surprises me how many fans overrate the HWs from the past.

It's probable for an exact repeat of Foreman-Frazier I since Joe was a slow starter... but your sceanrio also has a good chance to play out.

 

People are more than likely on considering the Frazier from the Ali and Foreman fights when "analyzing" this matchup, or are simply coming to the conclusion that Lennix would win because of his size and nothing more.

 

Frazier couldn't handle big punchers, the only way he could fight is coming straight at you and if you could bring enough pain you could stop him. Joe could be beaten by far lesser fighters if they had a big enough punch.

 

No. You really don't know the Prime Frazier, but you know the shot one from 1973 and onward. Prime Frazier may go down in a fight, but he will not be stopped. Watch his fights from the late 60's all the way up to the FOTC in 1971. His chin is not suspect, why? You can't base his chin off of being knocked out by one of the hardest hitters in the history of the sport. Besides the Foreman fight, he was only knocked down twice against Bonavena in their two fight series.

Now for my prediction. I pretty much agree with Sweet Pea. If they had a series of fights, Frazier would win the first by a KO over Lewis. In the second, a KO is not out of the question but Lewis would choose to outbox and take a narrow decision.

 

In his prime, Frazier was always there to be hit in the early rounds.

During the Quarry fight, he took a shitload of punches in the first and a decent amount the two rounds after. The Ellis fight? Exactly the same story. Bonavena had him down twice. Ali rained so much leather on him that he was never the same again. Foreman knocked him down six times, out of shape or not.

Lewis hits much harder than Quarry, Ellis, Ali or Bonavena and is on Foreman's level. If he goes after Frazier, i see him being stopped early.

Something else to note: throughout his career, Lewis was more susceptible to the right hand than the left hook... in fact, he rarely got caught by left hooks, probably because of his height among others.

 

Frazier is one dimensional, 5'11", 205 lbs, I would have bet all I have on Lewis if this fight ever happened.

 

I have no problem with anyone choosing Lewis, but he's not going right at Frazier, nor is he getting him out of there early. He'd likely fight a cautious fight with a lot of movement, jabbing, and clinching, though Frazier would undoubtedly get the better of the in-fighting, probably hurting or backing Lewis up on seperate occasions. He'd use the same tactics he did against someone like Tua due to the danger present, difference here being Frazier's speed, relentlessness, workrate, and overall skill edges over Tua. If Lewis won I bet it would've been by Decision in a manner similar to that, but much closer.

 

why wouldn't he get frazier out early, lewis hits with simular force to foreman but is a muhc better puncher, if lewis lands a bomb on frazier why couldn't he take him. Lewis was an excellent finisher once he had someone hurt and i think he would be favourite over frazier.

 

He wouldn't take Frazier out early because he would be facing a very dangerous puncher who he wouldn't be willing to take that sort of risk against early. Foreman just waded in and unleashed on Frazier, who by that time was past his peak in comparison to the prime Frazier of the late 60's. Lewis wouldn't do that because he was a much more cautious fighter and stylist than Foreman, and he'd know what he was up against. Not to mention he didn't have the ability to take Frazier's shots like Foreman did, and he knew that.