Leaving aside the question of whether 30s/40s heavyweights were as good as their successors: Wouldn't Buddy try for a shootout? Smith's "advantage" here is that he's one of the few big, strong fighters (aside from Ali) who wouldn't try to evade, outslick, or fight Foreman, but stall Foreman in an energy-sapping way. People are going on about how Smith fights timidly. Well, yes. That's why I give him a better chance than someone like Mac Foster, Ernie Shavers, or Samuel Peter, who would try to punch with George. Foreman left a serious hole in his game plans by failing to pace himself.
He did it once against Tyson, we don't know if he had tried the same startegy against Foreman. Usually, Smith brawled with his opponents.
OK. Looking at the bits, maybe...on paper. Looking at the whole fighter. NO. There's only one realistic outcome here.
I will never understand how some people make their picks on this forum. Some people do not follow their own criteria and are all over the place in matchups. If you think Smith has more than a 25% chance of winning (which is generous), then I guess Chris Arreola, Buddy Baer, and Dillian Whyte could pull something off in Zaire. Smiths record and overall fighting ability is roughly even with theirs and they have similar size and strength. Why not?
Ok, first off this is a matter of styles , not resumes .. Crusher had a lot of heart ... he was losing every round to Bruno and then destroyed him .. he was a novice and hung tough against an older but still very tough Larry Holmes .. he was pounded on by Tim in the first fight but hung in and didn't quit .. Yes he lost to Tyson but that Tyson was an all-time great at his best and I feel he did better than Foreman would have .. he lasted the distance .. He crushed Weaver, Witherspoon in the rematch. His power, chin and stamina were real and this is one of the styles that is needed against Foreman who I feel is one of the most overrated champions in heavyweight history ..
Crusher? James "Shake and Bake" Smith had average power, average stamina and he quit more times than I can remember. Quit against Holmes both times. Quit against Nielsen. Quit against Bugner. They threw him in the Cedric Kushner one-night tournament against the softest draw - three nobodies -- all three fights went the distance and he lost one of them. Couldn't stop or beat Marvis. Couldn't stop or beat Levi Billups. Couldn't stop Jesse Ferguson. Was floored and lost to Lionel Butler. Was floored and lost to a past-it Greg Page (who had already racked up 10 losses himself and dropped Smith, as well). Hell, Greg Page had a much higher KO percentage than Smith, and nobody called Page "Bonecrusher." You think Smith is going to hug George Foreman until George was exhausted and then stop him late? It didn't work against Marvis Frazier but it's going to work against George Foreman? In 1994, when the "overrated" George Foreman is knocking out Michael Moorer to win the World Title (the same Moorer Smith lost to), a younger "Shake and Bake" Smith is quitting against Nielsen, getting stopped by Lionel Butler and can't stop any pug in the Cedric Kushner tourney or even beat pug Dan Dancuta. Stop the nonsense.
I have yet to see anyone explain how this strategy is supposed to work. It's not like Foreman was some short stubby armed fighter with a big weight difference and Smith can lean on him. They're almost the same size and Foreman is strong enough to wrestle him back. Oh, and Foreman is going to be punching him too, because it's a boxing match last I checked. Smith is just going to be losing points and losing energy himself trying to wrestle a guy his own size who can rival his strength and getting nailed by sledgehammer blows.
Frank Bruno - BEST PUNCHER James “Bonecrusher” Smith: Smith had a hard punch and he was strong. This was one of my hardest fights. I was quite young at the time and he was a lot older. I lost this fight outright but it gave me a lot of experience. I learned a lot from his punches and tried to use his style later on in my boxing.
Mike Weaver - BEST PUNCHER Bernardo Mercado: Bernardo Mercado was a hard puncher. He dropped me in the gym when we sparred and then we fought and he dropped me in a fight also and I knocked him out the next round. Bonecrusher was a hard puncher, very strong. Gerrie Coetzee was a very hard puncher. Lennox was a hard puncher. I always tell people Bernardo Mercado was the hardest puncher I fought because I was in the prime of my life. I was like 27 years old. Lennox Lewis and Bonecrusher Smith were hard punchers but I fought them in my 30s and 40s.
Razor Ruddock - I tell you, when he punched me it felt like an earthquake. Every inch of your body felt that power.
