Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier II - Jan 28, 1974 - Entire fight - Rounds 1 - 12 & Interviews 

In my 70s, dying of cancer, words can't express what seeing this again means to me. There was no greater champion than Ali, he faced no challenger greater than Smokin' Joe Frazier. Whether you realize it or not, you're looking at the 2 greatest boxers that ever drew the breath of life.

RIP Joe Frazier (2011) RIP Muhammad Ali (2016)

Cosell was right. They rarely talk about Ali's ability to take a punch. Had one of the best chins of all time.

This was when heavyweight boxing was great, I watched these fights as a teenager and it's great to be able to step back in time to enjoy this fight all over again.

I have all the respect in the world for Joe Frazier. When he fought Muhammad Ali he took the fight to him, never backed down and was never intimidated. Most fighters feared Muhammad Ali Joe Frazier didn't.

One of the best performances in Ali's career, all things considered. Brilliant gameplan too: circle to the left and jab, plant your feet and let your shots off when Frazier closes distance, tie him up when Frazier gets too close, repeat. Just beautiful boxing.

Two legends now dead

How Foreman tormented Joe..how Ali beat Foreman calmly.. that's Boxing of legends! Foreman the strongest! Joe Fastest! Ali fastest, smartest and best defender plus the most stylish of all.

Love The Shuffle in the last round. Ever the showman was Ali.

His movement, his punches, the way he dodges, his style, his attitude and wit, -everything about him is what makes him the greatest. He was so fluent, made it look so simple and easy. I guess its just like what Bruce Lee said, simplicity is the key to brillance. The guy was ahead of his time!.

Absolute masterclass by Ali.... totally underrated fight!

Joe Frazier had just 3 things,that left hook,an unbelievable chin and natural born toughness..

Ali showed in this fight that he had learned all the right lessons from their first fight. In this fight, unlike the first one, Ali clinched with Joe when they were on the ropes. And Ali stayed off the ropes alot more than in the first fight. In the first fight, Joe just teed off on Ali with the left hooks along the ropes. Ali saw to it that this would not happen in this the 2nd fight. More movement from Ali in this fight too. Ali was one of the smartest fighters to step in the Ring.

I saw more action in the first 2 rounds than I did in the whole Mayweather v. Pacquiao fight.

45:35 Ali regained his prime for a hot minute

4:43 Moves only legends can do.... G.O.A.T

wow that guy is a killer! Ali and Frazier aren't too bad either

Rip Muhammad Ali Rip Smokin Joe Frazier the champs

No boxer will ever be a beautiful as Ali in my life time. That dance, movements and all is just so pretty to watch. what a legend. Can anyone move like Ali and Dance like him? Unbelievable and magical. The man was floating in thin air.

This is the most underrated fight of the Trilogy, but it is the one that probably best showcases their respective talents. In the first fight, the ring rust from the layoff showed on Ali as he didn't have the stamina to stave off the ever-charging Frazier for 15 rounds. The third fight, which many call the best of the three, was in slow motion compared to their 1960s heyday. Ali at 225 and Frazier at 215 hardly resembled the fighters who destroyed Cleveland Williams and Buster Mathis. In this fight, Ali has the legs to withstand Frazier's punishment and enough of the old flash to baffle his opponent and steal rounds. Frazier is always Frazier, willing to take three to get in one of his own, but on this night the three by Ali must have stung like a yellow jacket.

RIP to the greatest of all time

This is actually my fave of their 3 fights from Ali's point of view he was beautiful here,just pure boxing...

In reading these comments, i find it amusing how so many - a lot of who I assume are young -- are posting comments in amazement at OJ being a commentator. I assume they're young and don't realize how popular he was back the in the 70s. The truth is that OJ was the Michael Jordan of the 70s young folks in that he was not only a superstar athlete but with his charisma he was one of the biggest celebrities of that time period. This was of course before the events of 1994.

Two of the greatest fighter's in history. Rest in peace CHAMPS👊

😂😂😂OJ was big time back in the day

I love how nowadays there is a few people in the ring after the fight but in the 70s it was like the entire arena was in the ring after 😂😂🤷🏾‍♂️

Joe Frazier RIP you were my favorite heavyweight champion of all time!

I recently watched the first Ali/Frazier fight, and i'm shocked at how bad Frazier performed in this fight comparatively . Ali wasn't the same as he was in their first fight either, but he was about as you might expect. I'd say Ali was 85 to 90% of what he was in their first fight, but Frazier was only a shell of his former self. I hadn't noticed in the past, how much Frazier had regressed between these fights. He took a terrible pounding despite winning their first fight, and he got hammered by Foreman in between. He had a tough fight with Joe Bugner also, and I'm not sure what other fights he had since the first fight with Ali. Foreman beat the hell out of Frazier, but it only lasted a couple of rounds. Foreman probably only landed 20 punches roughly, but they were bombs. I believe however, that Frazier took more punishment from Ali than he took from Foreman. In their first fight, Ali battered Frazier repeatedly for 15 rounds. Ali was faster and hit harder because of better hand speed, and by the end of the fight he had Frazier's head swollen like a lumpy beach ball. In this fight, .......Frazier looked heavy and slow, and his punches were much weaker than in the first fight. Ali stood in the pocket throwing punches for a longer period because he realized Frazier wasn't as dangerous as he was in 1971. I really believe Joe was damaged goods and never the same after Ali/Frazier #1 in 1971. Both guys were sharp in 1971, and I might be in the minority, but I thought Ali won the first fight despite getting knocked down. Ali was landing combinations all night, Frazier landed good body punches and Joe would catch him with a big left hook fairly often. Frazier's punches were wicked and the crowd responded loudly every time Frazier landed a big hook,....... but Ali was landing solid punches also and landing twice as many as Frazier. I think Ali won all 3 fights with Frazier, and I'm neutral as far as which guy I like better. I like both guys, but I believe that Frazier didn't land the volume of punches that Ali landed, and Ali was fairly consistent each round while Frazier took 4 or 5 rounds to really get 'smoking'. These are 2 of the very best, legendary heavyweights. May they rest in peace with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Possibly the greatest rivalry in sports history ending with the 3rd fight after which neither fighter was the same again giving it every thing they had one last time

I was then a 10-year old small boy. Mohammad Ali was my favourite boxer.

The most controversial aspect of this fight occurred in the second round (9:08). Ali hurt Frazier with a punch which caused Joe to stagger back, and as Ali was going in for the kill the ref arbitrarily stepped in between the two fighters and sent Ali to his corner. It was obvious that he feared an early KO and because it was such a big event fight, he didn't want it to end so prematurely.

Levi Johnson. You are the best. No one covers boxing the way you do. Today's boxing has gone down the toilet. It use to take a boxer 26 to 28 fights before becoming a champion. Now its 15 or even 10 fights to be a champion.

This is when boxing was boxing, real fighters. boxing was a sweet art back in the day.

I say this was Joe Frazier's masterpiece performance; over a month hospitalized afterward because he refused to give up, and he won against the best boxer to ever live.

Following his 3 year imposed lay-off , Ali should have waited another year before taking on Frazier . Frazier was at the height of his powers in 1971 ( 1st fight ) and Ali was still very much ring rusty then ; he had lost much of his speed and sharpness because of that lay-off - and crucially , he under-estimated how difficult an opponent Frazier would be. Had they met prior to Ali's ban , there is no question in my mind that Ali would have outpointed Frazier .

frazier had a weird style but effective

NOBODY moves like Smokin Joe. what a legend. His style is inimitable.

Holy Crap - O.J. giving scores after round 3!!! Priceless!!! What a piece of Historia!!! :-)

The 12th round is representative for the entire rivalry of these two great fighters. Scored 116-112 Ali. Exactly 48 years after this fight happened. RIP Muhammad Ali - RIP Joe Frazier.

RIP Champs. You gave us a beautiful display of pugilism.

WHo came here after watching the same guys fighting in a studio?

What I Like About Frazier Is That Win Or Lose, All His Fights Are Exciting To Watch!!!

RIP god damn this man taught me so much

This fight was not as dramatic or as important as the other 2,also there was no title on the line here,but technically it was a very good performance especially from Ali....

don’t get tired to watch this 1000 times , the world s gladiators in boxing ring . Mr. Ali , the best one in the world

I love Bundini in the background! he's so entertaining

Y Oj look like doin the Harlem Shake while doin the scores tho?

This fight was everything you could ask for, except maybe, who you were rooting for, and the outcome. They fought like two gladiators, and gave all they had. One of the greatest fights of the Century.

Greatest trilogy in boxing history. There will never, ever be fights like this..Both fighters had the style to both hurt and neutralize each other. Stylistically, it was the perfect match-up to bring out the best in each other and make great fights which it did. Ali needed Joe to take him into deep water, to test him to his limit--to bring out his further greatness. Joe also, who fought great himself, in loss--especially the 3rd. This fight was much closer than perceived. Ali really did hurt Frazier with that right in the 2nd. It buckled his knees and any time you can get Frazier to retreat, you have done something. I think Joe had already recovered before Perez halted the round. But in the early stages of the fight, Ali was missing with a lot of punches. Eventually, Ali had some huge moments and flurries. RIP Smokin' Joe Frazier and RIP in Muhammad Ali. The memories you left us are timeless.

A lot of fighters would complain to the referee about the holding, but not Frazier he kept fighting on. Great fight, RIP to both legends of the ring.

"Float Like A Butterfly Sting Like a Bee"

This is how the first fight should have gone. I would have loved to see a real prime Ali without any lay off. I reckon he would have finished undefeated hands down. It was a shame how his boxing career ended. But for it to end like that and still be considered the greatest boxer of all time just goes to show what kind of a fighter he was. Beat the best out there and avenged losses. That's a real champion

"Turn on a dime! You lookin' good champ! Stay mean! Between the elbows! Stick 'em! Don't stop dancin'! Float like a butterfly! All night long! All night long, champ!" -- Bundini

I think this was the best shape Ali was in out of the 3 Frazier fights. He really looked great here

Got damn, that short left hook he landed @ 5:54 right on Frazier;s chin would've wobbled, or knocked down most men. Frazier had a chin on him for sure.

Ali displayed glimpses of his prime form on this night. Sure he's lost a step but he has the fluidity and grace that he had in the Mid 60's.

I actually love this fight out of all 3. It was the least popular but when you see their first bout, and then watch this, you can tell Ali changed his entire style and footwork to go against Fraziers style, since supposedly he didn't train very much before the first fight they had. Definitely an interesting piece of boxing history.

Ali... What a work of art from the good Lord. Fastest, smartest Man in boxing. Bursitis in his right fist for 90 % of his career. If you have bursitis, as I do in my right arm joints, you KNOW what pain is. It's a nagging electric pain that never seems to go away. Best H.weight of all time and a great Human being.

joe at the end said his punches were more effective with a lumpy face lol joe is the man though. tough as shiz

Float like a butterfly Sting like a bee ... The greatest ♥

Damn that jab before the right 2nd round sounded like a cracked coconut .

We’re so used of watching Ali’s style that we don’t even notice when he lands 4 punches in a row on the other guy’s head, but we get excited if his opponent lands a good jab on him.

give me cosell over any combination of shills calling fights these days

Muhammad Ali awesome. The man was beautiful. I've never seen a heavyweight move like he did.

Bundinis commentary in the corner is killing me 😂🤣

Every time Joe started talking Ali cracked him

You can tell Ali upped his conditioning this time around. That first fight he underestimated Joe and paid the price. This time, he was slim and trim, light on his feet, and bouncin around. Champions bounce back.

rip to the greats of time,!

thing to consider is that joe was a slow starter, you wanted to get him earlier before he started going.

Its crazy how slow the heavyweights are today compared to these guys. Just look at how far they travel moving around the ring alone. Insane

Joe got rocked and without a doubt the reason Perez acted was because someone specifically signaled to him at around 9:23 ( which he saw ) then he steps in a second afterwards. What seems peculiar in addition is that Perez looks at the camera as he does this. Now why would someone exhibit conscious recognition at that moment in that way?

Damn shame these two great men and great champions could not have met in both of their primes. In this fight Ali provided a glimpse of the amazing abilities he demonstrated in the first half of his career, before being unfairly stripped of his title and right to earn a living. Now both these great champions, two of the very best fighters of all time have moved on to higher ground and greener pastures. RIP to Ali and Smokin Joe.

whenever i watch either of their 3 duels and god knows how many times is that, my stomach is always hard as a brick how nervous i am. its like a great literature great storytelling

Don’t stop dancing, don’t stop dancing, float like a butterfly champ! All night champ! All night champ!

Both Ali and Frazier bring out the best in eachother

I just saw this clip for the first time. My brother brought it to my attention. As Howard Cosell is interviewing Joe Frazier and Angelo Dundee I see my uncle Lorre Jackson(R.I.P.) looking over Howard's shoulder during the interview. Brought a smile to my face because my Dad(R.I.P.) and one of his best friends Mr. Charles(R.I.P.)was also in attendance for the fight.

A Boston sportswriter at ringside said Ali hit Joe with 38 solid punches in the final minute with 1 return punch.Sounds right to me.All hail Ali,simply,The Greatest.

Ali vs Frazier is better than watching a Rocky fight

Smokin Joe Frazier ,a champion with a heart of gold. There can be better boxers then him but there can only be one champion with a heart of a lion. Respect to you,champ

Frazier punches low. Ali may hold a bit but he does not fight dirty and what Boxer doesn't hold when he needs to. Ali was a Beautiful Boxer and human , plain and simply put. R.I.P. Ali.

If you notice Ali almost had him in Rd 2 but Frazier got a break with 1 minute left with Ali mouthpiece

rip Frazier Ali my fav fighter without doubt is Joe I feel a deep connection and drawn to him and I take my hat off and have more appreciation to the runner up second place cos that person raises the bar and the competition and he made the fights fierce so glad he got his one win over Ali in the first fight but the other two even Ali technically won r debatable to this day but Ali did stop forman so I guess he can wear the crown of greatest

14:18 OJ looking like he just graduated Sportscasters Bootcamp 😂😂😂

Howard Cossel: But how much can Ali punch? Frazier's face: THIS much!

20:50 is that Shannon Briggs lmao 😂

32:18 i have never seen a fighter have that much confidence against ali going toe to toe

My love and admiration of Ali was instant and enduring. That for Frazier took longer. How can anyone not admire these two?

Levi Johnson states that this fight was seen as "a contest between two out of prime veterans who should both have retired a long time ago." Remember, though, Ali took the championship from Foreman after this fight so, so much for assumptions.

Whats with the creepy, wavy OJ footage?

After watching this fight again, cannot believe that Ali won the decision. All Ali did was hold and backpedal and fire some pitty-pat flurries. Frazier was the aggressor and connected with the harder punches. Cosell was such an overt Ali fan, it's almost embarrassing that he called himself a journalist. Ali never would listen to Dundee which is apparent in this fight. In the 70's, Ali lost at least 2 more fights that he got the decision based on his popularity. (Young, Norton III). It reminded me of the Hagler-Leonard fight where Leonard got the decision based on flashiness and his overall public love.

man this is the best fight of all time I always come back n watch this #Ali the greatest.. Frazier the ferocious kid

I wish they had a microphone in the ring during the Ali-Frazier fights. I guess Ali said Joe Frazier was the only guy that would talk back to him during the fight. I'd love to hear their trash talking. 🤔😃

Best movement I've seen post exile Ali have

Greatest Heavyweights in History(:

Ali lands glancing punch Announcer: "ALI BATTERING JOE TO THE FACE!" Joe lands a massive hook: Announcer: "The crowd goes crazy every time Joe swings."

I once watched a documentary on Ali. It covered the Frazier trilogy. It spent like 30 minutes between the first and third fights. The second fight they played off like it was nothing more than a footnote. They only talked about it for 30 seconds, showed no footage of the fight, said it was uninteresting, and that Ali won easily. But this was a really competitive fight. Frazier wins two of the middle rounds in a row, and almost evens the scorecards going into the last third of the bout. I think this bout deserves more credit then what it receives. It’s simply overshadowed by the first and third bouts because it’s a non title fight. But it’s much better than what everyone leads on about it. Frazier also did much better than we’re lead to believe. It’s a great prelude to the epic conclusion that follows.

Joe was a Beast... he is scary with his continuous bending move...

Wish Ali boxed in late 60s

we'll truly never see this type of generation boxing like this again. REST IN POWER MUHAMMAD ALI & JOE FRAZIER. BOTH OF U LEGENDS GAVE US SOME GOOD MATCHES BACK IN THE DAY.

Love watching reruns of these two!!