How boxing fans would view Foreman if he retired in 1977?

George Foreman only came back ten years later because he needed the money to build a church, plain and simple.

 

Never mind, friend.

 

He'd be seen as a sonny Liston type, a guy that would always be dangerous against most, but always struggle against certain types.
Not sure how people would rate him, maybe not as a ATG, but definitely one of the hardest hitters.
His last few fights hardly impressed, getting knocked around by Lyle and losing to Young, so his comeback showed us more too him.
Chin wise his cone back proves how good he actually took a punch.

 

There is a listing of the great Heavies from about 1981 I saw years ago on VHS (I haven’t found it on YT), involving Larry Merchant & a guy whose face & voice I can recall, but not name (this man recalls meeting Jack Dempsey when he was a little boy in a school setting, when Dempsey visits his class). They’re sitting in a studio & each fighter discussed is presented by a cartoonist sketch of them followed by highlights.

I can’t remember where or if Foreman was ranked, but I recall Merchant describing him as, “a tremendous, destructive machine, but with flaws.” So there’s some insight for you on how he might be looked at. There is still the annihilation of Frazier, who is always viewed as one of the greats.

Anyone know the program I’m talking about?

 

First blush. He'd be outside the top ten. With his second act he's comfortably in the top seven, and it's not ridiculous to have him as high as three.

 

George Foreman become a pop culture icon in his 2nd career, largely due as well to the George Foreman grill.

Wonder if he'd have remained a footnote to Ali's career to much of the general non boxing fan public had he stayed retired?

 

He would still be an all time great in my book but lower on the list.

 

I have him about midway through the top ten. If he hadn’t come back he’d probably be just outside it

 

Well, it's not speculative, because plenty of us remember his actual hiatus when we were certain he was retired for good. The book on him then was that he was a dumb and stamina deprived mean bully who couldn't handle first rate boxing skill.

The Norton defense was much less regarded after Ken was also bombed out by Shavers and Cooney, and decked by LeDoux on national television. Ken was as supremely managed as any HW of the 1970's, and this meant steering clear of Ron Lyle when Norton peaked in 1975. It was believed Ron would've quickly destroyed and retired Ken permanently in late 1975. Therefore, Norton simply couldn't handle first rate sluggers, and Foreman couldn't deal with top shelf stylists. (Retroactively, it was also felt that Mercado would've wrecked Ken at the time Bernardo uniquely one punched Berbick.)

In shape, second career Ali could still beat everybody else. Foreman couldn't.

KO Magazine did speculate during the early 1980's that Cooney-Foreman might have been the same sort of entertaining war Foreman-Lyle was. Of course we didn't dream they'd actually square off, and Gerry would even have his moment just before the end of round one, unfortunately waking George up and sending him into destruction mode before Cooney could hook him from above like that again.

Big George really needed that second career to redeem his boxing reputation. His come from way behind against Moorer was one for the ages, and he finally proved his stamina over 12 rounds during his second reign.

 

Out of the Top10 per sure.

Foreman would be seen as a sort of "one hit wonder" who managed to be briefly champion, a dangerous fighter with tremendous potential but ultimately flawed, lacking the qualities required to endure at the top.

 

Foreman's 2nd run is what makes him an undeniable Top10; not just because he won a world title but also because, even more important, he singlehandely killed the idea that the 90s HW era was superior to the 70s.