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This was the fight chosen by popular vote on a poll I had listed on another thread. Keep in mind that this is speculation, research, and a little creativity. Also note that I had to cut a lot to keep it under 10,000 characters. Enjoy!
"Smokin" Joe Frazier wore green trunks, and weighed in at 205.
Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield wore blue trunks and tipped the scale at 218.
Each fighter met in the middle, awaiting the ritual of the rules about a good, clean fight to finish. They touched gloves and retired to their corners. As this would be their first meeting, it was scheduled for the full 15 rounds.
Round 1
Frazier quickly bounced towards Holyfield, switching his lead hand rapidly. Evander held his hands up high with his arms close together, expecting an immediate assault from Joe. Frazier poked and prodded with his right to find openings, or even a pattern in Holyfield's defense. Evander waited the test punches out, and chimed in with a few jabs when Joe receded. The first round ended rather uneventfully, with the ceremonial cheers from a crowd awaiting a battle to erupt.
Round 2
This round started out similar to the first, with Frazier looking fresh as ever. After some boring strikes to the glove, the first sign of light appeared. Joe sent a lead right hand towards Holyfield, which he tried to counter with a left jab. Frazier ducked quickly to his left and sent a hook into Holyfield's body, followed immediately by another hook to right side of his face, glancing slightly off of the shoulder. It was a classic Frazier "double-up." Holyfield immediately covered himself while Joe tried to find a hole to deliver a follow-up shot. He found it difficult to locate an opening wide enough to land a clean shot, so he just put his fists wherever Holyfield would allow. Evander started clinching Frazier to slow down the aggressive assault, and even landed a few punches when they would separate. The bell sounded the end of a long 2nd round.
Round 3
This round was rather uneventful as Holyfield spent most of the three minutes clinching Frazier and connecting when any separation would occur. Nothing seemed to frustrate Joe, however, and he continued to throw powerful punches into a well-defended opponent. Shortly before the end of the round, Joe managed to gain some separation. He ducked and weaved to his left and wound up a long windmill hook. Before it could reach the peak of the swing, Holyfield came in quickly with a jab and a straight right to Frazier's left eyebrow. His momentum came to a halt at the quick combo, and Holyfield clinched Frazier to end the round.
Round 4
Frazier's left eye had puffed up slightly from the quick, sharp punches from Holyfield's tactful defense in the middle of the 4th round. Evander managed to keep Joe in the clinches, and forced some careless misfires from his opponent while landing a few good counter combos. Rather uneventful, and the crowd even grunted in disapproval as they expected more from the man who put Ali on the canvas.
Round 5
Despite the previous two rounds, Joe came out as fresh as he was in the 1st. Holyfield expected to keep the pace under his control, but Frazier was having none of it. Joe attacked with his right hand over the top of Evader's left jab, disrupting its rhythm. This forced Evander to stop his own counterpunching in favor of protecting his left side. Joe continued to pester Evander in this fashion for the remainder of the round, but some of Holyfield's punches weren't in vein. An even round, with maybe a point or two for Frazier according to the judges.
Round 6
Resuming the pattern of round 5, Frazier lead with his right hand and balanced it with left handed body shots. Evander started to gauge Joe's rhythm, however, and landed a good right uppercut from underneath. True to form, he tried to follow it up by landing a few more punches in tune with Frazier's movement. It seemed that Holyfield's fists were waiting for Joe's head wherever it moved. When Frazier attempted to reset, Holyfield straightened his right hand and it would bounce off of his opponent's left eye. Joe had a bad round, and he returned to his corner after the bell; his ringside crew started working to his left eyebrow.
Round 7
Joe's left eye was swollen, but he seemed very undaunted. Evander nailed his own feet to the mat in anticipation of landing more of the same shots he planted in round 6. Frazier bobbed and weaved carefully, forcing Holyfield to spin in place. He attempted to keep a beat on Joe, but this became more difficult as Joe moved around the ring. Frazier ducked in and quickly backed away when Holyfield attempted to load up. A few times, after Evander missed his bobbing opponent, Frazier landed several good shots to the body of his larger opponent. A low scoring round for both fighters.
Round 8
Holyfield came out with a similar plan of attack as his other successful rounds. He waited for his opponent to strike and attempted to disrupt his rhythm; all the while working on that sore eye. Joe was moving quick, much like he did at the end of round seven. He landed a few shots to Holyfield's ribs, and a noticeable wince of pain came to Evander's face. He started to curl lower to defend Frazier's attacks, an obvious sign of vulnerability. This was the first opening Joe received during the night and may have been his only one. He continued working the body, and Evander would clinch. During one exchange, Frazier motioned towards Holyfield's body, causing him to cover up instinctively. Joe then exploded upstairs and landed a big left hook that rocked Holyfield. Evander fell against the ropes and Joe started poking at any opening he could find. To avoid further damage, and to regain some stamina, Holyfield just dropped to a knee against the ropes when a glancing right hand caught his chin. The ref counted and Holyfield waited for 9. He got up and the bell sounded before they could come together again.
Between the rounds, Holyfield's corner was carefully tending the right side of his face. It had swelled up considerably from the blast he took from Frazier. He was bleeding slightly just by the eyelid, and his breathing was labored.
Joe's corner was worried about his left eyebrow, as it had bothered him for the last four rounds. Their primary concern was that Frazier's left eye was his good eye, and having it shut would make things difficult for him.
Round 9
Joe smelled blood and went to work immediately, if almost impatiently. He was throwing to the body, but instead of pursuing the chance to knock the wind out of his opponent, he would quickly try to land shots to the head. Holyfield weathered the early goings of the round. He started to clamor back by sneaking in a shot or two in the traditional counterpunch fashion we're accustomed to. Before long, it started to look a bit like rounds 3-7, with the action slowing down. Frazier was still moving and shooting at the gaps, but Holyfield had tremendous heart. He even landed a three punch combo that included a left jab, a right hook, and a left uppercut. This caused a crack of blood to form on the swollen spot of Frazier's lip. Holyfield's stamina would turn against him, however, and Frazier would land multiple shots to the side of Holyfield's swelling right cheekbone. Joe snuck a straight right cross to the damaged tissue over Holyfield's right eye, and a splash of blood shot across the air. Camera bulbs flashed, and Holyfield grabbed his eye with his glove and bent over, clearly suffering a major injury. Joe landed an uppercut during the confusion and sent Holyfield down again. The referee sent Joe to a neutral corner and began the count. Holyfield forced himself to his feet and again awaited the end of the round. While the last seconds of the 9th round trickled away, hours seemed to pass in Holyfield's mind. He threw a few wayward punches and quickly covered his eye before Joe could capitalize. The bell rang and the brutal round came to an end.
The ring doctor swiftly came to Holyfield's corner to examine the eye. Crowded around the bleeding combatant, it took awhile before anything became clear. The ref approached and received a signal from the doctor that there was severe damage to Evander's eye and the fight had to be stopped to prevent permanent injury. Meanwhile, Joe had a genuine look of concern on his face for his opponent. When he saw that the fight had been stopped, however, he raised his fists and hugged his cornermen. The two fighters came to the center and congratulated one another on a spectacular fight.
During the post-fight press conference, the media was eager to discover what transpired in Evander's corner after the 9th round.
"Well," Evander started, "I wanted to keep going, but the doctor says that something ruptured in my eye and he didn't want to take any chances. My manager thought that it would be better to fight another day instead of finishing tonight and never getting to fight again, so... Make what you will of it, I expect my eye to heal, my training to resume, and to avenge my loss. There was a lot of fight left in both of us and I wanted to give the crowd everything I had. I guess I let them down. It won't happen next time. Thank you and God Bless."
Frazier sat with the media briefly, as he was never known for long speeches.
"He had a lot of respect for me out there, which isn't what I'm used to. No name calling, no taunting, no wasting time. He fought a good fight, but I think that I was starting to take it to him and it caught up to him. He may have been winning on points, but I was winning the fight. So if he wants it again, I'll give it to him again," Joe finished.
Holyfield's eye sustained minor damage, but thanks to the corrective work of modern technology, he would regain his vision and another chance to prove himself against Joe Frazier.
Winner: Joe Frazier
"Smokin" Joe Frazier wore green trunks, and weighed in at 205.
Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield wore blue trunks and tipped the scale at 218.
Each fighter met in the middle, awaiting the ritual of the rules about a good, clean fight to finish. They touched gloves and retired to their corners. As this would be their first meeting, it was scheduled for the full 15 rounds.
Round 1
Frazier quickly bounced towards Holyfield, switching his lead hand rapidly. Evander held his hands up high with his arms close together, expecting an immediate assault from Joe. Frazier poked and prodded with his right to find openings, or even a pattern in Holyfield's defense. Evander waited the test punches out, and chimed in with a few jabs when Joe receded. The first round ended rather uneventfully, with the ceremonial cheers from a crowd awaiting a battle to erupt.
Round 2
This round started out similar to the first, with Frazier looking fresh as ever. After some boring strikes to the glove, the first sign of light appeared. Joe sent a lead right hand towards Holyfield, which he tried to counter with a left jab. Frazier ducked quickly to his left and sent a hook into Holyfield's body, followed immediately by another hook to right side of his face, glancing slightly off of the shoulder. It was a classic Frazier "double-up." Holyfield immediately covered himself while Joe tried to find a hole to deliver a follow-up shot. He found it difficult to locate an opening wide enough to land a clean shot, so he just put his fists wherever Holyfield would allow. Evander started clinching Frazier to slow down the aggressive assault, and even landed a few punches when they would separate. The bell sounded the end of a long 2nd round.
Round 3
This round was rather uneventful as Holyfield spent most of the three minutes clinching Frazier and connecting when any separation would occur. Nothing seemed to frustrate Joe, however, and he continued to throw powerful punches into a well-defended opponent. Shortly before the end of the round, Joe managed to gain some separation. He ducked and weaved to his left and wound up a long windmill hook. Before it could reach the peak of the swing, Holyfield came in quickly with a jab and a straight right to Frazier's left eyebrow. His momentum came to a halt at the quick combo, and Holyfield clinched Frazier to end the round.
Round 4
Frazier's left eye had puffed up slightly from the quick, sharp punches from Holyfield's tactful defense in the middle of the 4th round. Evander managed to keep Joe in the clinches, and forced some careless misfires from his opponent while landing a few good counter combos. Rather uneventful, and the crowd even grunted in disapproval as they expected more from the man who put Ali on the canvas.
Round 5
Despite the previous two rounds, Joe came out as fresh as he was in the 1st. Holyfield expected to keep the pace under his control, but Frazier was having none of it. Joe attacked with his right hand over the top of Evader's left jab, disrupting its rhythm. This forced Evander to stop his own counterpunching in favor of protecting his left side. Joe continued to pester Evander in this fashion for the remainder of the round, but some of Holyfield's punches weren't in vein. An even round, with maybe a point or two for Frazier according to the judges.
Round 6
Resuming the pattern of round 5, Frazier lead with his right hand and balanced it with left handed body shots. Evander started to gauge Joe's rhythm, however, and landed a good right uppercut from underneath. True to form, he tried to follow it up by landing a few more punches in tune with Frazier's movement. It seemed that Holyfield's fists were waiting for Joe's head wherever it moved. When Frazier attempted to reset, Holyfield straightened his right hand and it would bounce off of his opponent's left eye. Joe had a bad round, and he returned to his corner after the bell; his ringside crew started working to his left eyebrow.
Round 7
Joe's left eye was swollen, but he seemed very undaunted. Evander nailed his own feet to the mat in anticipation of landing more of the same shots he planted in round 6. Frazier bobbed and weaved carefully, forcing Holyfield to spin in place. He attempted to keep a beat on Joe, but this became more difficult as Joe moved around the ring. Frazier ducked in and quickly backed away when Holyfield attempted to load up. A few times, after Evander missed his bobbing opponent, Frazier landed several good shots to the body of his larger opponent. A low scoring round for both fighters.
Round 8
Holyfield came out with a similar plan of attack as his other successful rounds. He waited for his opponent to strike and attempted to disrupt his rhythm; all the while working on that sore eye. Joe was moving quick, much like he did at the end of round seven. He landed a few shots to Holyfield's ribs, and a noticeable wince of pain came to Evander's face. He started to curl lower to defend Frazier's attacks, an obvious sign of vulnerability. This was the first opening Joe received during the night and may have been his only one. He continued working the body, and Evander would clinch. During one exchange, Frazier motioned towards Holyfield's body, causing him to cover up instinctively. Joe then exploded upstairs and landed a big left hook that rocked Holyfield. Evander fell against the ropes and Joe started poking at any opening he could find. To avoid further damage, and to regain some stamina, Holyfield just dropped to a knee against the ropes when a glancing right hand caught his chin. The ref counted and Holyfield waited for 9. He got up and the bell sounded before they could come together again.
Between the rounds, Holyfield's corner was carefully tending the right side of his face. It had swelled up considerably from the blast he took from Frazier. He was bleeding slightly just by the eyelid, and his breathing was labored.
Joe's corner was worried about his left eyebrow, as it had bothered him for the last four rounds. Their primary concern was that Frazier's left eye was his good eye, and having it shut would make things difficult for him.
Round 9
Joe smelled blood and went to work immediately, if almost impatiently. He was throwing to the body, but instead of pursuing the chance to knock the wind out of his opponent, he would quickly try to land shots to the head. Holyfield weathered the early goings of the round. He started to clamor back by sneaking in a shot or two in the traditional counterpunch fashion we're accustomed to. Before long, it started to look a bit like rounds 3-7, with the action slowing down. Frazier was still moving and shooting at the gaps, but Holyfield had tremendous heart. He even landed a three punch combo that included a left jab, a right hook, and a left uppercut. This caused a crack of blood to form on the swollen spot of Frazier's lip. Holyfield's stamina would turn against him, however, and Frazier would land multiple shots to the side of Holyfield's swelling right cheekbone. Joe snuck a straight right cross to the damaged tissue over Holyfield's right eye, and a splash of blood shot across the air. Camera bulbs flashed, and Holyfield grabbed his eye with his glove and bent over, clearly suffering a major injury. Joe landed an uppercut during the confusion and sent Holyfield down again. The referee sent Joe to a neutral corner and began the count. Holyfield forced himself to his feet and again awaited the end of the round. While the last seconds of the 9th round trickled away, hours seemed to pass in Holyfield's mind. He threw a few wayward punches and quickly covered his eye before Joe could capitalize. The bell rang and the brutal round came to an end.
The ring doctor swiftly came to Holyfield's corner to examine the eye. Crowded around the bleeding combatant, it took awhile before anything became clear. The ref approached and received a signal from the doctor that there was severe damage to Evander's eye and the fight had to be stopped to prevent permanent injury. Meanwhile, Joe had a genuine look of concern on his face for his opponent. When he saw that the fight had been stopped, however, he raised his fists and hugged his cornermen. The two fighters came to the center and congratulated one another on a spectacular fight.
During the post-fight press conference, the media was eager to discover what transpired in Evander's corner after the 9th round.
"Well," Evander started, "I wanted to keep going, but the doctor says that something ruptured in my eye and he didn't want to take any chances. My manager thought that it would be better to fight another day instead of finishing tonight and never getting to fight again, so... Make what you will of it, I expect my eye to heal, my training to resume, and to avenge my loss. There was a lot of fight left in both of us and I wanted to give the crowd everything I had. I guess I let them down. It won't happen next time. Thank you and God Bless."
Frazier sat with the media briefly, as he was never known for long speeches.
"He had a lot of respect for me out there, which isn't what I'm used to. No name calling, no taunting, no wasting time. He fought a good fight, but I think that I was starting to take it to him and it caught up to him. He may have been winning on points, but I was winning the fight. So if he wants it again, I'll give it to him again," Joe finished.
Holyfield's eye sustained minor damage, but thanks to the corrective work of modern technology, he would regain his vision and another chance to prove himself against Joe Frazier.
Winner: Joe Frazier
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