By Popular Demand Peak George Foreman Versus Peak Vitali Klitschko For All The Benjamins

Vitali can't control distance against George and has to fight. Big mistake

 

Probably goes out like Chuvalo, pinned to the ropes taking bombs when the ref stops it

 

we´re talking about 70s foreman, don´t we?
could look like a mix of foreman vs. lyle and lewis vs. klitschko ... slugging away ... last man standing.
i go with vitali, because he is bigger/heavier, better stamina, better technician and fights more intelligently.

 

I actually think Old 90's Foreman might do better since Vitali mostly threw straight shots down the middle with not a lot of variety. The cross arm block helps neutralizes straight shots. Old Foreman's jab is a dozen times better than Vitalis and it would be a big problem for him since he likes to lean straight back and could have leaky defense. If Vitali fights smart he could outpoint him, but it could be an ugly clash of styles.

Younger Foreman runs the risk of gassing out if he's overly aggressive trying too hard to go for the KO. In that matchup it's Foreman who needs to fight smart the way he did against Norton and Chuvalo. If he comes out recklessly and wild like he did against Ali and Lyle, the sturdy Vitali may survive the early storm and stop him late.

 

Interesting to ponder how the chess-like, methodical jab of Vitali deals with Saddler's rear hand lane blocks. If Foreman comes out hungry and calculated (e.g Norton fight) then Vitali might be forced into exchanges he cannot win due to his decent though not great punching power.

 

Jimmy Young did fine in the trenches. Why is this so overlooked? George proved the inside game was never his in any of his losing efforts- when they stood in the pocket Young bossed him at times and fed him shots down the pipe when he was forced into an exchange.

 

Not trying to take anything away from Young, he was a great fighter. But it's generally accepted that Foreman was in the middle of a life crisis entering that fight. And even with that, he came very close to stopping Young early in the fight.

Foreman of the Young fight isn't peak foreman to me. Even if he was physically, the mental element of the sport is huge.

 

Honestly- no. This is all just excuses by a losing man. He came close to stopping Young because Young didn’t respect his ability in that fight. The second he realises he can be hurt he went back to dominating. Reminded me of the Bueno vs Sung Kil Moon fight in that regard.

 

Vitali judged distance and picked and weaved his shots really well around more sophisticated offenses than George's. He's also a giant and strong as an ox with a decent gas tank. I think he wins, maybe even stops Foreman with an accumulation toward the end. Vitali won't be intimidated and won't be pushed around.

 

I don't really think having a religious experience and quitting the sport for 10 years and becoming a preacher is the same old losing fighters excuses. And disagree as to why Young was almost stopped. I think it's because foreman had abilities of his own not just that Young didn't respect his power.

 

The rest of the fight suggests he didn’t have abilities on par with my great uncle Jimmy.

 

Slick and sneaky could always find an angle to land midst Foreman's assault. That's certain. I'd argue that an exchange doesn't necessarily need to take place inside though. Granted, I agree, Foreman had little in term of true inside fighting. Control game and frames yes, but not the true inside game of Duran and Frazier.