How come Frazier couldn't beat Foreman?

Question

Yet he and Ali were pretty evenly matched, and Ali beat Foreman. Could someone who knows something about boxing explain this?
Thank you.

Answer 1

Joe Frazier fighting style was going to come right at you and stay at you until he punished you enough to knock you out or get the decision. Foreman had great power and he caught Joe early knocking him out. Foreman's knock out power was as great as any one in the history of boxing any division.
When Ali fought Foreman most experts did not think you could stand in front of Foreman and take his punishment. Ali stayed on the ropes not letting his head get hit very often but taking great punishment to his body and arms. At various times during every round Ali would hit Foreman with some hard shots to the head. Actually if you watch the fight it is like watching an amateur against a veteran boxer. Ali tired Foreman out and knocked him out in the 8th round.
It was all a matter of styles. Ali usually danced and stayed away from his opponents landing more punches and being in better condition got a decision or knock out. He didn't fight that way against Foreman rather used his defensive skills and head movement and was able to out box Foreman. Frazier was relentless in staying with fighters willing to take five shots just to land one. You can't do that against a puncher like Foreman but you can do that against a boxer like Ali. Ali had above average KO's but more often those were due to an accumulation of shots. Foreman was a harder puncher. Frazier fought the fight he knew how to fight it was good enough to beat Ali and to be undefeated until he met Foreman. Great question.

Answer 2

Styles make fights as someone already pointed out,Frazier was a perfect straight away fighter for Foreman's hard punches and didn't back off even when hurt, while Ali made Foreman miss so many times with his peekaboo style that tired foreman out,Frazier on the other hand gave Ali trouble because he could take many more punches from Ali than he would have taken from Foreman

Answer 3

Styles make fights. Ali is a boxer. Foreman a slugger and Frazier a pressure fighter.

This means Frazier was too small and an easy target for Foreman. He stood up and came forward. It paid dividends against Ali because he could pressure him but against Foreman. Foreman could tee off and hit the target regularly and be successful.

Ali was successful against Foreman for many reasons. I think he got lucky but I don't know whether he would have won a second fight. Foreman was young and inexperienced and never listened to his corner. Ali was older and more experienced and changed fight plans continuously to suit Foreman. This is what won the fight for Ali.

Answer 4

Frazier's style was tailor made for Foreman. Foreman's greatest strength was in throwing low hooks so Fraziers hunched over bobbing style just left him continually in Foreman's wheel house. If they fought 100 times Foreman would have won 99 of them. This was the ultimate definition of style makes fights. There styles didn't fit well at all and Frazier learned that the hard way. As for the second go round Frazier was pretty well a shot fighter after the Thrilla In Manilla. So his disadvantage was even bigger.

also the formula of fighter A beat fighter B and fighter B beat fighter C so fighter A beats fighter C, is never a realistic way to predict what will happen.

Answer 5

You can't judge if one fighter can beat another by who they lost to and who they've beat. Theres an expression in boxing thats used alot and Frazier-Foreman-Ali are perfect examples. "Styles Make Fights". Fraziers style was taylor made for Foreman. Frazier and Foreman were both brawlers and came in with looping punches and Foreman had a significant edge in power. And it showed. Now when Ali met Frazier for the first time it appeared as though Ali wasn't ready for Fraziers style. In their 2nd and 3rd fights though Ali knew how to handle a big puncher who was effective at cutting off the ring like that. Foreman couldn't beat Ali because Ali was smarter than Frazier. Ali knew how to think while fighting. He had a strategy and Foreman bought right into it. When Ali fought Frazier, Frazier seemed better conditioned than Foreman too. Foreman wasn't ready to go the distance with Ali and was completley spent by the 8th round. Frazier bobbed and weaved and moved his head pretty good, but he did it instinctivley. Sort of like a habit. Foreman seen this and capitalized. Ali could actually see Foremans big looping punches coming and that enabled him to lay on the ropes and block. Hope this answers your question.

Answer 6

Joe frazier couldn't handle Georges awesome punching power. Ali on the other hand when he beat Foreman used Foreman's strength against him while Foreman punched himself out Ali was resting playing rope a dope until he lowered the boom, I saw every fight It was strategy all the way through thats how Ali one. If you no history Ali also avenged his loss to Joe in that he beat him twice after. They say style makes fights well Ali has the style.

Answer 7

Frazier was small and had short arms and could not reach Foreman who had long arms with very powerful punches. While Ali is more or less as tall as Foreman, he does not punch as powerfully as Foreman. As a result, Frazier could come and get closer to Ali withstanding Ali's not so powerful punches but not Foreman's punches.

Answer 8

Styles make fights, as they say. Frazier's style was perfect fit against Ali - a charging slugger against a dancing and backpedalling boxer. In fighting Frazier, Ali was content of jabbing from the distance, unleashing 1-2's every now and then and dancing out of danger. In other words, even though Frazier was smaller than Ali (same size as Foreman), he kept charging in and didn't find any fierce resistance from Ali other than the latter's jabs and lead rights. On the other hand, Foreman was a big slugger who would trade blows with anyone, recklessly banging away with swinging and roundhouse punches until he knocked his opponent out. Against a charging Frazier, Foreman would stand his ground and go toe-to-toe with Smokin' Joe. Now, obviously, Foreman was bigger and stronger than Frazier and he packed knockout power on both fists so in a no-holds-barred exchange, he'd always get the better of his smaller opponent.

Answer 9

As most have said, Frazier was taylor-made for Foreman. His style of taking 3 punches to land 1 just didn't work vs Big George, just to damn strong. It is my belief that Joe Frazier lost to the only two men that could beat him - Ali and Forman - Ali was to fast and George too strong. I also believe that Frazier would have beaten any of the past heavyweight champions. That includes Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Sonny Liston, etc.

Answer 10

Styles make fights. Frazier was tailor made for Foreman. Frazier's style was to bore straight ahead with fairly good upper body movement and take three punches to land that one devastating left hook to the body or head. The problem with that when matched against Foreman, except if you're an iron chinned Ali or a gutsy Holyfield, is that you can't take three clubbing numbing punches that Big George was renown for. Foreman ate up sluggers that came right at him. Big George had problems with boxers, i.e. Ali, Holyfield, and Jimmy Young, men who were known for using lateral movement, fast with their hands and could counter punch well.