Joe Frazier in my opinion had the biggest heart i have ever seen..Joe Frazier went toe to toe with George Foreman,got knocked down 6 times but never knocked out.Who does that? Joe Frazier was not a big heavyweight but he loved to brawl.Hit big George Chuvalo with a left hook and broke his eye socket.Left hook knocked down Muhammed Ali..Incredible stamina.
"The first time i watched Joe Frazier, he was fighting Jerry Quarry and Jerry was giving hell of a whoopin to Joe..and Joe was like "oooohh i like that!!", and then i wanted Joe Frazier to die before i begin fighting" -George Foreman
Win loose or draw jerry quarry one of the most gamed fighters of all time! He fought everybody & ducked nobody, he fought muhammad ali , joe fraizer, ken norton, floyd patterson, ron lyle , ernie shavers, jimmy ellis, just to name a few i take my hat of to him with honor& humbleness as a legitamate heavyweight! Professional boxer! Period
Frazier was recognized as world champion by the athletic commissions of New York, Texas, Ilinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Maine, having won the title with a TKO of Buster Mathis in 1968. George Foreman made his professional debut on the undercard, knocking out Don Waldhelm at 1:54 of the 3rd round.
Quarry was "Game" against Frazier; Tough! But Frazier was Hard, a tremendous punching machine who just wore Quarry out. The both of them had a lot of Heart to stay in there.
I agree about Frazier's stamina. There are very few heavyweights that can call themself true pressure fighters. Unlike Mike Tyson that attacked furiously in spurts, and clinched to get breaks, Frazier kept pressure consistent breaking or wearing down his opponents. Most punchers are sprinters, and you can wait for them to get tired, that's how you get them. Frazier and Marciano were exceptions, where it was impossible to get rid of them and their onslaught. The only way to get rid of them was to knock them out, and that's easier said than done. Imagine having a beast like that in front of you for 10 rounds or more. Even if you win by points, you will take a brutal beating.
I was an avid boxing fan and saw this fight on closed circuit TV in a movie theatre. It's no wonder this was fight of the year. No other fighter had put up that kind of resistance against Frazier up to that time. I think I paid 6 dollars for this fight and fifteen dollars for the Ali-Frazier fight in March of 1971.