Marvis Frazier

Marvis Frazier is a former American heavyweight boxer and the son of legendary boxer Joe Frazier. During his professional career, spanning more than eight years from 1980 to 1988, he had a record of 19-2, with eight of those wins coming via knockout. Born on September 12, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Frazier started his boxing career as an amateur, winning a gold medal at the Junior World Championships in Yokohama in 1979. It was just a matter of months before he made his professional debut against Roger Troupe on September 12, 1980.

Frazier won his first 10 fights, including victories against David Starkey, James Tillis, Robert Evans, and his first title shot, against Larry Holmes for the The Ring title. Holmes proved to be too much for the young, inexperienced Frazier, knocking him out in the first round of the fight, which took place on November 25, 1983.

Despite the setback against Holmes, Frazier continued to fight and won his next six matches, including victories over future world cruiserweight champion Bernard Benton, heavyweight contenders José Ribalta and James Tillis, and future champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith. With the exception of a first-round knockout in his first fight after losing to Holmes, all of Frazier's fights went the full ten round distance with him winning unanimous or majority decisions in each fight.

Frazier's next big fight came in July 1986, when he faced Mike Tyson, who was 24-0 at the time, with all of his victories coming by knockout. The fight was broadcast live on ABC from the Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, New York. However, Frazier was no match for Tyson, who knocked him out in just 30 seconds with a huge uppercut followed by a combination that left Frazier unconscious. This was Tyson's quickest knockout of his career, and Frazier never got a chance to fight for a title again.

After his loss to Tyson, Frazier fought twice more, winning both fights over journeyman fighters, before retiring from boxing with a record of 19-2.

Frazier's fighting style changed dramatically after his father, Joe Frazier, changed it from an out-fighter to an in-fighter. Many in the sports press criticized Joe for doing this, as it did not seem to suit his son's style. Frazier himself has since admitted that he underestimated Tyson and thought of him as just another guy who was going to be a statistic. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I threw a jab and that's all I remember", he said.

After retiring from boxing, Frazier became an ordained minister and an active participant in Prison Fellowship Ministries. He appeared on The Howard Stern Show with his father to promote HBO's Thrilla in Manila documentary in April 2009. Later, in 2013, Frazier completed his autobiography, Meet Marvis Frazier: The Story of the Son of Smokin' Joe, co-authored by Jamie Potter.

Frazier had a total of two losses in his professional boxing career, one of them in a title bout and one in a non-title bout, both coming via stoppage. He suffered his first loss against Holmes for The Ring title via first-round TKO on November 25, 1983. His second loss came via first-round knockout against Tyson on July 26, 1986.

Despite his two losses, Frazier had an excellent professional boxing career, with a record of 19-2, including eight knockout wins. His fast hands, quick feet, and solid chin made him a dangerous opponent for anyone in the ring. Many boxing experts believe that Frazier could have achieved more if his father had not changed his fighting style, but that is just speculation.

Marvis Frazier's professional boxing career may have been short-lived, but he left a lasting impact on the sport, and his name will always be remembered among the greats.

Marvis Frazier Fight Record