70s George Foreman vs Oliver McCall peak for peak

Yes, McCall & Ray Mercer are tough for a young 70s Foreman-type fighter. And they´re hell better than 19Xlb Peralta.
But then, check what happened to George Chuvalo (past it)!

We basically don´t know what might happen if 70s George fights real durable good punching 225lb fellows who are better than aging Chuvalo.

Personally I think Foreman wins the major rounds against McCall because he could box too, but McCall does a little of a later rounds comeback like he did against Frank Bruno, but it wouldn´t be as close. -->70s George decision over 12, dunno about 15.

I think Ray Mercer against prime George is closer.

 

Foreman unleashes hell on McCall, but McCall has enough in his punches to hurt George as well. So either Foreman stops McCall on his feet with McCall being brutalized or McCall survives the brutality and stops Foreman later in the fight.

And this depends on the referee. If the referee jumps in and stops the fight, it will be in Foreman's advantage.

 

Did McCall ever take a nasty beating and come back to win? I know he has an iron chin but I'm not sure he has the willpower to win this.

 

Oliver had a bit of a sparring partner mentality. He may run the risk of shutting up shop for long enough under a George onslaught for the ref to step in. Also, he was less keen on body shots than head shots and young George could dig in to the ribs and kidneys.

If he brings the focus he brought to the first Lewis fight, it might be interesting. But I can't forget that Oliver lost to Frank Bruno and, much as I admire Frank, 70s George is a much better fighter.

Given his size and durability, Ollie's possibly more interesting a proposition than anyone George faced (or at least the versions George beat). But how is he going to actually mount an offence that wins the fight. Being able to take lots of big punches isn't enough to beat George.

 

Would n't be a walkover for George by any means but I still see McCall getting stopped after five rounds. The referee steps in as 'The Bull' is taking too many shots.

 

Not sure how McCall from the first Lewis fight misses with the right hand and also not sure how Foreman finishes a 15 rounder.

 

McCall was no defensive genius. He would be there to be hit

 

Well, he won't be able to ask McCall as he never finished one either.

We're basing McCall's chances on not just one fight but one moment in a fight. What if the ref gives Lewis the benefit of the doubt and a few more seconds to recover. What then? Steward had trained Oliver for that very moment but if, after being knocked down, Lennox had gone into full caution mode and jabbed and moved, does Oliver have the nouse to win in any other way than he was programmed to do. He certainly didn't show it six months later when he plodded to victory against a 45 year old Holmes or when he sleepwalked to defeat against Frank Bruno who was much older and more stamina-sappingly musclebound than 70s Foreman.

You have to look at a few fights and take the mean performance. After the Lewis win, he has the uninspiring defences against Holmes and the loss to Bruno. Prior to Lewis, he beat Damiani and Dixon, took a decision off Jesse Ferguson and stopped Seldon but lost to Tucker, Douglas, Orlin Norris. Take that one punch out of Oliver's resume and he's a win some, lose some guy and he lost to some less than stellar names.

When exactly is McCall's prime? Is it before winning the title? After? Or is his prime that punch?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not sold on 70s Foreman being a big unbeatable monster and I think he may have been vulnerable to some of the 80s and 90s top names. I just don't have Oliver in that list.

 

I disagree with your view of when sparring partner mentality kicks in. It's usually for the privilege of guys who are hurting them not boxing them. That's what makes them go into their shell.

In other posts on this thread, you are claiming McCall is bigger and stronger. What do you base that on? I think George is slightly taller, Oliver may have weighed a few pounds more but George would cut weight for some reason in the 70s. George looked bigger in the legs, Ollie looked more toned and defined. I don't know how we can measure their strength.

In terms of mental strength, neither is a colossus. But I think 70s George was able to overcome his anxieties better. When George was coming back from the Ali loss, he picked himself off the deck to beat Ron Lyle in 5. At the moment of his mental lowest point, Oliver burst into tears and refused to fight Lewis, a man he had already beaten, in the fifth. And that wasn't the only night he looked like he might explode.

While I do feel 70s George gets blown out of proportion a bit, I think he did enough for the burden of proof to lie with those who claim that a performer as inconsistent as McCall can unravel him when Oliver came up short against the likes of Bruno, Tucker, Douglas and Orlin Norris.

 

Stop pretending like McCall was a one hit wonder. He actually beat a lot of guys who would hold titles and you know exactly why I think he’d be capable of 15.