Foreman's resume? is he overrated ?

[sonnyboyx2]

George Foreman~ is he overrated?

Foreman KOd Joe Frazier when Frazier was out of shape, having just finished a World Tour with his Blues Band, "The Knockouts"

Foreman KOd Ken Norton ~ Norton was KOd by almost ever punch he ever fought...

Foremans loss to Jimmy Young, his loss to Muhammad Ali, his come from behind victory over old Ron Lyle..

What is your opinion of George Foreman's resume, is it padded or is it quality?

[rightsideup]

To some degree he did not fight difficult fighters prior to winning the championship but did stop chavalo. Frazier did carry some extra weight into there fight but George may have been a bad match up for him regardless. He proved he had stamina issues before his comeback which cost him against both ali and young. To me his comeback started as a sideshow but was impressive. I guess to say he is Overrated would be hard to do because what is the placement of his rating?

[soul_survivor]

Foreman KOd Frazier, who had just beaten Ali a little over a year earlier. Foreman was only 25 then. Say what you want but he beat THE heavyweight champ then went on to beat the guy who had beaten Ali and broken his jaw...in fact, these weren't just KOs, they were annihilations. Foreman proved his power made him head and shoulders above every heavyweight around from 72-74...all but one.

It wasn't until after losing to Ali and his own declining mental health that Foreman started to look ordinary and had another loss and that war with Lyle. But in his prime, his power elevated him to the very highest levels of greatness...which would happen gain 2 decades later.

[Eff Pandas]

The first thing I think about with Foreman's resume is he had so few meaningful fights. Granted the ones he had were very meaningful, but Chavez's resume with so many cab drivers to journeymen on it during his period of high activity looks amazingly full of good to great opponents in comparison to Foreman's with so many cab drivers to journeymen on it with so many gaps between good to great opponents. I'd still be hard pressed to say he's overrated. Beating the guys he did beat + the comeback that eventually resulted in a title is like some Paul Bunyan **** more than a boxers career & in my eyes that gives him some extra credit resume points so to speak.

[BKM-2010]

Some guys have wins where it's about who they beat, not how they did it because it might not have been very dominant or impressive manner. Some guys have wins where it's about how they won because the opponent might not have been an ATG/HOF but still solid.

It's rare to see someone have both aspects checked in his biggest wins. Foreman beat great heavyweight in spectacular, dominant fashion. It counts for a lot imo.

I do believe that he could have had a greater career than he had, like having a trilogy with Larry Holmes if he didn't retire for a decade, that was a missed oppertunity.

But I believe he is a top 5 ATG HW with his comeback victory at age 45 to become champ again.

[BKM-2010]

The first thing I think about with Foreman's resume is he had so few meaningful fights. Granted the ones he had were very meaningful, but Chavez's resume with so many cab drivers to journeymen on it during his period of high activity looks amazingly full of good to great opponents in comparison to Foreman's with so many cab drivers to journeymen on it with so many gaps between good to great opponents. I'd still be hard pressed to say he's overrated. Beating the guys he did beat + the comeback that eventually resulted in a title is like some Paul Bunyan **** more than a boxers career & in my eyes that gives him some extra credit resume points so to speak.

It's not that bad. Of course he relies mostly on his wins over Norton and Frazier but this is an impressive list:

-Olympic gold medalist
-Stoppage win over Chuvalo
-win over veteran Peralta at an early stage
-Classic comeback win over ATG-puncher Ron Lyle
-Stewart
-Comeback KO over Moorer-still the record holder of oldest HW champ

And most of his losses were against All Time Greats or solid title holders.

[LacedUp]

Underrated? How?

Is it his fault Frazier was somewhat out of shape? No. Frazier showed he still had a little bit left even after his defeat to Foreman.

Norton was at his absolute best when Foreman wiped him out with ease. Ron Lyle was tough as boots.

His resume is padded with no-hopers of course. Moreso than many other champions. Joe Frazier has half the fights, but his resume is almost pure quality.

However, George Foreman for what he did in boxing is a top 5 ATG heavyweight for me.

[billeau2]

Well....he fought Frazier, Norton and Ali. It is fair to say resume is not one of his strong suites I suppose.

Watching Foreman one can see that he had mad skills. No not overrated.

[The Old LefHook]

Yes, I think he is overrated by a couple of places on the ATG list. He is still great, but his pronounced weaknesses could easily have gotten him in big trouble against several heavies that people overlook these days. A real handful for any heavyweight until Ali made him feel mortal.

[Ben Bolt]

Frazier showed he still had a little bit left even after his defeat to Foreman.

Looking back at the 40 years I've followed boxing, I come to the conclusion Joe's effort in Manila must be the one that have surprised me the most. So sure I was, he was spent and an easy target ...

Foremans loss to Jimmy Young

That loss must have been the best thing that could've happened to George. As he, in the dressing room directly after the fight, started to hearing voices in his head, addressed from God.
Probably (?) because he was exhausted and drained. Yet, it changed him to a more relaxed person with a new purpose in life.

Fighters overrated or underrated, well, I don't think so much about it. They were there, creating boxing history