BE's Look Back On Joe Frazier VS Jimmy Ellis I

BE's look back on Frazier VS Ellis I, a fight recently aired on the wonderful ESPN Classic channel.

Set up: In 1970 the world of heavyweight boxing was still up in the air as far as the real heavyweight champion. The rightful owner of the title was Muhammad Ali but Ali's legal battles over the draft had seen him stripped of his championship status and his career on hold. Two champions emerged to try and fill the shoes that Ali left behind.


The Fighters:

Jimmy Ellis:

Ellis, a Louisville, Kentucky fighter who fought back at middleweight with the likes of Rubin ''Hurricane'' Carter and Don Fullmer had a deceptive record of 27-5-0. Ellis was a man who although he actually defeated Muhammad Ali in the amateurs, didn't fully develop until he moved up to the heavyweight division and spent some time with the great Angelo Dundee. He took a decision over Jerry Quarry in an elimination bout which Frazier didn't take part in for the WBA heavyweight title. Ellis had even posted a controversial decision victory over the great Floyd Patterson.

Joe Frazier:

Smokin' Joe, from Beaufort, South Carolina had an undefeated record, having knocked out Manuel Ramos, Eddie Machen and Buster Mathis, the last earning him the NYSAC title. Frazier wanted the Ellis fight for a little while before Ellis' camp would make it happen. They weren't looking forward to Frazier until they'd savored the belt long enough to risk it against a bull like Smokin' Joe.

When they met, both men came to fight and to settle it once and for all-who was the true successor to the undefeated and locked out Ali and who would unify the heavyweight titles.

BE's round by round breakdown and scoring of Ellis Vs Frazier I:

The Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Date: February 16, 1970
The referee: Tony Perez
Commentator: Howard Cosell
Scheduled for: 15 rounds

RD 1: For Ellis: Ellis was the better boxer and gets the round clearly. Frazier couldn't seem to find him often enough to score. He landed a few good shots but it was mostly Ellis with some great one-twos, slipping that right hand to an easy target as Frazier is moving forward giving him plenty to fire at. Ellis still gets just enough of a taste to know that he's got to stay slick.

RD 2: for Ellis: Jimmy comes out boxing beautifully and getting himself out of the way of Frazier after scoring on him. Frazier returns a jab on Ellis that snaps his head back as if he'd been hit by a power punch. The ref warns Frazier about his bobbing head after Ellis gets Joe in a clinch out of frustration over it. After only seconds, Frazier is warned again for his head movement which was resulting in butting. It seems an unavoidable consequence of Frazier's style. Ellis is much slicker and keeps bouncing and using his reach and height advantage like the smarter man. Ellis clinches and moves away at will until the final moments of the round when Frazier seems to hurt Ellis slightly with some good shots to head and body. Ellis still controls the fight having not been bothered much by Frazier's attempts to pressure him.

RD 3: for Frazier: Ellis does very well controlling the distance at first but it's clear that Frazier's punches have more brute strength and he's starting to time him and get the right range. Another of Frazier's few jabs snap Ellis' head back. Ellis is hurt badly by power shots and staggers against two different sides of the ring. Frazier now smothering Ellis' reach advantage and nailing him with body shots. Ellis' legs are unsteady throughout the round as he tries to clinch and hold on. Ellis is rocked again but fighting back bravely. Frazier has control now. Ellis' legs look terrible as Joe is battering him from side to side. It's often unclear if Ellis can make it through the round. He doesn't have the legs to dance and back away and is forced to trade with the brawler. He hits Joe with some beautiful hooks himself towards the end but Joe's head is too hard and his mind too focused for it too matter. Cosell remarks that Frazier goes back to his corner grinning like he has the fight won. He's clearly not taking the damage from Ellis' best punches, that Ellis is taking from his.

RD 4: for Frazier: Angelo Dundee nurses Ellis in the corner as much as he can. When Ellis comes out of his corner, he tries to hold the back of Frazier's head with his left and fire with his right. He has no luck at that with Frazier's constant head movement. He tries to clinch Frazier but Frazier nails Ellis to the body several times and you can tell they have an effect. Cosell says that Ellis has never been down as a heavyweight. Ellis and Frazier are toe to toe in the center of the ring trading shots. Frazier is giving the better of it with no doubt. Ellis starts missing more and no longer looks to be athletically able. Frazier is firing huge shots to the head and body and gets Ellis in trouble again as he bashes him into the ropes with a flush left hook. Ellis goes down from the cumulative effect. He gets up and starts firing again, valiantly. Frazier doesn't give an inch in pressure and they trade shots-which can only turn out badly for Ellis. Frazier puts Ellis down with another huge left hook. The bell goes off and Ellis can't be saved by it. Ellis gets up and it's time to go to his corner. Both knock downs look like the end for Ellis. He shows the heart of a champion getting up both times. It changes nothing though as Ellis doesn't come out for the fifth round and it's declared a TKO. Dundee doesn't want Ellis to soldier through anymore, it's clear to him where it's going. It's the first time Jimmy is knocked out in his professional career.

After the fight:

Jimmy Ellis:

Ellis, was never a champion again but fought on to a record of 40-12-1, including a rematch with Joe Frazier ending similarly with a TKO. After the first Frazier fight, Jimmy continued to fight some big fights, including with that of the ultimate boxer, Ali and the ultimate tough man, George Chuvalo and also rumbled with such notable punchers as Earnie Shavers and Ron Lyle. Jimmy now suffers from pugilistic dementia.


Joe Frazier:

Frazier went on to fight three entire fights with the great Muhammad Ali when Ali could finally come back to the sport after three long years. Frazier is one of very few who can claim victory over a healthy Ali. Joe suffered the loss of his title against a seemingly unstoppable force in a massive slugger named Big George Foreman three years after the initial Ellis fight. It was so dominant that Foreman knocked Frazier down six times in two rounds before they stopped the fight. Frazier showed immense heart getting up every time. He attempted a rematch with Foreman, though essentially blind in one eye and did in fact do better against George but ultimately could not overcome his immense strength or granite chin and was viciously knocked out again. His final record is 32-4-1 with 27 kayos to his credit. Frazier went into retirement and came back for a final fight with a B level fighter and having taken a draw, decided to stay out of the sport for good as a fighter. He even toured with a musical group as the singer and in fact became a successful businessman having learned quite a bit from the business side of the fight game.

I hope you've enjoyed BE's look back on Frazier VS Ellis. For a great selection of humorous quotes from Joe Frazier, please check out this post from our friends at Say what?: Funny Quotes from Smokin' Joe's Autobiography

Also, here are some great youtube videos courtesy of Jim Clash and The Adventurer:

Part 1:



And Part 2: