He always gave Ali full props for heart and toughness, as witnessed by his comment after Manila that he landed punches which would have knocked down walls. The fact is that even at his best, there was simply no way Joe could take him out. To separate his analysis of Ali's boxing from the personal insults and affronts to Joe's dignity may prove impossible for Frazier, no matter what efforts at reconciliation take place between the two. If his 14 match body of work from the Machen win to the Foster blow-out continue receiving more coverage on youtube, GoogleVideo, Megavideo and other outlets, then he might start feeling less overshadowed by Ali, and be able to offer more objective feedback about Ali's strengths and weaknesses in the ring.
I remember Joe saying that he has to admit that in the ring Ali was the man. He mainly meant his chin and heart. I also remember him saying that Ali was not a devastating puncher but he could moove like no one else. He also stated that he doesn't know how to rate Ali as an all time heavyweight, but he would place him somewhere below himself.
The margin by which he didnt is a verry fine one. Both guys left a bit of themself in the ring each time they fought.
below Louis and Marciano for sure, as that famous quote goes. I agree with Frazier getting more of the attention he deserves and it is understandable how he might feel towards Ali.
Whilst laying down a brief summary of his views on the all-time great heavyweights, he said he ranked Ali "somewhere below me," as well as Louis and Marciano, making him fourth at best in Frazier's estimation.