Did George Foreman hit harder than modern Super-Heavyweights (Klitschko/Lewis)?

There are some very confused statements here.

1) Don't be mean & nasty & call someone an idiot because you think they do not know something.
Ironically, YOU are ignorant top think that just being heavier means you hit harder. Even in you know that this cannot be true BETWEEN individuals, no, of course the same guy may not hit harder, or even AS hard, when just gaining weight.
How much is fat? How much speed might have been lost which goes into power? Age?

2) Foreman was 48 when he fought Briggs, going on 49, not 50.

3) This is a good point when considering efficacy.
About power, most is kept late.
I assume old Greorge hit close to as hard, not as hard as prime George.
Though was much smarter & lost much speed/

4) Pleaeaeaease everyone stop equating ease of KOs with power.
Volume, combos, accuracy: many things go into KOs.
Also SPEED. If you surprise an opponent & he cannot prepare even psychologically let alone physically...Your punch may have more impact than a HARDER punch,

5) WHERE is that quote from FOreman about Wlad? Please provide any link.
What does it MEAN he tried to numb his own hands through punching? Howe could he possibly execute this>

6) Foreman said tons of things, often patently inaccurate or exaggerated.
He also is the opposite of a braggart, he often says self-deprecating stuff since he became "good decades ago. Out of graciousness & fancifulness his assessments, even modest ones, cannot be trusted.

7) Foreman did have almostr unique "heavy hands", Actually he did NOT seem to use his whole body as much as some like Shavers.
But his ability to move you & disorient was perhaps unrivaled.
The opposite of those whos epower came more from speed like Louis & Tyson.

8) Not sure if Foreman hit harder than Wlad &/or Lewis.

 

In general, the age **** is so annoying all over the internet. At any age, George could hit a stationary target hard. The 70's version was far leaner and aggressive and was more apt to getting in cleaner shots. Of course, George always had a clubbing style, but was not as slow as the later, heavier version that fought a more tentative style.

 

George had a way of walking in and landing without needing to set himself. It gave him the edge in that he could make an impression with something the opponent was not prepared for. It is extremely difficult to prepare for a fighter who does not need time to set himself and the punch you don't see takes you out. Whoever hit harder I don't care. George hit hard enough for anyone with heavy hands and a natural radar to land so unexpectedly without seeming to look properly.

 

It really doesn't matter too much how powerful the maximum punch George had at either point in his career was. Way too much emphasis is put on this mystical attribute.
What people think 'power punching' actually is differs WILDLY. It doesn't really exist as a definable attribute.

I wrote this in an earlier thread: I'll start on the list of no-doubt well OVER 100-200 criteria which would all go together to make up the factors of the energy transfer of one punch: velocity, padding/material of glove, surface area of strike, gravity, mass of both fighters, density of both fighters muscles/bones/tendons, geometry of impact area, elasticity of both fighters physiologies (itself probably over 25 different measurable factors), temperature, blood pressure etc etc etc etc

If you could define/measure punching power down to one number, you would be one of the most important engineers/scientists ever to have lived.

 

It's not about hitting hard or hardest. It's about knocking people out that counts. Effective punching.

Nothing needs to be harder than a knockout.

A lot of people hit really hard but they're not knocking anybody out.

 

Wlad didn't take those guys out with one shot. Chambers went 12 rounds. Thompson 11. All took clean blows and never went out. A shot Byrd took many flush shot before going out on his feet.

Only Austin was a one shot stoppage and Foreman has many more like that against better fighters.

All Wlads one shots came from punches loaded up to the max while Foreman put guys to sleep with just glancing blows. See Rodrigues , Kooney etc

 

I think so. But you realize he fought Lewis right? And for the KO's speed, timing and accuracy are more important than "power". Just look at Povetkin for reference.

Power is the last thing a boxer lose late in his career. And Foreman added great amount of strength and size late in his career. Of course it would affect his speed and timing, but his power would be greater. Its just common sense here.

Try a punch machine, then add 15 lbs of mass and go back, punch with the same technique and I can guarantee you that your score will go up. The same goes for me and everybody else.

 

I'd take Fred Askew's word over anyone here who hasn't been hit by Foreman.
Straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

 

Rodrigues and that version of ****ey do not do much to bolster an argument. A bunch of nobodies KO'd Adilson and ****ey was shot to sh*t from inactivity, booze and coke.

 

I would say no.

I think Lennox and Wlad had much better technique which makes their shots harder.

 

Seems comparable to me. Don't understand how but Foreman generated monstrous power in those slow, wide hooks of his. The way guys reacted to some of his body punches speaks volumes.

 

I think he did. I'd throw Max Bear in as well and maybe Ernie.

 

George had extremely heavy hands, and that kind of strength and power is the last thing to go-in fact, it tends to get better with age. I'd be surprised if he wasn't stronger in his comeback version, being both heavier and older.

The speed, of course, is another story, and that's where the diminishing returns kicks in- you can continue to get stronger as you age, but reduced speed and cumulative punishment taken over the course of a career compromises it.

Since young Foreman was never a speed demon and didn't rely on speed or precision for his knockout power, it's only natural that he'd carry it for as long as he did, as well as he did. Whether he hit harder than the modern super heavies after taking everything into account (speed, accuracy, technique, etc) is debatable, but he carried the heaviest hands I can remember seeing in the division. I like Baer as a shoutout for that kind of clubbing power, too.