When should Joe Frazier have retired?

Where's your $20 Million Dollars buddy? The cartels would have loved you, my friend you can be bought. Ha Ha Ha.

 

As I understand it, Frazier retired loaded he brought up a bunch of land that was going to make him richer and then he got duped by men in suits and left with nothing- I believe they used to take a % of his money that was only for access when he retired.

 

FOTC is the obvious answer. He already was well off financially at that point, it was only later in his life that he ended up poor due to bad decisions so whenever Joe retires, it still ends with the same outcome.

 

If Frazier wanted to maximise his own legacy, 1971. It's a no-brainer.

He would have retired as the 2nd undefeated heavyweight champion after Marciano with a dominant win over 31-0 Ali, who would have gone on to further Frazier's legacy and never avenge that defeat.

If Frazier wanted to maximise Ali and Foreman's legacies, 1976. Anyone picking 1976 or 1975 isn't thinking about Frazier's interests.

Frazier made millions from the 1st Ali fight and would have made millions more without punishment had he retired at the perfect time; 1-0 vs Ali, rather than 1-4 vs Ali and Foreman with 3 stoppage defeats.

10 fights too many, only winning 50% of them post-Ali 1. Yes he made more money at the time but the brain damage that comes with fighting on too long means you become less able to manage your money. The physical and psychological problems may well mean that you go broke when you otherwise would not have. Seeing as Frazier was virtually broke when he died (not to mention extremely resentful of Ali), it worked out very poorly for him.

Frazier arguably fumbled his legacy more than any other fighter in history.

 

Bit of a side note, but was Ali really ready to quit after the 14th or is this a bit of a myth?

 

"I retired from boxing. Boxing didn't retire me."- Andre Ward.

 

The dream would have even after Superfight 1 but Manila is not a bad call

 

He had sixty seven fights. How many times did he quit? He was done and had nothing to offer and Larry Holmes was beating the **** out of him round after round and he didn't quit. The only reason the fight was stopped is because Herbert Muhammad who was watching the fight at ringside sent a note to Angelo Dundee to stop it.

 

Well yes, I can't see Ali quitting, but it's often quoted when this fight is discussed.

 

He was way ahead on the cards and he knew it. He had literally knocked Joe's mouthpiece into the third row the previously round. He also made him take two steps back in the previous round. Worst come to worst he could have held or run the entire fifteenth round.

 

He'd have died before he quit. The man had an inner toughness that he doesn't get enough credit for. The whole deal about him being ready to quit is wishful thinking by people who are trying to will some way for Joe to have won that fight and proved he was the better man. IMO if there had been a 15th round he very easily could've hurt Joe Frazier very badly. Joe Frazier was a great champion but you couldn't clone and combine Joe Louis, Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, Larry Holmes and Sonny Liston into a single fighter and have that person do a friggin' thing if he had to fight blind.

 

He had Joe staggered twice in the fourteenth round and knocked his mouthpiece into the third row. It might have been the thirteenth. In any case he had his mouthpiece knocked out twice in that fight.