How would've George Foreman ('73-'74) fared against 80s and 90s heavyweights?

Foreman smashes through them with only Tyson, Lewis and Holmes having any real chance. McCall might go the distance but he has nothing to threaten Foreman with.

Holyfield can't keep Foreman off him and trading with Foreman is worse than playing with fire.

I need to re-think how Foreman-Tyson, Foreman-Lewis and Foreman-Holmes would go. But other than that, i don't see any of the others bothering him that much. Maybe Ike but he is too unproven to be picked over Foreman.

 

He beats most of them. The first 4 are the most questionable. I'm of the ones that pick prime Tyson to stop Foreman. Lewis, Holmes and Holyfield have good chances of victory. Douglas could also be problematic. Bowe is too hittable. However, if Bowe can last until the latter half, he could stop Foreman. I pick Foreman to stop Bruno, but he may give Foreman some rough moments.

 

70s foreman would have faired well in the 80s and 90s and had a very strong presence. I don’t see him dominating or at least not for long. Those were very competitive eras and some of George’s deficiencies would prevent him from having a long reign

 

He did well enough in the 90s over 40.

 

Mike Tyson (1986) knocked out in 2
Lennox Lewis (1999) Widely outpoints George.
Larry Holmes (1982) Stops George in 10.
Evander Holyfield (1992) Stopped in 6.
Trevor Berbick (1981) Stopped in 1.
Michael Moorer (1994) Stopped in 1.
David Tua (1997) loses UD, very good fight.
Riddick Bowe (1992) Bowe, when jabbing and coming in and going for the body, should be able to beat George. But he got hit too much. Bowe stopped in 7.
Tommy Morrison (1993) Morrison knocked silly in 2.

 

I'm visualizing one off peak fr peak fights here. I rate Foreman bigtime prior to post Zaire. Lewis, Holmes and Tyson and Bowe to a lesser extent would be the really live dogs. I'd have Lewis evens, Holmes just under even and Tyson about 40-60 or 35-65.

Mike Tyson (1986) TKO3 in a war where both are hurt.
Lennox Lewis (1999) It's a KO loss or KO win. Roll the dice. Lewis big, long, strong and immensely powerful himself.
Larry Holmes (1982) KO4 could go either way. If Holmes survives 5 rounds all bets are off. Foreman gets him when he goes flatfooted.
Evander Holyfield (1992) TKO5 Tough fight with Holyfield's penchent for brawling sinking him.
Trevor Berbick (1981) KO2
Michael Moorer (1994) KO2
David Tua (1997) TKO7
John Ruiz (1998) KO2
Riddick Bowe (1992) TKO4 fight of the year potential? Bowe causes plenty of drama.
Ike Ibeabuchi (1999) TKO5
Buster Douglas (1990) KO3
Tommy Morrison (1993) KO2
Ray Mercer (1991) TKO5
Oliver McCall (1994) TKO5
Frank Bruno (1989) KO3

 

Just because Frazier was stopped in 2 doesn't mean Tyson would be

 

Well let's see here, against a young Mike Tyson, the power and uppercut of Foremans would be to much, much like Joe Frazier was beaten I their first fight, Tyson hit hard and was fast, but Foreman just had a strong chin, Foreman in 3 rounds KO. Lennox Lewis, wow, this would be competitive, Foreman tajes him out in 6 rounds. Larry Holmes, good fighter, but if he got hit by a banger, someone like Ernie Shavers and went down, got back up, but Shavers was smaller than Foreman, Foreman had a better chin, If he decks Holmes like Shavers did, it's light out for Holmes. Foreman in 4 rounds. Holyfield, if there was a man as determined as Holyfield, I don't know that many, problem was he didn't do win against Bowe, Bowe was just to nih and determined, he beat Holyfield eventually after a very tough fight. Foreman hit harder than Bowe, Holyfield goes in 5 rounds. Michael Moore was good, but a younger stronger Foreman wins by KO in 3 rounds. Tua is a hard hitting slugger, but it would be like a, Joe Frazier fight, Foreman takes him in 3 rounds also. Ruiz was easy to hit and couldn't deal with stronger hea y hitters, Foreman again KO in 2 rounds. Riddick Bowe, big hitter, strong, powerful man, but when he fought Lennox Lewis, Lewis beat him, Foreman does the same, it's stopped by tko 5th round, Foreman wins. Ineabuchi, who ever hits the hardest first wins, Foreman stops him in 3 rounds. Buster Douglas had one really good focused fight, that was against Tyson, Douglas climbed in the ring like a champ that night just a few days after his mother died and went into that fight pretty dedicated to it, he went on and did everything right to win that fight, but it was only one fight, he was knocked out by Holyfield in found 3 I think, Douglas didn't train for that fight and lost, he would be blasted out by Foreman in 2 rounds. Tommy Morrison was a good fighter, good left hook, he beat Foreman by running in and out of the fight, but almost always list to big hitters, he list to Lewis by knockout as one example, he just had a glass jaw, Against a young Foreman he would be knocked out in the first round. Mercer destroyed Moreison also. Mercer against Foreman would be a Lewis 2 fight, but I think Foreman beats him tko in 8 rounds. Oliver McCall, wow, good fighter, almost like Ken Norton, but he couldn't take a heavy hitter like Foreman, Foreman would have to the fight in good shape and really put the pedal to the metal, he would take Oliver in 4 rounds. Bruno always tried to slug it out with big bangers, but he didn't have a good chin either, he was stopped by Tyson twice and Lewis stopped him also, Foreman in 4 rounds KO. I had to think about a fight with Berbick, Foreman would take heavy hits from Berbick like he did with Ron Lyle, but Foreman would wear him down with his own powerful punches and take him out in 4 rounds. Berwick was touch, big and strong, but Foreman would be just to much for him.

 

Doesn't mean he wouldn't be either.

 

tyson ko1

 

True. I still pick George in 2.

Tyson had two ways of fighting; coming in all the time is suicide against George. Tyson's other, even less effective one- punch at a time cautious approach means Foreman will knock the hell out of him with the jab, not to forget pushing and spinning Mike into his big punches.

 

I think there's a real danger for Tyson getting stopped early against George.

 

Absolutely. Tyson usually bumrushes from the opening bell and doesn't let up for a little while. Foreman will meet him head on.

 

He walks through most of them, but I think fights with Lewis, Holmes, Holyfield, Tyson and Bowe would be very competitive...