Joe Frazier delivers hellacious beating to Ali.

[CarlosG815]

No other fighter Ali ever faced forced him to miss so many punches, countered him, and landed so many devastating punches to the face of Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier beat the living snot out of Ali and it almost looked as if Frazier was on a whole other level and it was as if Ali was not the same class fighter as Joe Frazier.

What other fighter in history could have handled Ali the way Frazier man handled him?

[StarshipTrooper]

No other fighter Ali ever faced forced him to miss so many punches, countered him, and landed so many devastating punches to the face of Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier beat the living snot out of Ali and it almost looked as if Frazier was on a whole other level and it was as if Ali was not the same class fighter as Joe Frazier.

What other fighter in history could have handled Ali the way Frazier man handled him?

It was a reasonably close fight and Frazier took as big a beating as Ali did, hence the reason Joe spent the next two weeks in the hospital. I know Joe's one of your favs but let's not get carried away here

Poet

[joseph5620]

No other fighter Ali ever faced forced him to miss so many punches, countered him, and landed so many devastating punches to the face of Muhammad Ali. Joe Frazier beat the living snot out of Ali and it almost looked as if Frazier was on a whole other level and it was as if Ali was not the same class fighter as Joe Frazier.

What other fighter in history could have handled Ali the way Frazier man handled him?

Two things: Frazier took an enormous amount of punishment too. He didn't walk away unscathed. This was not Holmes-Cobb.


Let's not pretend this was Ali at his sharpest either. A total of 17 rounds after almost four years of inactivity.

[CarlosG815]

It was a reasonably close fight and Frazier took as big a beating as Ali did, hence the reason Joe spent the next two weeks in the hospital. I know Joe's one of your favs but let's not get carried away here

Poet

Poet I am aware that Ali delivered a beating to Frazier but that is besides the point. My point is before this time Ali looked untouchable and totally outmatched any he stepped into the ring with. It wasn't until Ali fought Frazier that he looked human. It is the worst beating that Ali ever took, outside of later fights like Holmes and Berbick.

[CarlosG815]

Two things: Frazier took an enormous amount of punishment too. He didn't walk away unscathed. This was not Holmes-Cobb.


Let's not pretend this was Ali at his sharpest either. A total of 17 rounds after almost four years of inactivity.

Joseph this argument is old and tired. Ali had 2 fights, 2 camps, and plenty of time to get into shape. I am sick of people pretending like you need to fight for 2 years to shake off ring rust. Could Ali not find sparring partners for his previous two fights? Was there nobody to spar with prior to his fight with Frazier? Why was he only able to fight 17 rounds after his 4 year layoff prior to Frazier?

You are downplaying Frazier's brilliant performance by saying that Ali was rusty and not at his sharpest, when the fact is, that was a version of Ali who had 2 fights, 2 camps, and had the same opportunity to get into shape for the fight as Frazier did.

Nowhere did I say that Frazier did not take a beating, I am saying Ali took a pounding like we never saw him take before.

[StarshipTrooper]

Poet I am aware that Ali delivered a beating to Frazier but that is besides the point. My point is before this time Ali looked untouchable and totally outmatched any he stepped into the ring with. It wasn't until Ali fought Frazier that he looked human. It is the worst beating that Ali ever took, outside of later fights like Holmes and Berbick.

Ali looked untouchable BEFORE the three year layoff. When he came back that fighter was gone forever. He was simply never the same. Still good enough to beat most greats, but not the fighter that was regarded as the best ever at Heavy. You simply don't go away for three years without paying a price and the price Ali paid was his legs and to a lesser extent his reflexes.

Poet

[joseph5620]

Joseph this argument is old and tired. Ali had 2 fights, 2 camps, and plenty of time to get into shape. I am sick of people pretending like you need to fight for 2 years to shake off ring rust. Could Ali not find sparring partners for his previous two fights? Was there nobody to spar with prior to his fight with Frazier? Why was he only able to fight 17 rounds after his 4 year layoff prior to Frazier?

You are downplaying Frazier's brilliant performance by saying that Ali was rusty and not at his sharpest, when the fact is, that was a version of Ali who had 2 fights, 2 camps, and had the same opportunity to get into shape for the fight as Frazier did.

Nowhere did I say that Frazier did not take a beating, I am saying Ali took a pounding like we never saw him take before.

Ali was not the same fighter after his lay off. He did not have the same legs or stamina. You don't just get that back after 2 fights and two camps. You can look at tapes of Ali before the lay off and after to see that. Not just against Frazier but Bonevena and Quarry too regarding his timing.




I take nothing away from Frazier. He did what most fighters in history would not have been able to do even with that version of Ali. But it was not prime Ali.

[SBleeder]

Joseph this argument is old and tired. Ali had 2 fights, 2 camps, and plenty of time to get into shape. I am sick of people pretending like you need to fight for 2 years to shake off ring rust. Could Ali not find sparring partners for his previous two fights? Was there nobody to spar with prior to his fight with Frazier? Why was he only able to fight 17 rounds after his 4 year layoff prior to Frazier?

Anyone who's boxed knows that sparring is no substitute for competitive fighting.

I'd make a comment about Mike Tyson's abilities after his prison stint, but that would give you more ammo.

[Scott9945]

Ali looked untouchable BEFORE the three year layoff. When he came back that fighter was gone forever. He was simply never the same. Still good enough to beat most greats, but not the fighter that was regarded as the best ever at Heavy. You simply don't go away for three years without paying a price and the price Ali paid was his legs and to a lesser extent his reflexes.

Poet

You couldn't see it in the abbreviated Quarry fight, but the Bonavena fight clearly showed that the Ali of the 1960's was gone forever.

[Holtol]

I don't favour anyone to beat Ali. I give Joe Louis and Marciano the best chance. Frazier did very well against Ali.