How good could Foreman have been?

In my view,Tyson got to be as good as he was ever going to be. If he had remained disciplined,though,his prime would have lasted a few years longer.

 

I have often felt that he could have been significantly better if he had been brought along differently. I think his handlers did him a disservice by matching him so cautiously on his rise to the title. He was not in enough tough fights, and he did not gain the experience necessary to develop him into a well rounded fighter. So much more could have been done in bringing him along.

 

they could have done a better job if he wasn't so protected but I think Big George was getting arrogant and needed the humbling he got in order to be open to learn new things. Had he not retired for 8 years who knows but other than being older he learned how to fight away from his weaknesses and not into them

 

Big Red I think your confusing George with Liston or Lyle as Foreman began boxing as a teenager and turned pro when he was twenty years old. George's physical prime likely peaked before the Jimmy Young bout.

 

Totally disagree, we saw the best George could be in the first Frazier bout and against Kenny Norton, awesome displays of power where Sadler had George in the perfect gate for him allowing every punch to be thrown correctly with all his weight into them. After Sadler and with the advent of Gil Clancey all this went out the window as Gil didn't understand what was needed with George as Sadler so well did.

 

He was retired for a full decade.

I do not see who minimized his title at 45. Few could have done that. Though a great slugger matched against a chinny guy who fought foolishly-it is possible. Only due to Moorer's negligence.
Tyson? Could have learned to fight inside much better. And if his prime was extended, could have shown/grown as a fighter with Bowe & Holyfield. Lewis, possibly.

I think the truth is in between-George could have been matched better, learned to relax to avoid gassing, throw the ajb & straight shots more consistently...
but i think he got the majority of his potential out, certainly not just 1/3.
He never would have been a speedster, so always might lose to the very best boxers.

But very few indeed.

 

No, I knew that I think Foreman started boxing in his later teens if memory serves me correctly. I think that is a late start for a boxer. Foreman would have been very strong and polished in his mid 30s if he had not of quit boxing. Notice how old Foreman had developed into a smarter boxer well he would have been a lot sharper and better without the long lay off and a lot stronger also.

 

A more important question, at least for some of us:

If George's skill level and acumen had been a notch higher, would we still have gotten the grill ?

 

It would of come without the lay off, experience is one of the best ways of learning anything. Foreman did not need to have a 10 year lay off to learn to box better.

 

Agreed he didn't need ten years of course, but that was for reasons other then not wanting to box. Some time off may well have helped though, he went through a big and mistaken style change from Sadler to Gil Clancey that was bad for his physical make up and he needed to shed that. When he came back with Archie Moore in tow his gate, foot work, and correctly thrown punches returned and he took fewer punches because of this. The other matter as George himself has said is that he was always an angry younger man without patience and the later change wasn't going to happen for a few years after the Young go.

 

If he had todays Brain combined with his early skills and his new skills he would of been unbeatable and Lovable. He also would of sold a lot more Foreman Grills