George Foreman , overrated ?

But you don't have to say it.
It's kind of hard to be eliminated from ATG discussions if the champ in question is already in the top ten of published lists isn't it? Wouldn't you think it would be hard to say Foreman was better than somebody on a list if he wasn't on it? Otherwise it's like making a case for Primo or Ingemar in ATG debates. It doesn't happen. It amounts to a punchers chance.

 

I don't think Foreman's overrated. I think he was always an unusual case. He's a unique case.

 

Yes, I think everyone agrees it was a unique fete winning the title so many years apart against unbeaten champions. Overall a special champion.

I do think however that the stature of his first career is being rewritten by the internet generation.

 

The debate about prime Foreman's historical standing prior to a revision that may have occurred due to his comeback is going nowhere.
I doubt he was called an all-time great often at all, or things along those lines, up until and including the early parts of his comeback. I believe he was almost universally held in far lower esteem than was Frazier. But I have absolute no solid evidence for this. Then again, a possible absence of evidence on foreman then could in fact support the idea that he had become somewhat forgotten, dismissed, obscure and a footnote. Definitely he was mentioned as a terrifying puncher but I can't remember being told he was one of the greats.

 

Maybe fairly though.

Besides the unique feat of winning the title 20 years apart, I think GF was unique in other ways. I mean, in both of his carnations he built himself up on KOing low grade opposition for the most part and his total wins over ranked opposition is decidedly small proportionate to his total fights. On paper he's quite easy to pick apart there but if you take everything combined, including witnessing his special ring presence and strength on film, and of course his unique accomplishments, he deserves to rise above a cold analysis of the boxrec-type.

 

Agree that taking everything combined he is ATG. He was always extraordinary even going right back to winning the Olympic Gold medal with less than 20 Amateur fights behind him. I always admired his instinctive accuracy leading with power punches. You can't learn that raw talent he had. But once he grew enough as a person to put it all together it was too late to be the greatest he could have been.

 

In 1974/1975 Ring placed Ali and Frazier in their top ten all time. That is after George destroyed Frazier twice. You won't find George's name on that list nor any other ATG list by any other publication until
after he beat Moore.

 

Please remind us again just who Deontay Wilder has beaten for you ranking him in your top10 ?
If anything that is far more astonishing than any ranking of Foreman.

 

You are like a brick wall. ATG's do not stop at 10 unless there is an agenda. In 70 more years one cannot say Holmes, Frazier, Marciano etc aren't ATG's because they are no longer in the Top 10. Jesus H F'n Christ LOL

 

Absolutely. A guy some on here are trying to brush off as a footnote comes back as a near pensioner and basically backs up every guy he fights including winning the title. What a monster.

 

I believe that to be the case too.

 

I don't think anyone's quite going that far.
I do think he's a bit underrated by some though.

 

That's obvious Foreman was underrated isn't it? Because Nobody after 1980 could possibly forecast Foreman would even come back never mind regain the title, so first time around experts were left only with what there was to go on.

I suggest they were Forced to underrate him out of disappointment.

First time George was A huge talent with more to give who retired without redeeming his earlier reputation. After all, Back then he did not win fights at elite level each time it went past 7 rounds- if only because Ali and Young made up 50% of his elite opponents before the comeback.