Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who fought in the heavyweight division.

Early life

Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all of his father's fights after the second Oscar Bonavena bout in December 1968, including the great fights with Muhammad Ali. Marvis exhibited four rounds with his father in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

, on December 3, 1976, and staged another exhibition in 1977.) His sister Jackie Frazier-Lyde was also a professional boxer, as was his brother Joe Frazier, Jr. (a.k.a. Hector Frazier). Marvis lived with his family in a 16-room stone split-level home in Whitemarsh.Being Joe Frazier's son hasn't turned his head
by Gary Ronberg, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', August 8, 1978, 5-C. Marvis was involved in other sports, but finally gave it all up in favor of boxing, "I played football and basketball and I wrestled, and I love them all, especially football. I was a running back. When I was in ninth grade, Duke and Temple talked to me about going there. But I fell so much in love with boxing. I gave up the other sports. Once I get into a sport. I dedicate myself to it. I don't believe in concentrating on more than one thing," Marvis Frazier said on his choice of boxing. He graduated from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School in suburban PhiladelphiaSecond generation
by Phil Pepe, ''Daily News from New York'', April 9, 1979, p. 278.

Amateur career

Marvis was a highly touted prospect and among the top-ranked amateur heavyweights. He was the 1979 National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion and 1980 National AAU Heavyweight Champion. He was coached partly by his father, and in part by Georgie Benton and Val Colbert. "My dad tried not to play too active a role in my career for fear of putting pressure on me," Marvis said.Marvis Frazier Chases Gold
(AP,) ''Albuquerque Journal'', January 28, 1979, E-8. Benton said that Marvis was a model kid. He grew up "like he was poor". According to Benton, "there were no favors. When the grass on the Fraziers' two-and-a-half acre plot needed cutting, Marvis did it. With a hand mower. He goes to choir practice Monday nights, Bible study Wednesday nights and church on Sunday. He doesn't smoke, drink or run around. Not because such strictures are demanded of him, but because that's the way he is boxing or no boxing." His amateur debut came on March 4, 1977, age 16, with a

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

victory over David Bey in Philadelphia. In February 1979, Frazier was ranked #2 U.S. amateur heavyweight by the U.S. Amateur Boxers and Coaches Association, and #1 by the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

. Frazier was a runner-up for the

1979 Pan American Games The 1979 Pan American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Panamericanos de 1979''), officially the VIII Pan American Games were a multi-sport event governed by the Panam Sports Organization, and were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15 ...

, where he was expected to meet

Teófilo Stevenson Teófilo Stevenson Lawrence (29 March 1952 – 11 June 2012) was a Cuban amateur boxer who competed from 1966 to 1986. He won the Val Barker Trophy (1972) and was honored with the Olympic Order (1987). Stevenson is one of only three boxers t ...

for the first time in this competition.Stevenson may have easy time
by Joe Carnicelli (AP,) ''Lowell Sun'', July 2, 1979, p. 26. He was concentrating on the Pan American trials and the Pan Am games, after that, he was aiming for a shot at the Olympics. "That's my goal," he said, but ultimately did not take part in the Pan Am trials on the advice of his father. Joe Frazier thought his 19-year-old son was still too young and inexperienced to meet Stevenson. Marvis didn't show at the 1979 National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado, because his father insisted that they send airplane tickets for an accompanying entourage of three people with all expenses paid. Frazier also pulled out of the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

, staged in New York, in October 1979, for the event was largely neglected after Cuba was banned from participation after refusing to team-up with the U.S. to form the "North American team" to compete versus European and other world's athletes. Frazier intended to fly on LOT Polish Airlines Flight 7, where several of his teammates were killed, but his father always avoided flying, and forbade his son to fly as well. Frazier said of this experience: Among his best amateur wins were against future pro contender

Mitch Green Mitch Green (born January 13, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. He is best known for having gone the distance with Mike Tyson in 1986, who was undefeated at the time, and had won 20 matches in a row ...

, and future champs

Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wo ...

, and Bonecrusher Smith. He also decisioned amateur star Jimmy Clark (the #2 ranked amateur heavyweight in the country.) He was KOd by James Broad, a man "I know nothing about," in the 1980 Olympic Trials finals.

Highlights

Philadelphia Golden Gloves,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, March 1977 (amateur debut): *Defeated David Bey by unanimous decision, 5–0 Pennsylvania Golden Gloves, novice division,

Palestra The Palestra, often called the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the Penn Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 235 South ...

, March 1977: *1/2: Defeated John Owens by decision *Finals: Defeated Jarrett Smith KO 1 Pennsylvania Golden Gloves, Civic Arena,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

, March 1978: *Finals: Defeated Ed Bednarik by majority decision, 4–1 Local match-up, New Jersey, 1978: *Defeated (no data available) RSC 2 Local match-up, Frazier's Gym,

, 1978: *Defeated (no data available) KO 1 Indiana vs. Pennsylvania Golden Glovers match-up,

Tyndall Armory Tyndall (the original spelling, also Tyndale, "Tindol", Tyndal, Tindoll, Tindall, Tindal, Tindale, Tindle, Tindell, Tindill, and Tindel) is the name of an English family taken from the land they held as tenants in chief of the Kings of Engla ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, August 1978: *Defeated (no data available) KO 2 Boxing at the

Ohio State Fair The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States, held in Columbus, Ohio during late July through early August. As estimated in a 2011 economic impact study conducted by Saperstein & Associates; the State Fair contribute ...

, Columbus, Ohio, August 1978: *Defeated William Hosea by split decision, 2–1 Illinois–Kentucky–Pennsylvania Golden Glovers match-up, Dunlap, Pennsylvania, October 1978: *Defeated Keith Little by decision Philadelphia Golden Gloves,

, February–March 1979: *1/2: Defeated

by decision *Finals: Defeated James Smith by decision Eastern Golden Gloves, Liberty Bell Park,

, March 1979: *Finals: Defeated Jimmy Clark by unanimous decision, 5–0 Pennsylvania Golden Gloves,

, March 1979: *Finals: Defeated Ed Bednarik KO 1

National Golden Gloves The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States, where they are awarded a belt and a ring. And the title of nations champion is awarded. The Golden Gloves is a term used to refer to the Nationa ...

, Convention Center,

, March 1979: *1/16: Defeated Charles Archie KO 1 *1/8: Defeated Bryon Westmoreland by decision *1/4: Defeated Walter Ware by technical walkover *1/2: Defeated William Hosea by decision *Finals: Defeated Philip Brown by decision Frazier vs. Ali teams match-up, Resorts International Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, May 1979: *Defeated

Tony Tubbs Tony Tubbs (born February 15, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2006, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. Amateur career As an amateur, Tony Tubbs competed in 253 bouts, compiling a reco ...

by split decision, 2–1 Frazier vs. Sports For Boys team, Municipal Auditorium,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, July 1979: *Defeated Robert Lavarry Frazier vs. Clarion team, Tippin Gymnasium, Clarion, Pennsylvania, October 1979: *Defeated Jerome Boyd Florida vs. Pennsylvania Golden Glovers match-up, Coliseum,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, November 1979: *Defeated Jeff Foster KO 1 Junior World Championships,

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, December 1979: *1/4: Defeated Daniel Goguen (Canada) KO 2 *1/2: Defeated

Alexander Yagubkin Alexander Gennadiyevich Yagubkin (25 April 1961 – 7 August 2013) was a Ukrainian amateur boxer who competed between 1979 and 1988. The only Soviet boxer to become the World heavyweight champion (1982,) never turned professional for political ...

(Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0 *Finals: Defeated Olaf Mayer (Austria) RSC 2 Frazier vs. Ali teams match-up, Houston, Texas, February 1980: *Lost to

by decision National Championships, Caesars Palace,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, May 1980: *Finals: Defeated Chris McDonald by decision Olympic Trials,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, June 1980: *1/4: Defeated

by unanimous decision, 5–0 *1/2: Lost to James Broad KO 1 His amateur record was 56 wins and 2 losses. Marvis promised there will be no pro career. "If I can get that Olympic medal, that's it. I'm going to college ( Peirce Junior College in Philadelphia,) and then get in business," he said in 1979. But trainer Georgie Benton saw greater potential, "He's on the road to being a defensive genius. Give me 18 months and I'll have him looking like another Houdini. If you hit him with one hand, you better forget about hitting him with that hand again. You might as well put it in your pocket He can do whatever the situation calls for. He's 18, and he's doing some things the top contenders don't do. Wait until he matures and develops a man's strength," Benton said. Benton, predicted Marvis Frazier will be "the greatest heavyweight since Joe Louis."

Professional career

As a professional, Frazier is best remembered for two first-round knockout losses: a technical knockout from champion

Larry Holmes Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Ea ...

in 1983 and a knockout by rising Mike Tyson in 1986. Pitted against Holmes after just ten professional fights (all victories), Frazier's camp touted his speed and youth as significant advantages over the champion. During the first minute, Frazier taunted Holmes by dropping his hands to his sides and playfully moving his head back and forth. Holmes knocked down Frazier with a right lead two minutes into the fight. Frazier took an eight-count and got back up. Frazier, badly hurt, absorbed heavy punches from Holmes, who appealed for the referee to stop the fight. Finally, the referee stopped the fight with just a few seconds left in the first round. Many in the sports press criticized Frazier's father, Joe Frazier, for changing his son's style from that of an out-fighter (which brought Marvis success as an amateur) to an in-fighter, which many thought did not suit Marvis. After his loss to 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 James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is a retired American professional boxer and actor. Known as "Quick", he was known for his fast hand speed, quite astonishing for a man of his size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodo ...

, and future champion

James "Bonecrusher" Smith James "Bonecrusher" Smith was born in April 13, 1953 at Mangolia, Nort Carolina, USA. James "Bonecrusher" Smith is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986 to 1987. Ea ...

. 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 decision A majority decision (MD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. In a majority decision, two of the three judges agree on whi ...

s in each fight. This set up the fight with the 24–0 Tyson, which was broadcast live from the

Glens Falls Civic Center The Cool Insuring Arena (originally called Glens Falls Civic Center) is a 4,794-seat multi-purpose arena located in downtown Glens Falls, New York, that currently serves as the home of the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. Built in 1979, it was ori ...

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census. The name was given by Colonel Johannes Glen, the falls ref ...

by ABC. Frazier quickly proved to be outmatched as Tyson landed a huge uppercut then followed with a combination that left Frazier unconscious. Referee

Joe Cortez Joe Cortez (born October 13, 1945) is an American former boxing referee who has officiated in many important world title bouts. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. Biography Cortez is of Puerto Rican descent. H ...

started to count while looking at Frazier, but immediately waved off the fight once he saw that Frazier was not responsive. The 30-second fight is Tyson's quickest knockout of his career. Recalling the fight in later years, Frazier conceded that he had underestimated Tyson. "Tyson was 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." After Tyson, Frazier did not fight for a title again. After nearly a year away from the ring, Frazier returned to fight twice in two months, winning both of his fights over journeymen fighters. He won his final fight against Phillipp Brown in 1988, retiring with a career record of 19–2.

Retirement and later life

After retiring from boxing, he became an ordained minister and active participant in

Prison Fellowship Ministries Prison Fellowship International (PFI) is a Christian international non-governmental organization of national prison fellowship organizations from 112 countries. The organization is based in Washington D.C., United States, and its current preside ...

. Frazier appeared on ''

The Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...

'' with his father to promote HBO's '' Thrilla in Manila'' documentary on April 2, 2009. In 2013 Frazier completed his autobiography, ''Meet Marvis Frazier: The Story of the Son of Smokin' Joe'', with co-author Jamie Potter.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 19 Wins (8 knockouts, 11 decisions), 2 Losses (2 knockouts) , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Res. , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Rd., Time , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Win , 19–2 , Philipp Brown , UD , 10 , 1988-10-12 , align=left,

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, , -align=center , Win , 18–2 , Robert Evans , UD , 10 , 1987-08-10 , align=left, Secaucus, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 17–2 , Tom Fischer , TKO , 2 (10), , 1987-06-01 , align=left, Secaucus, New Jersey , , -align=center , Loss , 16–2 , Mike Tyson , KO , 1 (10), , 1986-07-26 , align=left,

, , -align=center , Win , 16–1 , James Smith , UD , 10 , 1986-02-23 , align=left, Richmond, California , , -align=center , Win , 15–1 , José Ribalta , MD , 10 , 1985-09-11 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 14–1 ,

, UD , 10 , 1985-05-20 , align=left,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, , -align=center , Win , 13–1 , Funso Banjo , PTS , 10 , 1984-12-05 , align=left, London, UK , , -align=center , Win , 12–1 , Bernard Benton , UD , 10 , 1984-10-23 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 11–1 , David Starkey , TKO , 1 (8), , 1984-09-25 , align=left,

Pennsauken, New Jersey Pennsauken Township is a township in Camden County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the township's population was 37,074, reflecting an increase of 1,189 (+3.3%) from the 35,885 count ...

, , -align=center , Loss , 10–1 ,

, TKO , 1 (12), , 1983-11-25 , align=left,

, style="text-align:left;", , -align=center , Win , 10–0 ,

Joe Bugner József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British- Australian former heavyweight boxer and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalised citizen of both Australia and the United King ...

, UD , 10 , 1983-06-04 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 9–0 , James Broad , UD , 10 , 1983-04-10 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 8–0 , Mike Cohen , KO , 2 , 1983-03-07 , align=left, Charleston, South Carolina , , -align=center , Win , 7–0 , Amos Haynes , TKO , 5 (10), , 1983-02-08 , align=left, Atlantic City, New Jersey , , -align=center , Win , 6–0 , Guy Casale , RTD , 4 (8), , 1981-09-16 , align=left, Las Vegas, Nevada , , -align=center , Win , 5–0 , Tony Pulu , UD , 6 , 1981-08-22 , align=left, Las Vegas, Nevada , , -align=center , Win , 4–0 , Steve Zouski , KO , 6 (6), , 1981-05-11 , align=left, New York, New York , , -align=center , Win , 3–0 , Melvin Epps , UD , 6 , 1981-04-10 , align=left, New York, New York , , -align=center , Win , 2–0 , Dennis Rivera , TKO , 2 (4), , 1980-10-10 , align=left, New York, New York , , -align=center , Win , 1–0 , Roger Troupe , TKO , 3 (4), , 1980-09-12 , align=left, New York, New York , , -

References

External links

*
Amateur career of Marvis Frazier
(in Spanish) compiled by Pedro Cabrera Isidrón of the Cuban Olympics Committee.
Meet Marvis Frazier

Marvis Frazier's Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frazier, Marvis 1960 births Living people Heavyweight boxers African-American boxers Boxers from Philadelphia National Golden Gloves champions Winners of the United States Championship for amateur boxers American male boxers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople