DO You Think Foreman Is Overrated?

Also underrated and misunderstood skill-wise.

 

Agreed.

 

No I don't.

I don't disagree with Ezra's criticisms of him either.

The fact remains that this man achieved tow of the greatest wins in heavyweight history, twenty years apart.

That has to count for something.

 

That is the simple eloquence of the statement.

 

Agreed! George Foreman was basically a slugger and he had the limitations that almost all sluggers have. Boxers or very elusive, crafty fighters were his poison. but they had to be on a certain level. Those that went right at him (when he was prime, or close to same), were basically doomed, regardless of what level they were on. Sluggers and swarming type fighters: BEWARE!

 

Anyone can do that with literally anyone's career and I've heard those a million times.

Dempsey beat an older, very inactive Willard who was never that good to begin with and a big target.

Louis won the title from the very limited, glorified journeyman Braddock who got lucky winning his own title from the clown Max Baer who didn't make a serious effort.

Rocky beat a bunch of shopworn old men and light heavies.

Patterson's claim to fame is beating an old Archie for a vacant title and rematching Ingo, a 1-trick pony he shouldn't have lost to in the first place.

Ali beat an older, inactive alcoholic Liston who had a prior injury.

Tyson unified the belts beating C level crack heads and underachievers.

You can make any champion look like a scrub with his arguments if you try hard enough...! Apparently anyone could've become champion!

 

A few points to consider.

Many people consider Joe Frazier to be a top ten all time heavyweight, and not that far removed from his prime, when Foreman fought him.

Has any other heavyweight in history destroyed such a man in a couple of rounds?

Yes you start to see it when you expand to the top twenty, and take men who no longer held the tile, even if they were still very dangerous.

The only thing that even comes close, is Liston's destruction of Patterson.

OK, so that was just one win, now lets move on to the Moorer fight, twenty years later.

Nothing like that had happened before, or has happened since.

It is just ridiculous.

What other great heavyweight, was anything other than a sacrificial lamb at that age, or ten years younger in some cases?

Yes Foreman is the daddy of the heavyweight division right now, and rightly so!

 

Yeah he is overrated. Big George hitting the bag makes people believe he can come back and ko Fury.

 

i think there is a mythical 'prime' foreman who never existed.

 

No.

 

Agreed. There are many who sum him up as being “ a slow plodding puncher with no defense or stamina. “ but that’s only part of the story. He was very good at cutting off the ring, working the body, tying a man up and could punch equally with both hands.

 

I strongly agree with this. George was a slugger and really THE Slugger at Heavyweight as no other pure slugger achieved what he did in boxing. He suffered the same limitations as most sluggers however many sluggers dont have a great chin- Shavers, Graziano, Julian Jackson, Morrison, Cooney, etc not the case with George. It took a monster shot to really get his attention let alone knock him down. His resume was a bit padded before Frazier but not so much after. Foreman is a top ten heavyweight though not a top 5.

 

And then, after that, Frazier went life and death with Ali, twice. That has to also be considered.

 

He was, from an overall perspective, the most powerful heavyweight whom ever lived.

He beat guys that beat a still-excellent Ali, men who were great in their own right as well imo.

He won the title twenty years after he lost it, well into his forties.

He wasn't quite Holmes, Holyfield, Ali, or Louis (I'm still undecided in regard to his standing next to Lewis), however he was very great and certainly a top ten ATG imo.

 

Not overrated.

If the pre title opposition wasn’t necessarily extraordinary he still had an extraordinary stoppage victory over George Chuvalo.

That win had to have sent a strong and loud message to both Frazier and Ali - this is a guy that is going to have to be reckoned with in the future.

He also has a few other extraordinary wins on his way defeating Frazier.

Ali threw a spanner into two title reigns - those of Liston and Foreman respectively - reigns that could reasonably have been projected to las that much longer IF not for The Greatest.

At least Liston and Foreman fought the most eligible contenders they were supposed to fight, without undue protraction - too bad for them those defences included Ali - in only Liston’ 2nd defence and in only Foreman’s 3rd defence.

Also, Foreman also never did get a rematch with Ali which probably should’ve happened.