Superfight 1 .. Ali's Bravest Fight

An early Summer '71 FOTC is definitely food for thought,is n't it ? I'm convinced,though,that the trilogy between these two would have panned out the same. In order for Muhammad to have taken Joe 100% seriously,it would take a loss to him in the first fight to enable him to beat him in the rematches. Another factor is that the March 8 bout took more out of Frazier than it did Ali. This would always have been so.

 

But I still think a summer of 71 Ali would have taken Joe.

 

Only if Muhammad took Joe 100% seriously. Plus one or two more tune up bouts,of course.

 

He proved how big his balls were in the 11th round, he was badly buzzed then.

 

You're telling me !! It's a testimony to Muhammad's toughness and pride that he finished this fight on his feet.

 

When was alis prime again? He never had one right!!

 

It would have been the three and a half years the US government robbed him of.

 

Ditto!

 

I think Louis was in his prime for the two B Baer, Nova, and first Conn fights, he was 27/28 with 50 bouts and 16 defences under his belt.

 

You can´t take anything away from Frazier. He was at his absolutely best on march 8 and I think he would´ve been the same or better the whole 1971.
Ali really lacked athletical motivation having an idea of being unbeatable. On a bad day he had KOéd Bonavena. Frazier having struggled against the Argentinian - Ali believed he had proved his point and did´nt need a long preparation for the fight.
But Frazier was highly motivated. He was a proud man being verbally punished by a man he had loved like a brother. He was ready to die in the ring. Ali never expected Frazier to fight with such a determination and he had no legs to avoid Frazier´s attacks.
I became a Frazier-fan on march 8, 1971. On that night in Madison Sq. Garden - he would´ve defeated any of the world champions before and after - Louis, Dempsey, Foreman, Liston, Marciano, Patterson, Tunney, Lewis or Klitschko.

 

I agree with all the underlined , that FOTC night Frazier was a great fighter.

 

True. Ali may have been a bit rusty but he was still pretty awesome in spells. Both men went beyond the call of duty on that night.

 

Ali woud`ve beaten almost any other heavyweight in history that night IMV. Frazier fought a superhuman fight that night. He also had the style to always bother Ali even in later fights when they were both diminished.

 

Halfway through the last round, after Ali had been dropped, he is again caught with a hook along the ropes which briefly knocks him dead.

The courage and drive shown by both men that night may have produced the greatest heavyweight scrap of all time.