George Foreman defended his NABF heavyweight title in a scheduled 12-round bout against Joe Frazier
Date: June 15, 1976
Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Hempstead, New York
George Foreman stance: orthodox
Joe Frazier stance: orthodox
George Foreman won the world heavyweight titles from Joe Frazier in January 1973. He made two successful defences before losing those titles to Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974. Foreman delayed his official return to the pro ranks for 15 months (he did have a night of exhibition fights against five consecutive opponents in the interim). His return was worth the wait as his first fight was an all time heavyweight classic against Ron Lyle. This win earned him the NABF heavyweight title.
Joe Frazier had enjoyed mixed fortunes since losing his heavyweight world titles to George Foreman. His first fight back had seen him earn a fairly narrow points win over Joe Bugner. This was followed by a rematch with Muhammad Ali, which he lost on points by a wide margin. Two stoppage wins, rematches against Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis, led to the third fight with Muhammad Ali in October 1975. Frazier lost the most famous heavyweight title fight of all time, and that loss came close to finishing both fighters. The big question, going into the Foreman rematch, was how much did Frazier have left.
Frazier weighed in at 224½ pounds. This was the heaviest of his career to date, and ½ pound heavier than Foreman. Frazier, also sported a new shaven-headed appearance. Perhaps the strangest detail about this fight was that Frazier was allowed to wear a contact lens in the ring.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
George Foreman - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/90
Joe Frazier - https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/147
Date: June 15, 1976
Venue: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Hempstead, New York
George Foreman stance: orthodox
Joe Frazier stance: orthodox
George Foreman won the world heavyweight titles from Joe Frazier in January 1973. He made two successful defences before losing those titles to Muhammad Ali in The Rumble in the Jungle in October 1974. Foreman delayed his official return to the pro ranks for 15 months (he did have a night of exhibition fights against five consecutive opponents in the interim). His return was worth the wait as his first fight was an all time heavyweight classic against Ron Lyle. This win earned him the NABF heavyweight title.
Joe Frazier had enjoyed mixed fortunes since losing his heavyweight world titles to George Foreman. His first fight back had seen him earn a fairly narrow points win over Joe Bugner. This was followed by a rematch with Muhammad Ali, which he lost on points by a wide margin. Two stoppage wins, rematches against Jerry Quarry and Jimmy Ellis, led to the third fight with Muhammad Ali in October 1975. Frazier lost the most famous heavyweight title fight of all time, and that loss came close to finishing both fighters. The big question, going into the Foreman rematch, was how much did Frazier have left.
Frazier weighed in at 224½ pounds. This was the heaviest of his career to date, and ½ pound heavier than Foreman. Frazier, also sported a new shaven-headed appearance. Perhaps the strangest detail about this fight was that Frazier was allowed to wear a contact lens in the ring.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
George Foreman - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/90
Joe Frazier - https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/147
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