Joe Frazier training techniques

boxing is of its own kind. hell donaire, floyd, sweetpea would lose to all other sports out there. floyd even emphasize that to mosley, he said "if its weightlifting maybe he wins, but this is boxing" Actually, they would probably do very well if they featured pushups, situps, pullups, dips, jump rope ect. The competitions are just geared at things boxers dont do. If they had one today, some NFL player would win. Theyre required to train for weights and short sprints. Floyd would slaughter everyone if it was situps and jumprope.

I'm not one for the whole decline of the U.S. prominence at Heavyweight is solely because of the explosion of the NBA or NFL. But I DO think some could, if they were steered into boxing's path at a young age, could have been successful H.W.'s. Make sense? If not, don't mind me, been drinking Modelos. I think that Linebackers that play with broken bones, nerve damage, concussions, run into piles against men 100 pounds heavier then them at full speed, would have the mental fortitude to do fairly well in the ring. My 2 cents. Of course some of them could have been good. I mean even look at shaq with his part time attempts, he is pretty good, imagine if he had focused on that from age 12. There are no college scholarships for boxing like there are other sports. You can go to college for free, get out and be a bench warmer in the NBA or NFL and make six figures. You can play arena football and make more than what journeymen boxers make. So of course other sports have lured parents away from getting their kids into boxing.

The old guys here remember these star competitions back in the 70's, they were fun to watch but I never seen a boxer do anything in them. I remember Sugar Ray Robinson was in one of these shows and he was last in everything also from what I remember, Maybe someone can find that one and post it up. I think Floyd Patterson was in one too, boxers were one dimensional back then, they didn't cross train like most do now so boxers of today would do better I think.

Being athletic is a good quality but if you don't have the balls to back it up it don't mean ****. I see athletic guy's come and go most can't handle it and quit so it only gets you so far. Exactly... It's not the athleticism of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog that counts. Just ask Sergio Martinez about that, come September 15th And look at Roberto Camarelle beating an athletic beast (but that's about what we can say about him) on the final of the last Olympics.

I'm not one for the whole decline of the U.S. prominence at Heavyweight is solely because of the explosion of the NBA or NFL. But I DO think some could, if they were steered into boxing's path at a young age, could have been successful H.W.'s. Make sense? If not, don't mind me, been drinking Modelos. I think that Linebackers that play with broken bones, nerve damage, concussions, run into piles against men 100 pounds heavier then them at full speed, would have the mental fortitude to do fairly well in the ring. My 2 cents.

Being athletic is a good quality but if you don't have the balls to back it up it don't mean ****. I see athletic guy's come and go most can't handle it and quit so it only gets you so far.

boxing is of its own kind. hell donaire, floyd, sweetpea would lose to all other sports out there. floyd even emphasize that to mosley, he said "if its weightlifting maybe he wins, but this is boxing"

Being an outstanding athlete is a huge benefit for a fighter to have. When you see coordination as to being aloof, or having coordination with step overs and pivets the fighter able to perform them is always an athlete. They're also capable of improving their power punch because they have the ability to perform balancing ala weight shifting better than a fellow without athelitc ability. Most pro boxers are hand strong, meaning they don't usually train with heavy weights but have solid grips and are body strong not dead weight strong. I doubt Ali could bench 200lbs but he could knock out a 225lbs man within 8 rounds. Not sure if Ali could catch a football but if he could what a tight end he would have made back in his day, or today! Not sure how NOT being an athlete helps when your a pro fighter, it is a sport! Sometimes! Ray

cool find, but yeah he was still an atg...those guys wouldnt have the balls to compete in his port

So much of being good at anything is actually doing the specific activity. For instance, just because someone runs a lot doesn't mean they'd be good at sprinting or even long distance. They would have to dedicate some time to developing specific attributes. Frazier might've been expected to be unusually strong at lifting weights, simply because he was a murderous puncher, but one thing doesn't necessarily correlate to another. There are major league pitchers that throw in excess of 100 mph. One wouldn't expect them to be particularly good at weightlifting. Why should Joe be any different? Not that it means much, but I would bet Frazier possessed what we might term "real-world strength." He might not have been very good at lifting weights, but I'll wager he was a naturally strong man. It probably wouldn't have taken "Smokin'" Joe too long to translate his inborn strength into impressively heavy lifts. Frazier had to be relatively strong considering that he did physical work for all his life and made a career out of pushing men bigger than him around the ring, including the likes of 245 lb Buster Mathis. As you say, it does not really matter without a clue on weight-lifting techniques and what type of effort is needed. It's a very specific exercise and a first timer will always struggle regardless of their strength. I wouldn't be surprised if even a George Foreman, bull-strong as he was, would be embarrassed in a similar situation if he were facing competitors that had regularly lifted weights, not that he would've struggled with a 170 lb lift.

It's extremely sketchy, and implies a whole lot about the paths of people and the choices they have and make in their lives. There's absolutely no reason to assume that all the HW champs are in the NFL....why not assume that all the HW champs are wearing military uniforms somewhere...or working in a factory, or getting their education, or teaching, or any other profession. I have no doubt there would have been a number of NFL or NBA players who could have been boxers, but to the extent some people and writers go to say HW are dead because of that is just a theory that, IMO, is layered in stereotypes of black men. Sports isn't all they are qualified for. The bold is so deceptively perceptive that I had to laugh. Green K, bro.

Frazier was not an athlete but a fighter. There have been boxers who have been both but it is not necessary, especially when you carve out a unique style as Frazier's. He would have probably done a little better had he actually prepared for any of those contests though. His training consisted mostly old time techniques, which meant a lot of bodyweight exercises, skipping the rope and long distance jogs. As previously noted, he had probably never lifted weights in his life, atleast I never saw him do it on his training footage. He may have had a chance at winning in a marathon. Ali would've obviously done a bit better in a show like this. So much of being good at anything is actually doing the specific activity. For instance, just because someone runs a lot doesn't mean they'd be good at sprinting or even long distance. They would have to dedicate some time to developing specific attributes. Frazier might've been expected to be unusually strong at lifting weights, simply because he was a murderous puncher, but one thing doesn't necessarily correlate to another. There are major league pitchers that throw in excess of 100 mph. One wouldn't expect them to be particularly good at weightlifting. Why should Joe be any different? Not that it means much, but I would bet Frazier possessed what we might term "real-world strength." He might not have been very good at lifting weights, but I'll wager he was a naturally strong man. It probably wouldn't have taken "Smokin'" Joe too long to translate his inborn strength into impressively heavy lifts.

Nice sig, Ramirez could be a potential mainstream star for Cuba if he goes pro, he could even go to Rio and get another gold at 22. And go to the pros, so there's no rush for him. And yeah of course being athletic helps, but many of the great fighters in history in boxing were not gifted athletes, they just knew how to fight and receive a punch, fighters like Frazier, Hopkins, Chavez Jr., etc. So the theory that all the HW's champions are on the NFL, is kind of sketchy, you need a different kind of animal for boxing. It's extremely sketchy, and implies a whole lot about the paths of people and the choices they have and make in their lives. There's absolutely no reason to assume that all the HW champs are in the NFL....why not assume that all the HW champs are wearing military uniforms somewhere...or working in a factory, or getting their education, or teaching, or any other profession. I have no doubt there would have been a number of NFL or NBA players who could have been boxers, but to the extent some people and writers go to say HW are dead because of that is just a theory that, IMO, is layered in stereotypes of black men. Sports isn't all they are qualified for.

Nice sig, Ramirez could be a potential mainstream star for Cuba if he goes pro, he could even go to Rio and get another gold at 22. And go to the pros, so there's no rush for him. And yeah of course being athletic helps, but many of the great fighters in history in boxing were not gifted athletes, they just knew how to fight and receive a punch, fighters like Frazier, Hopkins, Chavez Jr., etc. So the theory that all the HW's champions are on the NFL, is kind of sketchy, you need a different kind of animal for boxing. Agreed. I think Robeisy has plenty of time to work on his game in the amateurs. No need to rush the kid into a professional career, even if he's willing to defect. If he wins gold again in Brazil, then it's time. I also agree that fighters are a breed apart, and that the "NFL argument" is iffy at best. Former players like "Too Tall" Jones and Mark Gastineau tried switching to boxing and didn't do too well. Not great examples, I admit, but they are notable.

Frazier was not an athlete but a fighter. There have been boxers who have been both but it is not necessary, especially when you carve out a unique style as Frazier's. He would have probably done a little better had he actually prepared for any of those contests though. His training consisted mostly old time techniques, which meant a lot of bodyweight exercises, skipping the rope and long distance jogs. As previously noted, he had probably never lifted weights in his life, atleast I never saw him do it on his training footage. He may have had a chance at winning in a marathon. Ali would've obviously done a bit better in a show like this.

With his incredible athleticism I've no doubt that Frazier would be playing in the NFL today. That's how it works, right?

I don't agree with the bold. All things being equal, being athletic as a fighter is a definite advantage. Of course, if you're athletic and don't know how to fight, you're probably gonna get your ass kicked. lol Nice sig, Ramirez could be a potential mainstream star for Cuba if he goes pro, he could even go to Rio and get another gold at 22. And go to the pros, so there's no rush for him. And yeah of course being athletic helps, but many of the great fighters in history in boxing were not gifted athletes, they just knew how to fight and receive a punch, fighters like Frazier, Hopkins, Chavez Jr., etc. So the theory that all the HW's champions are on the NFL, is kind of sketchy, you need a different kind of animal for boxing.

Yeah, if the only thing someone would have watched of Joe was this, he would have tought that pole vaulter Bob Seagren, skiier Jean-Claude Killy and auto racer Peter Revson would put a beating on him. But being an "athlete" in boxing is overrated. Boxers are there own breed I don't agree with the bold. All things being equal, being athletic as a fighter is a definite advantage. Of course, if you're athletic and don't know how to fight, you're probably gonna get your ass kicked. lol

Say it aint so, Joe. Say it aint so. He cant press 170 but he almost took Ali's soul. Funny how that works.

I remember watching that episode of "The Superstars" years ago in a re-run. I recall having a conversation with a friend afterwards, noting how Frazier couldn't convincingly lift 160 lbs. At the time, I could easily press that kind of weight over my head. I was amazed that this ATG fighter couldn't do the same. Years later, as I learned more about weight-lifting, I came to understood that it's just as much about learned technique as it is about natural strength. A guy like "Smokin'" Joe probably never lifted weights in his life, prior to "The Superstars." He and his trainers almost certainly subscribed to the old notion that lifting weights makes you "muscle-bound" and slow. You can see from Joe's form that he had no idea what to do in that lift. In actuality, Frazier probably possessed some good natural strength to raise the bar the way he did. What gets me is how naive Joe was not to at least prepare for the event. In fact, I can't help but smile when I watch those old shows and marvel at how far we've come in so many ways. Tomorrow's kids will someday laugh at how foolish we all seem today.