What is Jack Blackburn had trained George Foreman

I say:

-You'd see the jab being a bigger factor
-You'd see a definite shortening of the punches
-You'd see more emphasis on conserving energy and countering

Whether or not this would help or hinder that much is a tough one. Many believe Foreman's overpowering cannonball approach was the most effective for him.

Blackburn's plea for cleaner boxing may have hampered his highly effective push n' punish technique.

 

Worse. Foreman's arms are half the size of his waist. I dont ever see him being a boxer. He had an effective jab and his style was banging hard on the inside. Foreman accomplished a great deal in his career with his fighting style, so I would say it was perfect for him.

 

I am somewhere in between McGrain and lefthook31.

I don't think Blackburn would be adamant on a turning George into a economic boxer, but the boxing traits he would instill in him may dilute his come-forward potential.

 

Bull manure there.......... Foreman at 6' 4" tall had a good reach of 79".... That's normal for his height and size.......

Jack Blackburn would've been great for Foreman...... At least Foreman would've learned the proper ways to approach and attack a melon farmer in the ring... YES! Under Blackburn's eyes, Foreman would've been a REAL monster with skills by age 23...........:yep

Big Dick and Sandy Sadler didn't teach Foreman ****, and Archie Moore was NOT in position to say a whole lot to Foreman, either..... Moore's input was regulated by the Sadler's... They (Dick & Sandy) were cheerleaders screaming: "Get Him, George" all the time.... I'm sorry, but that aint gonna cut it in the long run.... The Sadler bros. also never showed George Foreman how to properly jab; that came from Sonny Liston & Co.....:shock:

In reality, G.F. didn't learn some decent technique until he hired Gilbert Clancy in 1975. Later on Charlie Shipes and Angelo Dundee..... It's amazing how George Foreman become a much more complete fighter by the age of 40..........
:deal
MR.BILL:bbb

 

I wouldn't second guess the job Moore and Saddler did. Don't think Blackburn would have done it much better.

Foreman started late so he probably didn't have time to develop the best technique, and they instead focussed on the things he did well. But combine Old George and Young George and you would be looking at someone perhaps as great or even greater than Joe Louis.

 

Tall, with a good reach, but again he was built like a fireplug. He used his jab very well, and never would have been able to sustain a jab and move style for an entire fight. The guy was a two time champ, won the gold, I never thought he was good enough to be the greatest of all time, he wasnt nearly as mentally strong in his first career as compared to his second and that is a good part of the reason he became a strong fighter for a 40 year old, I think George accomplished a lot. I wouldnt call him a complete fighter either, his defense even in his older age was suspect. He wasnt the greatest at slipping punches.

 

Mr Bill I do agree that Charlie, and maybe Angelo also helped George in his second go become a more complete project, but I've always thought Gil Clancey was an example of how a trainer can goof up what was working well. In wanting to shorten up Georges hooks Gil had George bring his feet closer together, which is where George was getting all his leverage in those moving in jabs and right hands to the body. The result was a standing straight up Foreman throwing pretty jabs with nothing behind them and his uppercuts literally going sideways from his way too close together feet. If you view his bouts with Dino Dennis and later with Jimmy Young you will see the clumsiness in his movement when he tried to go after his foe, and then compare his uppercuts in Frazier 1 to what a wrong trainer can do to a man.

 

whats wrong with Dick Saddler and Archie Moore? both very good trainers. They turned foreman into a devastating puncher punching with leverage and body torque and developed him a thudding left jab.

 

Dick Saddler and Archie Moore just told Foreman to go out and wing it because nobody could stand up to his power. They never taught him the basics and even if they did he probably wouldn't have listen to them.

Tall, with a good reach, but again he was built like a fireplug. He used his jab very well, and never would have been able to sustain a jab and move style for an entire fight. The guy was a two time champ, won the gold, I never thought he was good enough to be the greatest of all time, he wasnt nearly as mentally strong in his first career as compared to his second and that is a good part of the reason he became a strong fighter for a 40 year old, I think George accomplished a lot. I wouldnt call him a complete fighter either, his defense even in his older age was suspect. He wasnt the greatest at slipping punches.


Foreman was hit less in his first 47 fights than any other heavyweight champion in boxing history. Because Ali was able to hit him late in their fight and Ron Lyle was able to hit him does that make his defense bad? I think not.


There are no complete fighters. Ali wasn't a complete fighter because he couldn't work the body. He didnt have world class power, and fighters like Doug Jones and Henry Cooper were able to hurt him big time even though neither were heavyweights.

Joe Louis couldn't take a punch well, Even the light punching Billy Conn ( Between 63 and 70 wins with only 11 to 15 knockouts depending on your source) could hurt him. Joe Louis wasn't good at cutting of the ring,

Mike Tyson was short so he never had much of a jab, he wasnt good a cutting off he ring, He was stopped 5 times which is more than Tommy Morrison so Tyson had a glass chin too, Tyson never got up from a knock down to win a fight.

Larry Holmes wasn't a huge puncher, Larry Holmes never worked the body, He was knocked down by 1 punch by various fighters and hurt by Ray Mercer with a jab.

You could go on and on. Every fighter has major weaknesses. Foreman on the other hand had great power. a great chin, could get up from being knockdown, was good at cutting off the ring. Foreman never learned the fundamentals of boxing and yet he is still a top 5 all time great ( I mean heavyweight fighters who weighed over 205 pounds not 180 pound fights like Dempsey, Marciano and Tunney)

Imagine if Foreman would of learned how to get his weight into his punches, Imagine if he learned to get more snap into this punches. The man would of been unstoppable