¿Who was physically stronger between George Foreman and Jack Johnson?

Yeah, if Foreman specifically trained for a year to beat Johnson in a street fight, I'd go with the guy with the large size advantage and peak Boomer athleticism who didn't spend half his life starving.

 

But he didn’t and “as is” Johnson would “son” him in a street fight if they were magically transported to “da cobbles” Johnson was a much “arder” man from a “arder” time GF was a spoilt brat by comparison.

 

Sure. In a fair contest where Foreman doesn't get to train for the street fight, Johnson beats him up.

Assuming a fair street fight, which is itself a dubious concept.

 

People mostly picture Jack from his older fatter days, he was jacked in his younger years

https://easttexashistory.org/files/fullsize/f500d6e063e13c55a630043086611247.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/PbAAAOSw9Jlm-MWp/s-l1600.jpg

 

MMA cage… as they are, just a bare handed early days UFC bout to the finish basically…Johnson beats the devil out of him - it’d take one clinch, Foreman would need to literally box on his toes to try to prevent what was coming… Johnson would shoot on him once and it’s over, he’d also have the advantage of understanding how to block, roll and deflect barehanded blows better - Foreman in fairness has got a good style for barehanded boxing but no head movement… JJ thrived in that world (gardening glove, gloves) it’d be the beating of the century depending on what JJ wanted to do to win, especially if it was just one unbroken round to decide a winner like “on da cobbles” boomer athletics can’t overcome actual training.

 

Good sized guy, small wonder he did a little strongman on the side.

 

Foreman would beat the breaks off of Johnson in a street fight. He mugged people for a living, stole people's lunches, and was a legendary street fighter in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in America.

As far as physical strength goes, there's static strength as in to lift things. I don't think anyone's beating Foreman when it comes to that except maybe Carnera, or perhaps some modern fighters such as Joshua who is a dedicated body builder with a huge frame. Then there's functional strength and, again, Foreman is probably at the top of the list. The guy was manhandling and shoving heavy weights with one arm like they were children. Lastly is force/power, and again, Foreman is at the top of the list being perhaps the most heavy handed 2-fisted threat in the division's history. Jab, hook, uppercut, or cross, either hand was devastating with any punch.

Johnson was no slouch and a very strong man, but he was smaller, lighter, didn't punch as hard, couldn't lift as much, and has less impressive functional feats on film. The only x factors that even keep him in the conversation are his wrestling skills and the fact he knew how to grapple and manipulate with his smaller, more flexible gloves from his era. I really don't think that's saving him against Foreman in any sort of physical contest outside of pure wrestling, especially if Foreman can punch or fight dirty. Again, we are talking about an actual thug who dropped out of highschool and mugged people on the regular. And if it's 90's Foreman, it's only worse because he became even stronger physically, was heavier, and even more of an imposing physical force that even much younger juiced up men couldn't overpower. A pissed off Old Foreman showing no restraint is a very scary thought.

 

Fine, measured post.

 

lol Glass “ seeing red” and stealing lunches does not overcome wrestling training… Johnson is far more in his element on the streets then GF… JJ know’s how to wrestle GF did not (he’d get rag dolled) Foreman did not fight with small gloves (basically bare handed in size) Johnson did (another HUGE plus) Johnson himself was a gang member in his youth, lived in a time where men where hung for just being black… I am pretty sure he knew how to handle confrontations out of the ring he was shot at, glassed, jumped on by groups and was the smuggest man in boxing he wouldn’t give a solitary F that George Foreman used to rob scared teens and the elderly lol. In a fight to the finish? Johnson makes GF his BISH he’d slam him on the ground and just rain punches on him / choke him out… laying flat on his back GF would be like a turtle you have no idea how much of a big deal grappling is when one guy has 0 training in it.

 

I would say Foreman was def. stronger in terms of raw strength.

As for Johnson, he was still of course very strong naturally but his application of grappling skills in the ring, as much as they were allowed, were elite.

He could lock down opponents with absolute ease but he could free a single hand instantly to land punishing shots while his opponent was still comprised by the grip of his other hand.

Another feature to his grappling game was that Johnson would sometimes voluntarily allow his opponent to force him back, Jack not really being forced back per as but walking himself back at the same time - this saved Johnson’s own energy while his opponent was expending theirs.

The only times when Johnson gave any ground to Jeffries occurred early in the fight and when Jeff was fully leaning his weight into Johnson - so not a show of superior strength on Jeff’s part - and Jeffries appeared to be putting in far more effort to force Johnson back than Johnson was simply moving back at the same time.

Otherwise, Johnson displayed tremendous technique and strength when he easily bent Jeffries arm behind his own back, time and again during the fight - something he forecast doing before the fight to prove that he was the stronger man.

 

Foreman for me was the strongest HW ever. Jeffries second.

 

It took him that long, cause he wanted for it to take him that long. He was playing with Burns trying to embarrass him as much as he could.

 

Foreman would tear him apart with his teeth...

 

You're entitled to your (wrong) opinion.

 

Precisely, this fact is common knowledg, and has been part of boxing lore for over a century!