What Are Holyfields Chances Against Foreman (Ali Fight)?

It wasn't the climate in Zaire that hurt George, it was the steady stream of hookers that he enjoyed during the postponement weeks due to Ali's cut. We all acknowledge that sex robs strength from one's legs.

 

I think Holyfield is as determined as any fighter I’ve seen. I put him in a class with Joe Frazier that way.

The singular focus of returning to battle after Tyson bit off one of his ears is a testament to his toughness and determination to block everything out to win.

But in that particular ring with loose ropes and a padded mattress of a canvas, I don’t think he’s physically cable of laying on the ropes and letting George tee off like he’s swinging a bat in batting practice and absolutely absorb that degree of punishment to tire Foreman out.

And Ali’s mental game had a lot to do with that. He goaded George into huffing and puffing until he couldn’t blow the house down. I just don’t think Evander is equipped — his instinct at some point after maybe covering and slipping and catching a few of those punches would be to unload and fight Foreman off him … and in that situation I don’t see him being able to do it.

More likely, he gets caught by a haymaker, and not braced for it, while he’s launching his own counter-assault.

None of us know, of course, but that’s how I see it.

Put him in a regular ring with ropes and normal padding and I could see a focused Bowe II type performance (again, which guy let himself get distracted by fan man and which stayed mentally engaged?) where he pulls it off.

 

Rumble in the Jungle plus a Fan Man cameo would be fun. Mobutu's guards would probably shoot him out of the air...

Since you were nice enough to give your thoughts, I might as well reciprocate.

As far as whether Holyfield could absorb that amount of punishment, I dunno. He traded with some very hard hitters in the 90s, in an era where steroid enhancement was apparently common. Some of those guys -- Bowe, Lewis, Tyson -- are also considered ATGs now in addition to being top punchers, for whatever that's worth.

It may be heretical, but what are the chances that even if Holyfield gets drawn into unloading on Foreman, he can still win? Ali didn't just lean on the ropes, IIRC -- he outgrappled and outpunched Foreman in stretches.

I'm not a boxer or trainer of boxers like you are, so what do I know. But for whatever it's worth, here is my totally inexpert line of thinking here:

You've got a guy who likes to trade, yes. Despite that lust for fighting, though, he was stopped only once in seven fights against the three best guys of his era, all of whom were punchers, and two of whom were significantly bigger than 70s Foreman. The single stoppage needed eight rounds to reach (even leaving the hepatitis thing aside.) Lennox couldn't do the trick despite being closer to his peak than Holyfield.

This same guy also beat up an era of other punchers -- including an older, smarter version of the man he's fighting now in Zaire -- and none of them got him, either. And he's a counterpuncher, rated by a lot of people who fought him as extremely skilled, against a comparatively crude guy. (This forum at least seems intrigued at the prospect of Quarry's chances against Foreman, and Quarry can't claim the kinds of bona fides as a counterpuncher fighting sluggers that Holyfield can.) And Evan's going into this fight on steroids, in peak condition, against a dehydrated man who lacks any significant size advantage over him.

Yes, Ali was a generational talent, incredibly resilient physically and mentally, with better mind games that also played into Foreman's tactical weaknesses, but still...Evan Fields on paper seems like he'd be bad news to match Foreman against. Even with the squishy canvas, it just seems like a bigger gamble to bet on forcing a stoppage before round 8 against a guy who is a skilled, tough counterpuncher who's basically the same size, and was only stopped once against a murderer's row of opponents. (And even then in the same round where Zaire Foreman was done historically.)

Anyway, them's my two cents.

 

It really shouldn't. The post asks a question defined by very specific parameters. What are Holyfield's chances against the Zaire Foreman. That was a Foreman who simply flat out busted himself, perhaps the most bestable version of young Foreman there is. He was rattled before he went into the ring and fought like a man possessed, single minded in his pursuit of revenge for Ali's perceived insults and lack of respect. I don't think that Foreman knocks out Evander, certainly not before 8 when he was spent, exhausted, and as Ali quipped in their fight, this ain't no time to be tired. Evander's condition and discipline win the fight, Foreman's lack of both loses it.

Personally, I think Evander beats any version of George but I really rate him head to head, but the above is my feeling about THAT version of Foreman.

 

Considering how Holyfield liked to stay in the inside,unlike Ali who just outgrappled hsi opponent and punch them to death,it would be a hard fight for Evan Fields,but his headbutts makes wonders.

 

Considering George always ended up inside but couldn’t really fight there I’d say it’s in EH’s favour.

 

I was honestly asking.

 

I can see Foreman tanking some shots and grappling Holyfield,still close.

 

George was a significantly getter ATG than Larry IMO, both feat wise and skill wise. Larry has never done anything even close to what an under developed George did to Smokin Joe. Not to mention their career differences, granted its not Holmes fault he was in a mediocre era but still.

 

Larry would like George here I feel...

https://www.secondsout.com/news/larry-holmes-on-fighter-whod-beat-tyson/

 

Larrys a bitter man.

 

Just to follow up on this: Foreman threw 461 punches in Zaire. See page 177 of Compubox's Muhammad Ali: By The Numbers. (Ali threw 263.)

 

Holyfield beats that version of Foreman too.

 

Well I don’t think Evander would need to move all that much for Foreman SP - he might eat some jabs like popcorn as Foreman wads in, he always did eat jabs - but he’ll get his shoulder into George once he gets close, same as with Tyson both had square hips, he’d hang there and at that point only the left hook is available to Foreman unless he wants to get DQ’d rabbit punching lol, Foreman is Foreman when he ends up inside he’ll just throw everything he has on Holyfield’s guard, at that point the fight is over when you punch that wide with such few real targets… Benton taught Evander to ride the shots inside and he’d just keep finding his uppercut like he did Stewart and Cooper (who again squared up) to semi quote a sparring partner of Evander “He’d turn him into a bobble head” he’d get his right inside George’s very wide left hook, or he’d roll it and land his own left hook. But that’s my 0.2$… what do you think @greynotsoold am I even close? Lol. The only back and forth would happen at mid range till George smothered his own work and would get beat up till the round end.

 

I like Sonny but I honestly have no idea where the **** he is going right now.