When should Joe Frazier have retired?

If Ali and Frazier had linked arms and walked off into the sunset together in 1975, the same writers today who said they should've retired after that would've been asking when they were coming back and how could they retire at age 33 (Ali) and 31 (Frazier), respectively.

A lot of those guys were still picking Ali to beat Holmes in 1980. They all wrung their hands after that, of course. But even Sports Illustrated had a famous article a week before the fight with the headline:

BETTER NOT SELL THE OLD MAN SHORT
THE HOLMES-ALI TITLE BOUT ONCE FIGURED TO BE A GROTESQUE MISMATCH. IT'LL BE ANYTHING BUT

 

I guess history wise Joe retiring after the Stander fight, would have put Joe in the history books as retiring as undefeated World Heavyweight Champion, with a decent number of title defences, a small and select group indeed.

 

It is easy from this time distance, and from our perspective, to discuss when Joe should have retired. Joe was supposed to retire right after losing "The Thrilla in Manila" in 1975.
Why?
"The Thrilla in Manila" (Fight of the Year 1975) took place 11 months after "The Rumble in the Jungle" (Fight of the Year 1974), the fight that launched Ali into the sky. One man could spoil it, launch himself into the sky; sure he was hoping for it, and it was joe frazier. You can't say that hope was meaningless, and you can't say that Frazier was a big underdog. What a star Frazier would have been had he won the trilogy. ATG HW list must be changed. And Frazier did his best. But boxing history took the course it did, "The Thrilla in Manila" being the best title defense of Ali's second reign. So when Fraser failed - he should have retired immediately.
I will not comment on the fight with Floyd Cummings after 5.5 years of inactivity.

 

Exactly when he did.

 

I used to be a sports writer and I know the drill. I actually wrote a column for my little paper out in the sticks on how Ali had a chance. After watching that fight live on closed circuit … one of the most miserable experiences of my life … I came back later with a mea culpa. I don’t think we were deliberately trying to be out in the weeds, we were fooled by the mystique. Knowing what I know 43 years later, I’d have never written that. Can’t undo it though.

 

Probably after the Thrilla. Hed given Ali pure hell once again, he could do no more.

 

Since this is about when Frazier should have retired, under ideal conditions he would have found a good, honest financial advisor and shown discipline with his money. In that situation he would have been in good shape financially.

Frazier made 2.5 M for the Ali fight, of course he didn't get all of it, after paying his "team" and taxes he might have gotten 1.5 M? According to the inflation calculator that 1.5M would be worth 11.235M in today's money. Using the Rule of 72, if the 1.5 M was invested in 1971 (the stock market averages 9% a year, his investments would have doubled every 8 years), the 1.5 M would be worth 48m in 2011, 96M today, and by 2027 about 192M. He also would probably have made a lot of money from endorsements and appearances over the years as an undefeated champion who retired after defeating Ali in the FOTC.

Continuing to box after 1971 probably damaged him financially, physically, and mentally.

 

For long term health benefits,after the Fight of the Century. Maybe even that one for legacy. If not then I would say the Manilla bout for his

 

In my opinion not the opinions of the blood thirsty fans but after The Fight Of The Century on March 8 1971 in Madison Square Garden. Frazier retained his title with a unanimous 15 round decision over undefeated challenger Muhammad Ali, who had just 18 rounds of ring combat in 43 months. Frazier took immense punishment and suffered heavy punishment in reaching his main objective in silencing the defrocked champion Muhammad Ali who had not lost his title in the squared circle, it was stripped from him in April 1967 when he refused military induction and convicted in June 1967, his license revoked. Ali suffered a deflated ego and his first pro loss, plus a very swollen jaw. Frazier would never be the same again, the hunger would be gone, Joe had to settle in fighting two palookas in Terry Daniels and Ron Stander, before getting totally embarrassed by undefeated George Foreman in Jan 1973.

 

A lot of You Tubers, I saw many of Ali's title bouts live on television from 1965-1967.

 

I still have my torn closed circuit tickets for Ali-Holmes. Everyone bought in at the end.

 

Considering that he didn't

This is the romantic view and having read and considered it, I endorse it 10/10. To me boxers are heroic and inspiring so I'm all in on this view. From the cheap seats,their practical reality is distant and murky.

In the real world I don't blame either guy for the choices they made. They were as imperfect as we all are.

 

After he beat Ali