Why is Joe Frazier so underrated on here?

Yes, and in arguably the greatest HW fight ever.

 

The toughest fights for Usyk would be against comparably sized and even some smaller HW greats of the past whose P4P and absolute skills far exceeded those of today’s behemoths.

 

Usyk would make him look foolish

 

He certainly landed loads more punches than Usyk. It’s infuriating how risk averse many of the so-called elite modern day boxers are.

I’m not even Frazier’s biggest fan; in fact, I’m one of those people who you’ve lamented in your OP who don’t rate Frazier particularly high, but I still think he beats Usyk head to head.

 

Fraziers lack of results against the top fighters of his era are noticed especially the larger ones. He's 1-4 against Ali and Foreman and didn't fight Norton, Jimmy Young, Lyle or Shavers. Bugner and Buster Mathis gave him trouble. Hes a smaller HW whose resume is mostly destroying other small HWs and whom was noticeably less effective against big ones.

Most of the HWs mentioned above did fight each other and their battles produced the most respected HW era in history. This makes Fraziers failure to be part of that stand out even more. Theres no proof that Frazier having 9 title defenses and those guys not having that is anything more than timing.


Another big factor is as children most people start off having Frazier as a top 5 HW ever. Just a smidgen below Ali. If most non boxing people had to name 5 HWs Frazier would be on most peoples lists. And his resume is just not that. When peoples opinions of Frazier are starting from that high up its hard to avoid the conclusion hes overrated when you look closer. They won't be going in the other direction. For someone to be "underrated" you've got to be starting with a lower opinion of them then what they actually are and with Frazier theres nowhere to go but down.

Fraziers smaller than Ali and basically fought him to a draw over three fights thats amazing but look past that theres not alot there. Boxing history people aren't going to spend a lot of time gushing about Ali v Frazier because thats been done to the moon and back over the past 50 years. You shouldn't have to come to places like this to hear stories about how great Joe Frazier was.

 

In more recent times he has been displaced from my personal top ten by Lewis,Holyfield, and Tyson,but then ,so has Marciano.
Both now are in my 12th /14th category.

 

Seriously? He beat the greatest heavyweight who ever lived, Usyk
has beaten,,,?????

 

Guys who make Frazier look like a child

 

Everyone has him top ten all time. Not everyone thinks he’d beat Luis Ortiz.

 

He's in the top ten for me, although at the 9 or 10 spot. He had the best win perhaps in heavyweight history, and Joe fought very few bums his record was not padded at all, unlike many. George Foreman could crush anyone, period. If Frazier had fought Lyle, Shavers etc I favor him over both of them. I rate Larry Holmes 5 all time but h2h I can see Frazier beating him. I also think Joe beats Holyfield, and though I think Tyson would take Frazier out in 4-5 if he lasts past 6 I'd favor him to win against Tyson down the stretch.

 

Actually, surprisingly, he recently won a poll against Holmes, and a lot of guys pick him against Usyk.

I love Joe and I love Usyk, so I don't argue it too greatly either way.

 

This, really.

I don't think his resume is the disregarded in the slightest. It's just that many feel, hypothetically, that a 205 lbs swarmer who didn't have an oustanding chin or outstanding power wouldn't match up great with the increasingly bigger HWs of later eras. But it's rare to see him outside the top 10.

 

It's more in recent years there is a narrative to question the past more and Frazier just happens to fall into it as he fought in one of the most popular heavyweight era's.

I don't really know about underrated or overrated per se.

 

That doesn't suprise me at all. I also think Joe would be murder in there for anyone who can't just pound him into the canvas.

 

Both for mine imo