Zaire, who else could have beat Foreman that night ?

I agree,on the whole,but Holmes would have to be ultra cautious in the early rounds.

 

But Holmes had a decent right hand, if he used it correctly in the first few rounds, he could get Foremans respect. Thats the same advice Cus Damato gave to Ali prior to RITJ

 

Yep.

Mr Holmes had all the tools, size, style and heart to beat George Foreman. That doesn't mean he wouldn't have some scary moments along the way but I think Holmes was too good.

 

Size, size, size, obsessesed with size. Joe Louis would destroy a big ponderous George Foreman in Zaire most assuredly...I would give a young Tyson better than even odds to do likewise...Nonething is certain, but give me speed of hand over slower punchers, all things being equal...There may NEVER be the Louis of the Max Baer fight ever again...

 

Definitely,in my opinion.

 

JJ Walcott, Jimmy Young,Joe Louis and others

 

In terms of active fighters at the time, nobody because Ali got Foreman to beat himself.

 

I recently re-watched a lot of early Foreman. My thoughts on 1974 Foreman vs:

• 
  Joe Louis: Louis was a sharpshooter and relentless combination puncher. Foreman's defence was wide-open. While he has a puncher's chance, I wouldn't count on it. Louis stops him within 4, similar to Louis vs Max Bear.

• 
  Mike Tyson: Many will pick Foreman because of the Frazier fights. I don't understand that at all, Frazier was a notoriously slow starter as well as war-weary. Tyson was the opposite: extremely fast, accurate, controlled and certainly had the chin to take any incoming fire. An important question would be whether Foreman is allowed to push Tyson away, as he did Frazier. Even then, he often held his arms out to push his opponent as they came forward. Against a killer like Tyson, that gets you knocked out. Let's also not forget that Lyle was the best puncher young Foreman faced - and he nearly got stopped. However, Lyle never showed his power or stoppages against good opposition. A strong, Pulev-like fighter but not a KO monster. Tyson TKO3.

• 
  Larry Holmes: 50/50 fight. Holmes could outbox him, but also had a consistent tendency to slug it out when hurt. In that case, Foreman would finish what Snipes couldn't.

• 
  Lennox Lewis: Superior boxer, bigger, stronger, faster, more powerful. Outside of a puncher's chance, I don't see Foreman lasting.

• 
  Wladimir Klitschko: Similar to the Lewis fight. I think Wlad is less durable than Lewis, but also less likely to get hit (better D/less offensively minded), so I'd say Foreman has a similar puncher's chance. Just look at how consistent Wlad manages to land his jab on world class defenders like Byrd, Chambers and Chagaev. Foreman would get peppered by the jab and 1-2.

• 
  Rocky Marciano: Difficult to say, the size difference is enormous, but Rocky has an impeccable KO record vs rated opposition, he's certainly a live opponent.

• 
  Jack Dempsey: See: Marciano.

• 
  Evander Holyfield: He was inconsistent, but on a good night, the prime Holyfield (early 90's) would outbox him. He has an incredible chin and will to win, I can see him battling out a late victory.

• 
  Floyd Patterson: Gets destroyed.

 

what about Charles Liston?

 

Louis n lewis n holmes.

wlad?? give me a break. foreman aint noshot2**** retiree. and that was enough to kill wlad in minutes. it'll be single figure seconds with foreman.

 

The Greg Page who kayoed Gerrie Coetzee.

 

Zaire Foreman was not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination. Very dangerous for the first few rounds but the way he fought that night throwing wide bombs without properly setting them up would leave him vulnerable to a sharpshooter like Louis if Joe makes it out of the early rds and I think he would. Good boxers like Lewis and Holmes would stand a good chance as well. If nothing else Foreman proved that it's dangerous to take yourself and all the press clippings too seriously. There were a lot of great fighters before and after him and they wouldn't have folded like deck chairs for him either.

 

As great as Ali was in this fight, Foreman was awful. His plan A was flawed and he had no Plan B! What the heck were his corner telling him to do?

Why did Foreman's prodigious power desert him? Norton and Frazier hurt Ali badly, yet Foreman could not? I find it impossible to fathom that.