BoxRec

yancey wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

raylawpc wrote: Oh, to the contrary, I think he felt A LOT better. HE KNOCKED ALI ON HIS ASS - AND WON!!

Did he, though?

He got a beating and a half, even in victory. The toll it took is at least partly the reason he didnt fight again all year (while Ali was quick to return --- albeit he needed to more than the champ), and while Frazier would certainly have been in higher spirits afterward, he was totally drained by what Ali stuck him with.

Don't you think the style match-up plus the greatness of Ali would dictate that Frazier would HAVE to take lots of punishment in order to get his man?

This was never going to be a fight where the swarmer had the boxer out in short order.

raylawpc wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:And whats your trouble today, Ray?

Just because I disagree with you, I'm having "trouble?"

raylawpc wrote:

yancey wrote:"I'm not a big Ali fan but people rarely mention his inactivity as possibly being a factor in this result, didn't he only have something like 2 fights in 4 years when they fought?" Controversial

I don't see how you can say that the layoff is RARELY mentioned.

The layoff gets mentioned ALL the time. It is talking point NUMERO UNO by Ali fans on why Ali got whipped on 3/8/71.

The fact is that in the six months leading up to the FOTC, Ali had 18 rounds of activity in the ring, Frazier had 2.

Great post, Yancey, great post!!

yancey wrote:

raylawpc wrote:

yancey wrote:"I'm not a big Ali fan but people rarely mention his inactivity as possibly being a factor in this result, didn't he only have something like 2 fights in 4 years when they fought?" Controversial

I don't see how you can say that the layoff is RARELY mentioned.

The layoff gets mentioned ALL the time. It is talking point NUMERO UNO by Ali fans on why Ali got whipped on 3/8/71.

The fact is that in the six months leading up to the FOTC, Ali had 18 rounds of activity in the ring, Frazier had 2.

Great post, Yancey, great post!!

Thanks.

Great thread you started.

raylawpc wrote:

yancey wrote:

raylawpc wrote: Great post, Yancey, great post!!

Thanks.

Great thread you started.

Thanks Yancey. For you:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

raylawpc wrote:

Goodnight, Irene wrote:And whats your trouble today, Ray?

Just because I disagree with you, I'm having "trouble?"

No, I only sought to clarify what I meant by Frazier feeling no better.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:What the hell is that dent in Frazier's leg? Looks nasty.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Yeah, no kidding. I still remember the first time I saw that, learning about these guys as a kid in the mid-90's. It wasnt a photo, but rather footage of Ali talking with his jaw like that. Was sickening.

yancey wrote:

raylawpc wrote:

yancey wrote:
Thanks.

Great thread you started.

Thanks Yancey. For you:

What a warrior!

Thanks for posting it up, Ray.

BoxBuzz wrote:

yancey wrote:

raylawpc wrote: Thanks Yancey. For you:

What a warrior!

Thanks for posting it up, Ray.

The Irony of the S.I. Headline is that it is just the opposite. Without the comebacks Ali would not be a legend, just another former Champion IMHO. At that time Ali was no legend, just a loudmouth who claimed he was a legend....and apparently S.I. had bought in.

Thanks to Frazier...and to a lesser extent Foreman. (Why? Because the greatest thing Foreman ever did...was....you guessed it.....beat Frazier lol)

But before the fat lady finally sang, Ali was to become inconic genuinely as both a loudmouth AND a legend.

elmersalsa wrote:Frazier was a beast in that fight. He was devil possessed. I wish sometimes instead of Ali as an opponent that night should have been the great George Foreman. Would Foreman beat Smoking Joe the same way he did 2 years later in Jamaica? I think not. Frazier was a machine!

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

elmersalsa wrote:Frazier was a beast in that fight. He was devil possessed. I wish sometimes instead of Ali as an opponent that night should have been the great George Foreman. Would Foreman beat Smoking Joe the same way he did 2 years later in Jamaica? I think not. Frazier was a machine!

I guarantee you Yancey wouldnt want that.

No sane Frazier fan would. Great fighter, but you have a totally mythologised view of him the night he beat Ali, because of the opponent and gravity of the event. Thats actually pretty common. I often hear, "On the night he beat Ali, no HW ever would have beaten him!"

Romantic? Doubtless - seductively so.

Realistic? Not remotely.