Foreman’s power - First And Second Career?

Good morning Fergy!

His power in itself was probably just the same in both careers when it came to single punches - last thing a puncher loses....etc.....etc.
But he would throw more punches when he was younger so he would have been more dangerous in those days. Michael Moorer,for example,would n't have lasted nearly as long as he did had he had the misfortune to have faced the Foreman of the early seventies.

 

Even for a big man Foreman seemed to get a lot of weight behind his punches and not always with good technique.
The straight back hand that ko'd Moorer didn't seem to have his shoulder behind it buy the impact says different.
The chopping right hand he knocked Cooney down with the first time was impressively quick and the left uppercut, a crusher.
Big George will have ko power forever.

 

When Big George and Ken Norton came together in the ring Norton looked like a body builder, 15 stone of sculptured muscle but Big George looked about 2 stone heavier.
Maybe it then that Norton decided retreating was the best plan, but the ropes got in the way.
GF looked every bit as invincible as Sonny Liston did when he blew Floyd Patterson away.

 

I like the humorous way Ken described what happened "My plan was to come forward then back off and make George throw the first shot then I would capitalise. So I kept backing......kept backing......backing........then I stumbled!"

I really liked Ken.

 

Yeah I pi55ed my sides when I heard him saying that.
He told a similar tale about that car accident he had.
He said he crashed through a fence and into a field "there was only one rock in the field and I hit it"

 

He had more snap and velocity first career. Second career he straightened his right hand out substantially.

 

Funnily enough BoneCrusher smith is said to hit harder then Foreman. Power is special sauce not a meal.

 

Definitely.
He didn't go through Moorer at all with that right.
He was winging away with his left hook though, some landed, some didn't but Jud was putting all his weight behind those like he wanted to remove Moorer's head

 

I think he had more power in his first career. Power = speed x mass.

Obviously he was heavier in his second career. But his hands were noticably slower as an older fighter. IMO the power that he gained from gaining weight was less than what he lost from losing handspeed in his second vs first career.

That being said, even the older Foreman was close to a 10/10 for power. The difference is minor though substantial. If the young Foreman is a 10/10 in power, the older is 9.7/10.

The biggest difference is combination punching. The older Foreman could not throw 5-6 punch combos but the young one could. The young one also could cut the ring better as he had quicker feet.

The old Foreman, though less dangerous due to lack of combination punching, was physically even stronger, had better balance, threw a better left uppercut (ala Cooney), carried his power better late in the fight and was in general calmer and more collected.

 

I enjoy the thought that guys didn't really understand why he was called 'Big George' until they stepped in the ring. There are bigger men, but something about Foreman is so imposing...