Down and Out in 4:35

By RED SMITH

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Under Caribbean skies that had never witnessed anything remotely like it, big George Foreman smashed Joe Frazier to the floor six times tonight and won the heavyweight championship of the world in 4 minutes 35 seconds. Arthur Mercante, the referee from New York, stopped the uneven match with Frazier on his feet but hardly in the contest.

A crowd of 36,000 saw one of the most startling upsets in two and a half centuries of heavyweight title matches. Frazier, in his 10th defense of the title New York State conferred on him in 1968 and his third since he whipped the former champion, Muhammad Ali, in 1971, had been favored at 1 to 3 in the betting shops here. Foreman, unbeaten in 37 fights and author of 34 knockouts since he won the Olympic heavyweight title in 1968, had been recognized as Joe's most formidable opponent since Ali but most boxing men doubted that he could stand up under the ceaseless pressure of a characteristic Frazier attack.

They'll never know now whether they were right or wrong, for Joe never got a chance to apply pressure. Looking rather thick in the middle at 214 pounds, the champion tried to "come out smoking," but Foreman used his greater size and longer reach to smother the fire. At 6 feet 3 inches, the challenger had three and a half inches in height and a five-inch advantage in reach. Reaching out with both hands, he fended off Frazier's early rushes, turning the challenge aside. Then he sank a hook deep into Joe's body, and the crowd had the first hint of what was in store. In a moment Foreman was moving forward, using both hands with authority. Even so, there was an instant of shocked silence when an uppercut sent Joe sprawling.

The champion got to his feet immediately and resumed his jigging style, both hands high, as soon as Mercante completed the mandatory eight-count. By now there was bedlam in National Stadium. Sure of his power, Foreman forced Frazier into the champion's corner, brought up another uppercut to the chin, and Joe sank slowly to his knees. He rolled over, pushed himself up and took two or three staggering steps while Mercante continued the count. This time George was on him hungrily. The challenger pumped both hands to the head, and just as the bell ended the first round, a straight right put Frazier flat on his back.

The second round was barely under way when a short right sent Frazier on a little wobbly walk. He shuffled unsteadily to his right, hands down, and as he passed, Foreman nailed him on the left ear. Down went the champion for a fourth time. Again he beat the count. He wobbled into the ropes where Foreman slugged to the head again and again. When Joe crumbled for the fifth time, it was a left that dropped him. A moment earlier, Mercante had pushed Foreman off and warned him for shoving Frazier. "But I was determined to keep chasing him," George said later, "no matter what."

He chased him. He caught him. He nailed him with one last right, and Mercante had had enough at 1:35 of the round. Talking a trifle thickly because of a cut under his lower lip, Frazier blamed his pride. He said he hadn't realized how strong Foreman was, should have tried to bob and move away but "my pride wouldn't let me." After the second knockdown, Joe said, the challenger simply overpowered him. He was beaten for the first time in 30 professional fights.