Joe Louis vs Zheli Zhang

Foreman engaged in one of the best fights of the 70s against a tough contender after taking 15 months off from the ring. Zhang drew with Jerry Forrest and lost to a prospecting Hrgovic . What’s HIS excuse ?

 

All three of those guys would beat Zhang. And my point in mentioning those old threads was that the guy was deemed as practically invincible after beating Joe Joyce. Where’s Joe Joyce now ? His record is 16-4 and he even picked up a loss to a 40 year old Derek Chisora. And THIS is the reason we’re matching Zhang with Joe Louis and other greats ?

 

Yes and said contender almost killed him…Zhang lost to Hrgovic that’s not a big deal IMO he’s a good fighter, he also fights nothing like Foreman. I didn’t watch the Forrest bout Magoo sorry. What I’m saying though is if a small heavyweight with a good punch, took it right to GF and almost took him out in RD1 I can see why people would think a 280lbs 6ft6 southpaw with much faster hands, shorter punches who hits like a truck has a good chance against an aggressive bomber who has never overcame a size advantage against a good opponent.

 

One again, Foreman was coming off a 15 month layoff and a devastating loss while facing a good contender. What’s more is he showed he could rise off the canvas TWICE in that fight and win . Zhang had Forrest on the canvas multiple times and couldn’t keep him there

 

Greats can lose to just plain good contenders sometimes is just a styles thing, at HW physicality does a lot of heavy lifting for guys and that was true in the past as it is now, Usyk succeeds despite his size some greats of the past owe a lot to being significantly bigger and they wouldn’t be today.

 

That’s true. But Foreman didn’t exactly have a towering advantage over all of his opponents. Some of them like Norton and Lyle were around the same size and got knocked out. Zhang loses to guys smaller than himself

 

I mean he had a “layoff” yes but it wasn’t like he lost that many steps he was in the ring doing an exhibition during that “layoff” he had a full camp getting ready for said dangerous contender too, guys also take a year off today and we don’t hold it against them lol but that’s my 0.2$ - regardless of how in-shape you think he was it does show his chin can be checked by Lyle, Zhang if he lands most certainly would let him know what time it is.

 

Yes but Norton was also KO’d by Garcia a 188lbs man say what you will about when it happened but it shows his chin is at that level, it doesn’t get better with time… Lyle almost killed him, that is the ONLY time he had an opponent as his physical equal again he never faced someone who was any good who didn’t let him be the “big guy” in the ring. If he runs head first into Zhang it’s uncharted territory on multiple levels, I can see why people would pick Zhang.

 

I don’t know why you keep saying that Lyle almost “ killed “ foreman. He was hurt. But he was able to compose himself enough to win the fight emphatically. At nearly 50 years of age Foreman was taking on super heavyweights in Savarese and Briggs and arguably won both of narrowly. Zhang drew with a journeyman who was 6’1” 235 lbs and with minimal power

 

Just colourful talking, how about I say that he had Foreman almost KO’d instead? He stood right there, went to GF and dropped him hard with the first right hand… neither of those guys were any good Foreman beat them by being a better boxer it also happened in the 90s not the 70s so it’s irrelevant, he fought nothing like his young self … outweighed both at the time too, they were only 230lbs-ish lol, what did Forrest do to beat Zhang? How’d he fight him? That matters more than calling him a journeyman.

 

Prime Foreman’s jab, described as the best jab since Joe Louis, alone would keep Zhang on the ropes before Foreman knocks him out. Zhang is lowly skilled and untrained. He has no chance vs the best Foreman or Louis.

 

Derek Chisora would probably Knock out wilder now

 

Well.. in my world, coming back from near defeat to completely knockout a top contender and following a long layoff trumps getting slapped with a draw against a dude who’s probably not even top 20 at the time. And that particular dude was small by today’s standards and certainly a hell of a lot smaller than Zhang was. Have a good evening, friend