What if Joe Frazier had won the Thriller in Manila?

Winning that bout was what lofted Ali into the No 1 spot all time. Frazier winning, which he almost did, probably drops Ali into the top five and lifts Frazier into the top five. Now this all assumes both fighters careers end at that point in time. If Ali came back to beat Joe in a 4th encounter that could have altered history once again.

 

A 4th meeting with Ali would be unavoidable, unless he took on Foreman next.

 

Which would probably end in frazier been ko'd again. Then it would be up to George if he wanted to keep ali hanging about. So he may go for a easy defence against a guy called Jimmy young.. One fight could have changed heavy weight history.

 

I see your line of thinking Fergy, but all thing being equal (and they not always are) George beating Frazier and becoming champ for the second time, would give him back much confidence that he lost at the hands of Ali. Now that said, the lift a man gets from holding the belt, together with his new found confidence, the Jimmy Young that outpointed George would get KOd this time.

 

Don't think so as it would have been that same Clancy inspired fighter. Certainly he destroys Frazier a second time to resin the championship but George never showed he could handle top rung boxers such as Young. Young as well as Ali beat Foreman 9/10 times. Frazier would have been crazy to fight Foreman in 76 as champion. We may have seen instead Frazier Norton even though both were friends. Joe would have koed Norton.

 

Joe may have wanted a Foreman fight to avenge his earlier defeat but Futch was no dummy. He would have certainly accept a 4th Ali fight. He knew Joe was diminished and Manila was the last great fight he had left in him.

Joe probably would have beaten Jimmy Young if he had anything left at all. One of the reasons I am a Frazier fan was his guts. For him to take Foreman again in `76 shows what a great warrior he was. He probably could have fought some C level guys and eventually gotten a title shot based on his name alone.

 

This is similar scenario to Chavez vs Taylor in that the defeated fighter was ruined and
both fighters legacy was changed. Joe was a shell of his former self after this fight.
Joe would still have fought and loss to Foreman which would have made Foreman
champion and this would have made things interesting.

 

good point. The only difference in that scenario was that Chavez ruined Taylor but I don't think Chavez was physically diminished at all from that fight where as Ali was also basically destroyed by Frazier. He held on to the belt through smoke and mirrors for a few years but he was no longer the Ali pre `75

 

Or raga , what if Joe decides to take on Jimmy young?. My opinion in that is young defeat s frazier in a shock win. He then could either fight George or Ali. So that would kinda shake things up a bit.

 

Yes, an on fire Jimmy Young may well have what it takes to decision Joe, and as you say, things would warm up on the heavyweight scene.

 

Maybe as a tune-up before a big money defence against Ali or Foreman, Young makes a voluntary defence against a promising but relatively unknown Larry Holmes?

 

Holmes would win.

 

Jimmy Young is not busy enough to defeat Frazier. Frazier forces you to fight at all times. Thats not something Jimmy could cope with.
Joe handled Jimmy 95% of the time in the gym

 

Jimmy Young would have never got a shot at George Foreman if he had beat Smokin Joe.

He had zero promotion behind him and only got on the radar in the first place because of the Ali fight. He was barely on the screen after the 2nd Lyle win. No Ali fight in Maryland means Jimmy is stuck being a sparring partner and fighting other fringe guys. Not selling a title fight w/ that record of his & he'd be avoided by Norton & the rest of the guys for his negative style and mediocre record.

If Foreman has the title, he eventually gets the Ali camp to sign a contract sometime after the Norton #2 bout. So, now we're talking late 77 or early 78 version of Ali.