Zaire, who else could have beat Foreman that night ?

Who would you favour ?

 

Honestly ?

 

As it's in Zaire this now gives any heavyweight with very sturdy whiskers or who is incredibly awkward to catch clean a much better chance to beat Foreman. There's simply to many to list that 'could have' beat Foreman that night, probably over 50 that 'could have' because we've seen that after 4 rounds Foreman would be absaloutley spent. The least high profile I could see doing a number on Big George in Zaire would probably be Ross Purity.

 

Turn of the decade Larry? :think (the '74 version wasn't ready)

 

Exactly my point.

George still had all confidence in his ability to smash people silly and tbh i wouldn't make anyone a firm favourite over him in the ring that night.

 

I don't like too many fighters' chances, to be honest. Yeah, he got tired after the fourth, but how many could have stood up to that battering the way Ali did to even THAT point? Young's as good a choice as any, but Foreman still had the edge of an unbeaten man until the late stages of Zaire that hadn't yet been rotted away the way it had by the time Young got him three years down the road. That was a different guy.

 

Certainly no other fighter around at that time. Jimmy Young and Larry Holmes were n't ready at that point. We all knew that George could easily deal with Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. As for going back and forth in history from 1974,not too many. I'd have to think very carefully about Lennox Lewis and Joe Louis,who MAY have had a shot.

 

Exactly ! The same guy who slaughtered Frazier,Roman and Norton.

 

I was immediately going to come into this thread and say not Jimmy Young.

Of course Foreman fell in love with his power, but I'll take a Foreman that goes for the kill and jabs less than a mentally shot Foreman who lacks confidence, paces himself, yet still gets tired.

 

How about Holmes or Young from a few years later in a time machine, though? :think

 

I think Holmes would be drawn into a shootout which would be very unwise and for me he couldn't have pulled off the sharp right hands which Ali used to keep George off balance for a lot of the time.

I think Young would have got blown away that night, along with most other Heavies, before or since.

 

Saensak Muangsurin.

 

Holmes would be favourite,but if George catches him full on,a la Earnie Shavers,it's goodnight !

A 1974 Foreman v the 1977 Young would be very interesting.