Frazier reminds me of La Motta

[billeau2]

I wouldn't base my argument of "closeness" on an evaluation of the fights but would argue that they kept being matched because the fans felt the issue unsettled. That's what I meant by the phrase he 'finally dominated.'

SRR won the first 10 round fight; La Motta the second; with La Motta scoring the only KD in losing the disputed third meeting.

I can't speak to the others except for the final MW figh. But La Motta is competitive until the last two rounds.

But no doubt I would rate SRR the greater fighter. But in some way their fights are simliar to what Ali use to say about Frazier - Joe Frazier made me great."

Lew Tendler and Rocky Kansas served that role in making Benny Leonard great.

I feel the La Motta fights helped to make SRR great. It makes La Motta important but not necessarily a great fighter.

Its a great thing to have someone to bring the best out of you. Ali and Frazier fought in an era when there was no scrubs to take an easy fight lol, Warring states Japan! Your on an island and there are no boats, gotta fight it out. As great as Joe was, you had guys like Young, Lyle and Shavers who would have been very tough to beat... it was that kind of a place, the heavyweight division those days... you run from Lyle, you got Quarry, ok... how about a middle weight? Easy! Ill take it! Then here comes Sheriff Bob Foster, one of the hardest punchers (seldom gets mentioned). Just a real great epoche for the big boys.

[markusmod]

Its a great thing to have someone to bring the best out of you. Ali and Frazier fought in an era when there was no scrubs to take an easy fight lol, Warring states Japan! Your on an island and there are no boats, gotta fight it out. As great as Joe was, you had guys like Young, Lyle and Shavers who would have been very tough to beat... it was that kind of a place, the heavyweight division those days... you run from Lyle, you got Quarry, ok... how about a middle weight? Easy! Ill take it! Then here comes Sheriff Bob Foster, one of the hardest punchers (seldom gets mentioned). Just a real great epoche for the big boys.

To bad we don't have that kind of scenario today. There is plenty of talent, but nobody wants to fight each other