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“Smokin” Joe Frazier: Much More Than A Raw Slugger…LOTIERZO
“What it look like?” That was his way of saying hello, how are you. Yep, when former heavyweight champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier entered his gym on North Broad St. in Philadelphia circa 1977-82, that’s how he greeted you. As the world now knows Joe passed away this week at the age of 67 from liver cancer. It’s a sad day for the boxing community. Joe Frazier was a real fighter and represented everything that made boxing at one time a great and first tier sport, which everyone reading this knows is not the case today.
Joe Frazier is without a doubt one of the top-10 greatest heavyweight champions in boxing history, and probably falls somewhere in between six and 10. As a fighter, Joe certainly left his mark in the annals of heavyweight history. He had the best left-hook in the history of the division, he was also one of the best body punchers, with both hands, that the division has ever seen. Frazier was also the most unrelenting and tireless swarmer, regardless of weight, that you could ever hope to see and he carried his power late into the fight and got stronger as the bout progressed.
When you hear about a fighter cutting off the ring, the conversation begins and ends with Frazier, just ask Muhammad Ali. Joe was hard to hit and was very underrated when the art of making an opponent miss and then making them pay is discussed. Frazier was at the head of the class when it came to slipping the jab while bobbing and weaving coming underneath his opponents’ punches with heavy handed hooks and body shots.
Over the next few weeks there will be countless eulogies written on Joe Frazier, however, there will be some incorrect assumptions made that must be refuted and addressed. And the one that will be mentioned most often is that Joe took a lot of physical punishment and abuse during his career. In fact, I’ve already read where one Philadelphia writer wrote that “as much punishment as Frazier dished out, he absorbed twice as much.” Are you kidding me! How could such a supposedly informed and respected writer state something so blatantly wrong?
The fact of the matter is, Joe Frazier endured significant punishment in perhaps only four or five of his 37 professional bouts, that’s it. Don’t take my word, go back and watch the fight films of his career. The reality is, Joe’s face was only marked up after his three fights against Muhammad Ali and two fights versus George Foreman. Think about it, how many fighters lasted that long with Frazier and were competitive with him?
How many fighters can say they fought Frazier on even terms for what would be considered a long or damaging fight? The answer is two, Oscar Bonavena and Muhammad Ali. Joe was virtually unmarked at the end of both fights with Bonavena, and after having a little trouble with him in his 11th pro bout, Joe handled Oscar in their rematch two years later winning no less than 11 of the 15 rounds the fight went. Oscar was a very strong and physical fighter, but he was no life taker and certainly didn’t beat Joe up or work him over. Sure, he got through cleanly on occasion, but not to the degree where anyone with clear vision would consider it sustained punishment, not at all.
Then there are the three fights with Muhammad Ali. The first and third were grueling and both fighters endured monumental punishment. But in reality, Muhammad probably endured more punishment than Joe did. As much as Ali hit Joe, Frazier was more slowed by the swelling around his eyes than the actual beating he sustained. In fact after Manila, Frazier managed to dance and party some at the post fight celebration while Ali sat there and then retired to his suite shortly afterward. And then there’s George Foreman, who was too big and had the perfect style and artillery to beat Joe. But, the first fight only lasted five minutes and Joe was down six times and didn’t suffer sustained punishment. In the rematch three years later, Joe stayed away from George for the first four rounds, then Foreman caught him in the fifth and the fight ended shortly thereafter.
The reality is Joe Frazier had four tough fights, Bonavena I & II and Ali I & III. The Foreman fights didn’t last long enough to be that damaging. Hearing Bob Arum say on ESPN SportsCenter that Joe came forward and took a lot of punishment before he unleashed his left hook is a joke. No greater authority than Muhammad Ali refutes Arum’s misstatement. It was after the third round of the “Fight Of The Century” that Ali went back to his corner and said to his trainer Angelo Dundee, “I thought this guy was supposed to be easy to hit, I can’t find the SOB.” Over the years Ali has often said that Joe Frazier was extremely hard to hit and no fighter made him miss more punches and combination’s than he did.
Hopefully, those who dispute this will go back and watch Joe’s bouts against Eddie Machen, Doug Jones, George “Scrap Iron” Johnson, George Chuvalo, Buster Mathis, Manuel Ramos, Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Ellis, Bob Foster, Ron Stander and Joe Bugner. Go back and watch those fights and see what Joe’s face looked like during the post fight interview. He’s virtually unmarked and not even breathing heavy.
Joe Frazier didn’t take punches like Arturo Gatti or Chuck Wepner when he fought like it has been said over the years. It’s a complete myth that he endured brutal punishment throughout his career. Joe was only out-gunned by Foreman, who is probably the strongest and most powerful heavyweight champ in history. Who wouldn’t be out-gunned by Foreman circa 1973-76? The only time Frazier left the ring and looked like the loser were after his bouts with Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. This is not a matter of opinion, it’s fact, the films don’t lie.
Everything about Joe Frazier was understated except his left-hook. And let us never forget that Frazier won the biggest, most anticipated and comprehensively covered sporting event in history. Frazier-Ali I is no doubt the biggest sporting event of all time, and Frazier won it conclusively and refused to be denied. And if there was never a Joe Frazier, the legend of Muhammad Ali wouldn’t be as iconic and deep as it is today. Joe forced Ali to be great and dig down deeper and go to the well more so than any other fighter he faced, and Ali’s legend grew as a result of that.
Only one fighter can lay claim to winning the biggest fight of all time and take that to his grave forever, his name is “Smokin” Joe Frazier.
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Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Usyk Outpoints Fury and Itauma has the “Wow Factor” in Riyadh
Oleksandr Usyk left no doubt that he is the best heavyweight of his generation and one of the greatest boxers of all time with a unanimous decision over Tyson Fury tonight at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. But although the Ukrainian won eight rounds on all three scorecards, this was no runaway. To pirate a line from one of the DAZN talking heads, Fury had his moments in every round but Usyk had more moments.
The early rounds were fought at a faster pace than the first meeting back in May. At the mid-point, the fight was even. The next three rounds – the next five to some observers – were all Usyk who threw more punches and landed the cleaner shots.
Fury won the final round in the eyes of this reporter scoring at home, but by then he needed a knockout to pull the match out of the fire.
The last round was an outstanding climax to an entertaining chess match during which both fighters took turns being the pursuer and the pursued.
An Olympic gold medalist and a unified world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight, the amazing Usyk improved his ledger to 23-0 (14). His next fight, more than likely, will come against the winner of the Feb. 22 match in Ridayh between Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker which will share the bill with the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Fury (34-2-1) may fight Anthony Joshua next. Regardless, no one wants a piece of Moses Itauma right now although the kid is only 19 years old.
Moses Itauma
Raised in London by a Nigerian father and a Slovakian mother, Itauma turned heads once again with another “wow” performance. None of his last seven opponents lasted beyond the second round.
His opponent tonight, 34-year-old Australian Demsey McKean, lasted less than two minutes. Itauma, a southpaw with blazing fast hands, had the Aussie on the deck twice during the 117-second skirmish. The first knockdown was the result of a cuffing punch that landed high on the head; the second knockdown was produced by an overhand left. McKean went down hard as his chief cornerman bounded on to the ring apron to halt the massacre.
Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs after going 20-0 as an amateur) is the real deal. It was the second straight loss for McKean (22-2) who lasted into the 10th round against Filip Hrgovic in his last start.
Bohachuk-Davis
In a fight billed as the co-main although it preceded Itauma-McKean, Serhii Bohachuk, an LA-based Ukrainian, stopped Ishmael Davis whose corner pulled him out after six frames.
Both fighters were coming off a loss in fights that were close on the scorecards, Bohachuk falling to Vergil Ortiz Jr in a Las Vegas barnburner and Davis losing to Josh Kelly.
Davis, who took the fight on short notice, subbing for Ismail Madrimov, declined to 13-2. He landed a few good shots but was on the canvas in the second round, compliments of a short left hook, and the relentless Bohachuk (25-2, 24 KOs) eventually wore him down.
Fisher-Allen
In a messy, 10-round bar brawl masquerading as a boxing match, Johnny Fisher, the Romford Bull, won a split decision over British countryman David Allen. Two judges favored Fisher by 95-94 tallies with the dissenter favoring Allen 96-93. When the scores were announced, there was a chorus of boos and those watching at home were outraged.
Allen was a step up in class for Fisher. The Doncaster man had a decent record (23-5-2 heading in) and had been routinely matched tough (his former opponents included Dillian Whyte, Luis “King Kong” Ortiz and three former Olympians). But Allen was fairly considered no more than a journeyman and Fisher (12-0 with 11 KOs, eight in the opening round) was a huge favorite.
In round five, Allen had Fisher on the canvas twice although only one was ruled a true knockdown. From that point, he landed the harder shots and, at the final bell, he fell to canvas shedding tears of joy, convinced that he had won.
He did not win, but he exposed Johnny Fisher as a fighter too slow to compete with elite heavyweights, a British version of the ponderous Russian-Canadian campaigner Arslanbek Makhmudov.
Other Bouts of Note
In a spirited 10-round featherweight match, Scotland’s Lee McGregor, a former European bantamweight champion and stablemate of former unified 140-pound title-holder Josh Taylor, advanced to 15-1-1 (11) with a unanimous decision over Isaac Lowe (25-3-3). The judges had it 96-92 and 97-91 twice.
A cousin and regular houseguest of Tyson Fury, Lowe fought most of the fight with cuts around both eyes and was twice deducted a point for losing his gumshield.
In a fight between super featherweights that could have gone either way, Liverpool southpaw Peter McGrail improved to 11-1 (6) with a 10-round unanimous decision over late sub Rhys Edwards. The judges had it 96-95 and 96-94 twice.
McGrail, a Tokyo Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, fought from the third round on with a cut above his right eye, the result of an accidental clash of heads. It was the first loss for Edwards (16-1), a 24-year-old Welshman who has another fight booked in three weeks.
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Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
Fury-Usyk Reignited: Can the Gypsy King Avenge his Lone Defeat?
In professional boxing, the heavyweight division, going back to the days of John L. Sullivan, is the straw that stirs the drink. By this measure, the fight on May 18 of this year at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was the biggest prizefight in decades. The winner would emerge as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 when Lennox Lewis out-pointed Evander Holyfield in their second meeting.
The match did not disappoint. It had several twists and turns.
Usyk did well in the early rounds, but the Gypsy King rattled Usyk with a harsh right hand in the fifth stanza and won rounds five through seven on all three cards. In the ninth, the match turned sharply in favor of the Ukrainian. Fury was saved by the bell after taking a barrage of unanswered punches, the last of which dictated a standing 8-count from referee Mark Nelson. But Fury weathered the storm and with his amazing powers of recuperation had a shade the best of it in the final stanza.
The decision was split: 115-112 and 114-113 for Usyk who became a unified champion in a second weight class; 114-113 for Fury.
That brings us to tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 21) where Usyk and Fury will renew acquaintances in the same ring where they had their May 18 showdown.
The first fight was a near “pick-‘em” affair with Fury closing a very short favorite at most of the major bookmaking establishments. The Gypsy King would have been a somewhat higher favorite if not for the fact that he was coming off a poor showing against MMA star Francis Ngannou and had a worrisome propensity for getting cut. (A cut above Fury’s right eye in sparring pushed back the fight from its original Feb. 11 date.)
Tomorrow’s sequel, bearing the tagline “Reignited,” finds Usyk a consensus 7/5 favorite although those odds could shorten by post time. (There was no discernible activity after today’s weigh-in where Fury, fully clothed, topped the scales at 281, an increase of 19 pounds over their first meeting.)
Given the politics of boxing, anything “undisputed” is fragile. In June, Usyk abandoned his IBF belt and the organization anointed Daniel Dubois their heavyweight champion based upon Dubois’s eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic in a bout billed for the IBF interim title. The malodorous WBA, a festering boil on the backside of boxing, now recognizes 43-year-old Kubrat Pulev as its “regular” heavyweight champion.
Another difference between tomorrow’s fight card and the first installment is that the May 18 affair had a much stronger undercard. Two strong pairings were the rematch between cruiserweights Jai Opetaia and Maris Briedis (Opetaia UD 12) and the heavyweight contest between unbeatens Agit Kabayal and Frank Sanchez (Kabayel KO 7).
Tomorrow’s semi-wind-up between Serhii Bohachuk and Ismail Madrimov lost luster when Madrimov came down with bronchitis and had to withdraw. The featherweight contest between Peter McGrail and Dennis McCann fell out when McCann’s VADA test returned an adverse finding. Bohachuk and McGrail remain on the card but against late-sub opponents in matches that are less intriguing.
The focal points of tomorrow’s undercard are the bouts involving undefeated British heavyweights Moses Itauma (10-0, 8 KOs) and Johnny Fisher (12-0, 11 KOs). Both are heavy favorites over their respective opponents but bear watching because they represent the next generation of heavyweight standouts. Fury and Usyk are getting long in the tooth. The Gypsy King is 36; Usyk turns 38 next month.
Bob Arum once said that nobody purchases a pay-per-view for the undercard and, years from now, no one will remember which sanctioning bodies had their fingers in the pie. So, Fury-Usyk II remains a very big deal, although a wee bit less compelling than their first go-around.
Will Tyson Fury avenge his lone defeat? Turki Alalshikh, the Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and the unofficial czar of “major league” boxing, certainly hopes so. His Excellency has made known that he stands poised to manufacture a rubber match if Tyson prevails.
We could have already figured this out, but Alalshikh violated one of the protocols of boxing when he came flat out and said so. He effectively made Tyson Fury the “A-side,” no small potatoes considering that the most relevant variable on the checklist when handicapping a fight is, “Who does the promoter need?”
The Uzyk-Fury II fight card will air on DAZN with a suggested list price of $39.99 for U.S. fight fans. The main event is expected to start about 5:45 pm ET / 2:45 pm PT.
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Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
Unheralded Bruno Surace went to Tijuana and Forged the TSS 2024 Upset of the Year
The Dec. 14 fight at Tijuana between Jaime Munguia and Bruno Surace was conceived as a stay-busy fight for Munguia. The scuttlebutt was that Munguia’s promoters, Zanfer and Top Rank, wanted him to have another fight under his belt before thrusting him against Christian Mbilli in a WBC eliminator with the prize for the winner (in theory) a date with Canelo Alvarez.
Munguia came to the fore in May of 2018 at Verona, New York, when he demolished former U.S. Olympian Sadam Ali, conqueror of Miguel Cotto. That earned him the WBO super welterweight title which he successfully defended five times.
Munguia kept winning as he moved up in weight to middleweight and then super middleweight and brought a 43-0 (34) record into his Cinco de Mayo 2024 match with Canelo.
Jaime went the distance with Alvarez and had a few good moments while losing a unanimous decision. He rebounded with a 10th-round stoppage of Canada’s previously undefeated Erik Bazinyan.
There was little reason to think that Munguia would overlook Surace as the Mexican would be fighting in his hometown for the first time since February of 2022 and would want to send the home folks home happy. Moreover, even if Munguia had an off-night, there was no reason to think that the obscure Surace could capitalize. A Frenchman who had never fought outside France, Surace brought a 25-0-2 record and a 22-fight winning streak, but he had only four knockouts to his credit and only eight of his wins had come against opponents with winning records.
It appeared that Munguia would close the show early when he sent the Frenchman to the canvas in the second round with a big left hook. From that point on, Surace fought mostly off his back foot, throwing punches in spurts, whereas the busier Munguia concentrated on chopping him down with body punches. But Surace absorbed those punches well and at the midway point of the fight, behind on the cards but nonplussed, it now looked as if the bout would go the full 10 rounds with Munguia winning a lopsided decision.
Then lightning struck. Out of the blue, Surace connected with an overhand right to the jaw. Munguia went down flat on his back. He rose a fraction-of-a second before the count reached “10,”, but stumbled as he pulled himself upright. His eyes were glazed and referee Juan Jose Ramirez, a local man, waived it off. There was no protest coming from Munguia or his cornermen. The official time was 2:36 of round six.
At major bookmaking establishments, Jaime Munguia was as high as a 35/1 favorite. No world title was at stake, yet this was an upset for the ages.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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