TORNADO’S FANTASY DREAM FIGHTS: JOE FRAZIER VS MIKE TYSON

Posted on | November 9, 2011 | No Comments

By: Tony Penecale

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a special tribute to Joe Frazier’s recent passing after facing the final fight of his life against liver cancer. Though Mike Tyson and Joe Frazier were good friends, they would have made excellent opponents for each other in their respective prime years. This piece is a re-post of an older article by our boxing expert Tony Penecale. This Thursday night on our radio show at www.fightradio.info we will pay tribute to Joe with special guest and boxing historian Patrick McElligott. The live broadcast starts at 8PM EST.

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On July 26, 1986, Mike Tyson was on his meteoric path to becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he stepped into the ring against Marvis Frazier, son of the legendary Smokin Joe Frazier. Marvis, a decent fighter at 16-1, was most known for his only loss, a one-round destruction at the hands of Larry Holmes. When Tyson and Marvis came to the center of the ring for the pre-fight instructions, it was Smokin’ Joe initiating a stare-down with Iron Mike.

Unfortunately, that didn’t help Marvis in the ring, and within seconds, the younger Frazier would be slumped in the corner, victim of a devastating 1st-round knockout. Those who knew Joe Frazier could tell that he wished he was back in his prime so he could have taken on Tyson himself. For this fantasy matchup, we are going to pit the prime Smokin’ Joe Frazier (1971) vs. the most devastating Mike Tyson (1988). Would Joe have been able to stand up to Tyson’s destructive onslaught or would he have fallen victim like his son and many others? Could Tyson break Frazier’s indomitable will or would he be broken by it?

STATISTICS

Frazier: (all stats for bout on 3/8/71)
Age – 27 years old
Height – 5’11”
Weight – 205 lbs
Reach – 73”
Record – 26-0 (23)
Corner – Yank Durham, Eddie Futch

Tyson: (all stats for bout on 6/27/88)
Age – 21 years old
Height – 5’10”
Weight – 218 lbs
Reach – 71”
Record – 34-0 (30)
Corner – Kevin Rooney, Jay Bright

STYLE

Frazier:

Frazier fought out of a bob and weave style. Normally giving up height and reach advantages to his opponents, Frazier would come forward, bobbing and weaving to get inside, where he would grind his opponents with a punishing attack of body shots and hooks to the head.

Tyson:

Tyson utilized the classic peek-a-boo stance with his fists at his cheeks. Also much shorter than most adversaries, Tyson would use head movement and feints to get inside where he would blister opponents with a rapid two-fisted attack.

STRENGTHS

Frazier:

1) Left Hook – The punch was such a great weapon for Frazier that it became a trademark for the city of Philadelphia. Once inside, Frazier would set down and fire punishing hooks to the head and body. His power was capable of leveling an opponent with one punch, but most often it was an accumulation of hooks that brought them down.

2) Conditioning – Frazier came into every bout in tremendous shape. He would set a blistering pace from the start and would seemingly get stronger each round.

3) Will – Frazier came up working hard for everything he accomplished. There was no quit in him, no matter the circumstances.

Tyson:

1) Speed – Tyson could throw 4 punches in under a second. Even wide hooks and right hands came with such blistering speed that opponents could not see them, much less avoid them.

2) Power – Tyson had frightening power in both hands, most notably his left hook and right uppercut. Most opponents were dispatched in an efficient and often brutal manner.

3) Psychological Warfare – Tyson defeated many opponents before the first bell even rang. He fed off of their fear and had them going backwards from the start, which left them vulnerable to his attack.

WEAKNESSES

Frazier:

1) Slow Starter – Frazier often was not fast out of the gate. Many times he lost the early rounds and in his first fight with Oscar Bonavena, he was knocked down twice in the 2nd round.

2) Vulnerable Chin – As tough as he was, Frazier did not have a great chin. He was stunned on several occasions and the Bonavena fight nearly derailed his championship aspirations.

Tyson:

1) Mentality – Tyson was best when his opponents allowed him to run roughshod over them. But in the few cases when he met adversaries that could frustrate him, he would fall into bad habits of clinching and wild, ineffective punching. Evident in his fight with Bonecrusher Smith, he allowed Smith the clinch him at every opportunity, especially as the rounds progressed.

2) Footwork – While often overshadowed by his awesome offense, Tyson made frequent mistakes with his footwork, often getting square to his opponent or getting himself off-balance.

BEST PERFORMANCES
** Indicates Best Performance & the Version of the Fighter Used for this Matchup

Frazier:

1) ** Muhammad Ali (3/8/71) – In a battle that transcended boxing, it was a matchup between two undefeated heavyweights, each with a legitimate claim to the heavyweight title. In the buildup, Ali taunted Frazier and vowed to regain the title Frazier had won during the time Ali was exiled from boxing. Ali boxed well early but Frazier started to control the tempo around the 5th round, setting a torrid pace and punishing Ali with an onslaught of hooks and body punches. Frazier dominated over the final five rounds, staggering Ali badly in what Ferdie Pachecho titled “The Terrible 11th” and finally flooring him with a massive left hook in the 15th round en route to winning a unanimous decision.

2) Bob Foster (11-18-70) – Foster was the reigning light heavyweight champion with tremendous power in both hands. While his previous attempts at heavyweight offered him limited success, he was brutally dispatched on this night. Frazier came out early and walked through a solid right hand, pressing Foster and backing him on his heels. Seconds into the 2nd round, Frazier landed a quick left hook, depositing Foster on the canvas. When Foster rose unsteadily, he was met with a highlight Frazier hook, knocking him to the canvas where he was counted out.

3) Buster Mathis (3-4-68) – In a bout for the New York state recognition of the heavyweight title, two undefeated rivals met for the crown. Mathis owned an amateur win over Frazier and despite his bulk, he was naturally quicker and more agile. After being outboxed early, Frazier increased his attack and increasingly sapped his 245 lb opponent. By the 11th round, Mathis was out of steam and Frazier closed the show, forcing the referee to save a battered Mathis.

Tyson:

1) ** Michael Spinks (6-27-88) – Similar to the first Ali-Frazier bout, this one was where both combatants had legitimate claims to the real heavyweight title. Spinks owned two wins over the recognized champion Larry Holmes and had not lost the title in the ring. Tyson had unified all of the titles and sat atop the throne as undisputed champion. While it was hyped to be a superfight, the result was a super destruction as Tyson attacked the frightened Spinks as soon as the bell rang. Within a minute, Spinks found himself on his knees courtesy of a Tyson blow to the ribs. He rose to his feet but his vertical position was short-lived as a Tyson right hand knocked him back to the canvas where he was counted out with this head resting beneath the bottom rope. The fight was a mere 90 seconds from start to finish and solidified Tyson’s legend.

2) Larry Holmes (1-22-88) – Holmes hadn’t fought in 21 months prior to this fight but even at 38 years old, he was a respected challenger. His only losses were both disputed losses to Michael Spinks, and many considered him 50-0 as opposed to 48-2 going into this bout. But to Tyson, he was just another stepping stone. While Holmes was able to hold his own through the first three rounds, he found himself on the canvas early in the 4th, first from a Tyson right hand and then again from a follow-up barrage. Tyson cemented the win with a vicious right hand that left Holmes in a heap where he was counted out, the only stoppage defeat in his Hall-of-Fame career.

3) Trevor Berbick (11-22-86) – Tyson’s bid to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history came against brash and confident Berbick. Berbick’s attempts at mind games where quickly snuffed by Tyson’s fistic barrage which wobbled him at the end of the 1st round and put in on the canvas early in the 2nd. Tyson finished the job in memorable fashion, flattening Berbick with a left hook to the temple. When Berbick tried to rise, he comically fell two more times across the ring, prompting the referee to mercifully stop the fight.

QUESTIONS:

Frazier:
1) Can Frazier survive Tyson’s early onslaught?
2) Can Frazier counter Tyson’s advantage in size and speed?
3) Will Frazier be able to back Tyson up?

Tyson:
1) Can Tyson fight at Frazier’s tempo for 15 rounds?
2) Is Tyson able to fight going backwards?
3) How will Tyson react when Frazier hits him?

THE PREDICTION

After polling a number of people, both boxing fans and those involved in the sport (fighters, trainers, writers), the consensus has come back split. Many feel that Tyson would bounce Frazier off the canvas like a basketball and finish him early. Others feel that Frazier’s spirit would be too much for Tyson and he would extend him past the 5th round and smoke him. This brings back memories of an article in Ring Magazine back in the early 90s that pitted Tyson in his prime against virtually every notable heavyweight champion and he beat them all, Louis, Marciano, Dempsey, Liston, Foreman, Johnson, with the exception of two, Ali and … Frazier.

At the opening bell, both fighters would storm from their corners and meet up in the center of the ring. Frazier would be bobbing and weaving and trying to jab in to Tyson’s body. Tyson would have his guard high, looking for openings to land his right hand and left hook. The fighting would be in close early with Tyson trying to muscle Frazier off of him and blister him with combinations. A combination before the bell will stagger Frazier and he goes back to his corner on unsteady legs.

Tyson’s success will continue in the 2nd round as he fires a three-punch combination. While Frazier ducks under the first two punches, the final right hand will clip him on top of the head and send him to his knees. Frazier will be up at the count of four and will rush back into the fray, firing hooks to get Tyson’s respect. The fighters will exchange hooks, with Tyson’s landing a little faster and a little cleaner and Frazier will again find himself on the canvas with blood coming out of his mouth. But he will again rise and survive the round.

Frazier will keep advancing in the 3rd and 4th rounds, and while he is still getting the worst of the exchanges, he will be successful in landing some punches on Tyson, especially in close. Tyson would be reduced to throwing single punches instead of the combinations that carried him to his early rounds success. By the 5th round, despite two swollen eyes, Frazier will be picking up steam while Tyson would be clinching more and showing the first signs of backing up.

Joe will be smokin’ by round six and Tyson will be trying to slow him down firing body shots and trying to find a home for his uppercut but his punches won’t have the same force they did early. Frazier will have more success in dodging Tyson’s offense and finding a home for his own double hook, first to Tyson’s body and then to his head, which will also force Tyson to limit the use of his right hand as he is using that primarily more for defense.

Mentally and physically drained, Tyson will fight through conditions he is unaccustomed to with Frazier’s hooks leaving the right side of his face a swollen mess. By the 10th round, he will have little left and will be frequently moving backwards, while the naturally smaller Frazier will be muscling him and chopping him down. An assortment of left hooks will finally drop Tyson in the 11th round and even though he survives the round, the look of pain and confusion on his face is proof of the punishment he is absorbing. While his corner allows him to come out for the 12th round, Tyson is clearly a beaten fighter. His stance is square and he is standing straight up, instead of positioned in a crouch ready to attack. Frazier presses on without fear of retaliation and quickly has Tyson in a corner, where he hammers him with a two-fisted attack, dropping him to his knees, as the referee is jumping in to stop the contest.

For the next installment of Fantasy Dream Fights, it will be a battle of Puerto Rico as welterweights Miguel Cotto and Felix Trinidad square off. This matchup will be available on June 30.

YOU PICK THE WINNER:

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