What if Futch had let Frazier go one more?

I remember listening to the fight on the radio,Floyd Patterson was the comentary guest,and did a lot better job than Norton did for Don Dunphy.In the late rounds 13 and 14 Floyd was saying of Ali,I think he is winning this fight,but now he wants to show everybody he can punch.He wants to knock Frazier out.

 

Joe doesn't make it happen.

Might be a boring round with Ali just waiting it out and jabbing to keep the mostly-blind Joe away from him.

 

Frazier was getting drilled. He was done. Futch saved Frazier from almost certain knockout or stoppage.

 

I disagree.

Ali had literally nothing left and I don't think he could have thrown a strong enough punch to stop Frazier. I don't dispute that he would have found the strength to continue through the 15th had Futch let Frazier come out of his corner. Joe seemed to want i more because Futch had to sit Joe down in his stool before he stopped the fight.

Who knows, maybe Ali lands a couple of more jabs and rights, making Frazier stumble like he did in the 14th. Based on his energy at the end of the round, and how he punched himself out, I believe he wouldn't have had a whole lot left to offer in terms of offense.

 

I agree that Ali probably wouldn't have KO'd Joe. Padilla might have stopped it, though. He said he was on standby for doing just that.

 

it was a good stoppage no argument it shouldnt have continued

if dundee had been in joes corner he would have called it too

as for the clay-cooper fight he got 5 extra seconds and used the same gloves nothing really happened except he got told to use the same gloves

 

Frazier was looking at being floored, and possibly stopped, had it gone to the fifteenth.:good

 

Yep.

Had a slight tear in my eye when I first watched it.

 

Eddie Futch is one of the greatest trainers of all time, and he made a wise decision stopping the fight in the 14th round. People often say "Ali was about to collapse on the floor, if Frazier went for the fifteenth he could have won". You can't depend on what your opponent might or might not do, you can only depend on your fighter and what he can do and Eddie Futch understood this.

Eddie Futch knew that if his fighter went for the fifteenth round and Ali was still able to fight (which is a good assumption, one must always assume the worst case scenario not the best case scenario), his fighter might have died or suffer severe damage. I disagree with the poster who said that Frazier wasn't protesting and implied he wanted to quit. Frazier wanted to continue very badly and started shaking his head when his trainer said they were going to quit. Frazier was willing to risk death just to have a chance to beat Ali.

This is why this fight is so great and interesting. It has such a controversial ending that people could talk about for decades. The stakes were also raised so high as both fighters were willing to die which just makes everything so exciting.

Probably the greatest fight ever.

 

Nothing good would have come from a 15th round.

I think Frazier would've gotten very hurt due to his near complete inability to see punches coming, and Ali's ability to pull stamina out of nowhere.

Especially against a man who is to proud to fall until his body totally gives out on him. Frazier was too brave for his own health.

I think Frazier kept more of his dignity and reputation with a corner stoppage than he would have lying face down on the canvas. Which in a warped roundabout way is good for Ali too. What makes Joe greater makes Ali greater too.

Best outcome in my opinion. Indisputably.

 

The Associated Press had the fight even...the New York Times writers sent to cover the fight had Frazier winning 8 of the first 13 rounds...and of course the 3 Filipino judges all had Ali winning....8-5-1...8-2-4...and 9-3-2...at the time of the stoppage.

 

Go to Boxing.com...and look for the myth of "The Thrilla In Manila" by Mike Silver

 

I watched the entire trilogy the other day Its just magical watching these two fight.(Yes even the second one)

 

I can believe Ali wanting to quit. What I have trouble with is Ali actually quitting. I don't think he'd have done it, especially not with Dundee in his corner.

I get McGrain when he says he gets emotional about Joe Frazier in this fight. I mean, he had worse tools and fought like a man scorned to barely make it even. Pain does not deter this man. Looming future injuries do not deter this man. He is possessed by a will to punish a man stronger than him. Then he loses the sight in his remaining eye, and says "you can call the shots out to me."

I don't think he wanted to go back in there blind, but he didn't want to yield to Ali either. Man must have felt like ****, and that after fighting his heart out. Brutal.

I don't think any heavyweight fighter has that intangible that Joe has. Not even Holyfield. That ability to wade through just any punishment and force the fight no matter what. When people talk about fantasy matchups with a prime Frazier, that's what they're gonna have to face.

I'd never pick Holmes over that man. Not ever.