Why is Foreman regarded as the strongest fighter physically?

I remember looking this up a few weeks ago. I THINK it starts to decline in completely untrained and unathletic individuals at 30, but in hypertrophy trained people's at 40, until you get to 60 and then the rate at which your mass decreases increases at light speed until you go night night.

The reason I say I think is because some sources say sarcopenia (the biological process of age related muscle loss) starts at 30 and then some say 40, but anecdotally I've not met a single person involved in strength training in my life who was less muscular at 40 than 30, even those that have had pretty narly injuries and surgeries.

 

Holyfield fought Rahman too.

 

The explosivneess starts to decline in the 30's for most, I think, but muscle mass and raw strength not until after 40.

 

Yup yup. Speed actually starts to decline around 25, which is so depressingly early it's absurd. Your physical abilities start to decline the instant your brain has just become fully formed.

It's interesting that in simple sports based on pure physical attributes like track and field people peak in their early and mid 20's, but field sports with multiple variables and cognitive demands people peak in their late 20's and 30's. Ditto with hyper athletic boxers Vs cerebral boxers.

But nobody asked lol, ranting over.

 

Foreman was probably the strongest of the 70,s, after 10 years off, he was probably the strongest no of the 90s
Anyway you cut it, that’s very strong.
Speed and strength and when they decline are very variable, a lot depends on injuries or lack of activity as well. Im not sure I agree an athlete gets slower after 25, well not usually. Usually 29 or 30 is more common. But it’s quite an individual thing.

 

Ok

Ok mate,I guess we'll just have to disagree on the context in which the word ' petrified ' is used.
At least we both agree that Smokin' Joe was a true warrior whose courage could never be doubted.

 

IN fairness to TNSNO1878 I think he meant during the fight when he realized what he was actually in the ring with but I strongly disagree ..

 

One guy is a Muslim and the other was an Evangelical.

 

Ironically if Frazier had any fear of Foreman, he probably would've done much better.

 

His lack of fear was sometimes problematic and we tried to broach the subject with him, only to be called scamboogahs at the intervention.

 

That’s a lovely little nugget

 

One guy could pull a Jeep uphill and the other is Rahman.

 

Rahman would have no issue doing the various circus tricks that Foreman did to make all of Foremaniacs misty eyed.

Here's a 52 year old Rahman:

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This is basic strength scaling imo. Holyfield fought a whose-who of large, strong, hard hitting guys. You name em, he fought em: Lewis, Mercer, Bowe, Moorer, Stewart, etc.

The fact he names Foreman sells the idea of him being the strongest to me. Chuvalo (90 professional fights) and Ali (60+ fights) also fought a whose-who laundry list of notable strong boxers and they said Foreman was the strongest. So that's two generations of boxers in stacked eras all saying the same thing. No one ever managed to outmuscle or push him back, especially in the 90's.