Why is George Foreman rated so highly on a lot of peoples lists?
Don't get me wrong, i think Foreman is a legend just like most people do, he was a murderous puncher, and destroyed most of the guys he faced. But lets face it, he was always one dimensional, and was beaten by the two good ''boxers'' he faced in his first career. Surely to be ranked as high as the top five you need to have versatility? Foreman was undoubtedly a beast of a man and physical specimen, and any guy who took the fight to him would most likely not survive just like Joe Frazier didn't, but does he really deserve to be ranked so high considering his limatations?
-
-
I think thats why he is ranked so high. He had little actual boxing skills yet he destroyed guys in his prime and no one could go more than 3 rounds with him. He looked unstoppable and destroyed greats like Frazier and Norton both in two rounds - and those guys had both defeated Ali.but does he really deserve to be ranked so high considering his limatations?
He is also rated high for cming back in his 40's and KO'ing undefeated Micheal Moorer to become the oldest champ ever. Which is a huge achievement. Moorer beat prime Holyfield and Foreman went the distance with prime Holyfield (somthing Tyson couldn't do) -
Foreman is a little overrated..
Considering the fact that most people believe no one could go toe to toe with him and win. When Foreman went up against a slugger that was powerfull enough to make a competitive fight with him, he was nearly KO'd. Sometimes i believe Lyle would have knocked him out even if they fought before Foreman lost to Ali..because Foreman said something like ''If it was before Rumble in the Jungle, i would've thought to myself..i got knocked out. There was no way i would get up and win if i got rocked like that before'' cause he didnt have the heart like he did after Ali. I believe these fighters in their prime would have a very good shot against him in a slugfest.
Rocky Marciano
David Tua
Mike Tyson
Ike Ibechau
Sonny Liston
And maybe some more. Im not saying they would beat Foreman..no not at all. Im saying that Foreman is not unbeatable when he's trading blows.
And apart from that, there are also some very good BOXERS in their prime that could have outboxed him.
Other than that, Foreman is top 5 for sure.Comment
-
gotta agree slightly with yaman on foreman...he did lose his focus if he was met with his own power ...foreman vs moore would have been very very intresting had moorer packed just a liiiittle bit more power into those punches ....would have we seen a foreman stoppage? who knows ...Comment
-
A lot of it is redemption. The fact that he came back after such a layoff to fight the top contenders and win a few of those matches says a lot about his determination.
Tyson, on the other hand, had opportunities to redeem himself and chose exile instead. When he was champion the first time, he flushed his chance at immortality by forgetting his defense, and forgetting how to attack the body. Against Holyfield, he tried to throw head shots all night and got outboxed. In their second meeting, when he actually had Holyfield in trouble in the 3rd round, he threw the whole thing away by getting DQ'ed. In another match, he tried to break a guy's arm, etc. These are the things that allow someone like George Foreman to be ranked higher than Mike Tyson. Tyson was a more skilled fighter, quicker, with better stamina and freakish power. Foreman stuck with it, however, and believed in himself. Tyson could have a chance today to do something similar, but he refuses to care anymore as we saw when he gave up against a McBride that he was winning rounds against.
Plus, he demolished a decent crop of heavyweights in Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Ron Lyle.
(I'm still not convinced that the tippy-tap truly knocked Moorer out, by the way. Especially since Moorer briefly cracked a smile while on the canvas.)Comment
-
In a nutshell...people are enthralled with power. Foreman's destruction of Frazier and Norton were awesome to behold. Also, his war and off the canvas victory over Lyle showed his heart and determination to win. In addition, there's the miracle of his second career where he hung in with Holyfield and stopped Moorer after taking a shellacking...his will to win.Originally posted by paul750
Now, all of that being said, I feel the Foreman is shamelessly overrated as people are blinded by their love for power-punchers while ignoring Foreman's weaknesses which were on display against Ali, Young, Stewart, and Morrison.
George is a legend, an icon, and an all time great IMO; but ranks no higher than # 10 when compared to the other big men who hold that honor.Comment
-
a prime foreman could only be defeated by a hadnful of very skillful boxers that is why he is top 5 material.
but seeing him absolutely destroy the undefeated heavyweight champion in 2 rounds after the champhad just defeated 'the greatest' did make him seem unstoppable
i do think the comeback is what secured him a place in history
he is between 1 and 3 in my listComment
-
rocky tyson and tua would not have stood a chance aginst foreman because they were swarmers. i'm not saying that foreman is a muich better fighter its just swarming never works aginst someone who is so much stronger than youOriginally posted by YamanComment
-
And why do you think that? Cause he beat 1 swarmer who was past his prime?Originally posted by hemichromis
Thats the only win of a swarmer for Foreman that people look at, and they think Foreman is unbeatable in trading shots. Come on, be real. How many times did prime Foreman face a fighter that swarmed with powerfull punches quite like Rocky or Tyson?
Only a past prime Frazier who could've done a lot better.
And Ron Lyle who nearly ko'd him.
You think Tyson, Rocky or Tua would ''swarm'' into Foreman's uppercuts? You dont think they could land some deadly punches on Foreman's ****ty defence? The guy kept his hands low for Gods sake. Lyle nearly ko'd him in the 1st round with 1 punch who landed flush, and these guys hit harder than Lyle.
They all have a good chance but people totally overrate Foreman when it comes to slugging. They think he was this unstopable monster who could destroy any great fighter and boxer.Comment
-
While styles win fights, they don't automatically define the hypothetical ones. Frazier was starting to decline, and his vision had become borderline 2-dimensional by that point. I'm not saying that Frazier would win that fight on a different day, but he certainly would have caused some damage instead of getting clocked 6 times in two rounds. Foreman might have looked a little different if he exchanged blows with Frazier, instead of just getting to tee off against him.
Foreman's defense wasn't all that great, and a fighter like, say, Marciano, would keep punching until the cows came home. I think that, despite what occurred (or didn't) in 1991, Tyson would make a very game opponent for Foreman. Even against a prime Foreman.
Regardless of all this, I'd still rank him top 10. Even if his boxing abilities weren't great, and his stamina was limited, he simply had the power to take the other guy out. When it comes down to it, it's two human beings in a ring, with what they know.Comment
Comment