How good was Frank "The Animal" Fletcher

kovit · Post by **kovit** » 31 Jan 2004, 00:36

I would like to know how good was Frank "the Animal" Fletcher and how tall was he? Can anyone find out?

crooked nose · Post by **crooked nose** » 31 Jan 2004, 16:57

Frank Fletcher was one of those cement-headed free-swinging middleweights that NBC was in love with in the early eighties. Others were Hamsho, Scypion, Parker, Lee. They were in a contest called "Who's Next To Get Pounded By Hagler?" Fletcher was exciting but limited. Never got a title shot. Can't recall who it was he lost to. As far as height, I think he was a little shorter than the average middleweight.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 31 Jan 2004, 20:14

Frank 'the Animal' Fletcher was one of the most exciting fighters I ve ever seen... every fight was a war... at his best he just seemed impervious to punishment. He won the USBA Middleweight title and defended it a number of times in bloody wars ...he was a top contender to Hagler but Hagler didn't seem that eager to fight him. I m not saying he wouldve beaten Hagler but he'd have really given him trouble and I'd have given him a chance against him at his best.

But the Animals prime only lasted a few fights... his management put him into too many wars :( one after the other (he was a top tv attraction) and it burnt him out... he lost on points to Wilfred Scypion (losing his Usba title) :x then was koed by Juan Roldan and John 'Beast' Mugubi.... after a few more fights that was it...

but for a while he was a real miricale man ...just wading through opposition like a Black Marciano... if he'd been nurtured a bit more and handled better he would have had a much longer career....
Unfortunately Frank is now in prison... as is his brother Anthony Fletcher... who was also a boxer and actually the more skilled... at Lightweight...
Frank was 5 foot 8 and fought out of a croutch...

he was one of the shortest Middles around... but one of his opponents whom he beat in a thriller James Green was even shorter ...5 feet 3 or 3 and a half... which is one of the shortest middles/light-Middles ever as far as I know....

8) 8)

kovit · Post by **kovit** » 31 Jan 2004, 23:54

Thanks you guys for telling me the answer about this fighter and how come James "Hard Rock" Green was 5'5" on his record in this site?

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 01 Feb 2004, 01:59

Juan Roldan, not much of a stylist himself, knocked Fletcher right through the ropes and roughed him up pretty good in the Hagler-Duran undercard at Caesars Palace. After that vicious KO the ring doctor asked Frank if he knew where he was and he answered: "Yeah...'The Sands'".

I don't know who it was quoted afterwards saying: "He probably thought he was at The Sands even before the fight had started. He didn't earn the nickname 'The Animal' exclusively from his boxing style, you know"

zurdo · Post by **zurdo** » 01 Feb 2004, 02:52

Fletcher didn't get a shot because he lost a decision to Wilford Scypion ,who got to fight Hagler instead..

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 01 Feb 2004, 12:24

I remember reading in 80s how James Green was only 5 foot 3....

actually I believe that Animal Fletcher was 5 feet 7 rather than 5 feet 8 as I previously said!.. :x .. I'm afraid Kovit has got me into this height thing now!!!....

turn2stone · Post by **turn2stone** » 01 Feb 2004, 14:29

About Frank not remember where he was.....
i read a similar line:
"they call him frank 'the animal' fletcher, not frank 'the genius' fletcher."
I wouldn't want to tangle with his Mom either. Not sure of her height though

Broncano · Post by **Broncano** » 01 Feb 2004, 18:27

Thankyou Turn2, thats the quote that I was thinking about and my paraphrasing was a little distorted to say the least.

zurdo · Post by **zurdo** » 02 Feb 2004, 02:55

Frank The Animal.. got his first big break in Boxing in the original ESPN tournament...he was the middleweight champ...Dwight Braxton(laterQawi) was the light heavyweight champ...

wouter · Post by **wouter** » 02 Feb 2004, 06:23

I remember reading that Frank Fletcher had a routine before the fight with a women at ringside who was supposed to be his mother. Does anyone know what that was about?

turn2stone · Post by **turn2stone** » 02 Feb 2004, 06:57

I remember the NBC camera would stay on his mother, while she screeched during the whole fight. It was funny the 1st time. But NBC would often give her an inset picture in the bottom corner and turn the mic up during the fight. got boring and headache-inducing after a while. Of course, it was always heart warming to see her lead the crowd in a chant of "ANIMAL...ANIMAL...ANIMAL !!!!"

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 02 Feb 2004, 07:40

silkov wrote:I remember reading in 80s how James Green was only 5 foot 3.... actually I believe that Animal Fletcher was 5 feet 7 rather than 5 feet 8 as I previously said!.. :x .. I'm afraid Kovit has got me into this height thing now!!!....

Fletcher 5'7"

Green 5'5"

As Harry Carpenter once said about Green, "Squat little man, only 5'5", but he's full of dynamite".

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 02 Feb 2004, 08:00

zurdo wrote:Fletcher didn't get a shot because he lost a decision to Wilford Scypion ,who got to fight Hagler instead..

That's right - Frank was all lined up for a shot and made the bad mistake of taking on Scypion as a warm up ( or payday ) - big upset, and a shame too.
Blew his big payday, and everyone was looking forward to seeing one of TV's most exciting fighters of the early 80's get in with Hagler. Not that he would've won, but I'm sure he'd have put up a better showing than Scypion did.
I think it was his early win over big hitting Slammin' Sammy NeSmith that was one of the fights of the year.
Had a brother who was very good too, Anthony Two Gun Fletcher - now on Death Row...

http://www.survivingthesystem.com/fletcher_anthony.htm