Let's say he takes a year or two off then return's, who would you be confident of Foreman beating? Let's exclude him fighting Holmes, which of the early 80 s and onwards would you see him beating?
If he took a couple of years off he’d have to have several warm up fights. Dokes’s speed might be a problem for him but he’d eventually wear him down. It would also depend on what style he fights. If he used a similar style to the one he used during his comeback then stamina wouldn’t be a problem. That is if he trained properly and not just pounding the bags. Pinklon Thomas might also prove a difficult fight. Tony Tubbs also. A highly motivated Page and Witherspoon maybe. I can’t see him staying unbeaten but you never know.
The guys like Witherspoon, Thomas,Tubbs, those I see has potentially the worst sort of opposition for Foreman. They had good chins and very good boxing skills Dokes too, tho I give George a shot there. Weaver and Coetzee are guys with power but more vulnerable. I definitely see him getting a title shot at some point, not sure how long he remains at the top. Different time and circumstances from his irl comeback.
The sky's the limit because there's no one who should be favored to beat George for 10-15 years. And going off his comeback he's got 21-22 years of elite level fighting ahead of him. Holmes did 20 defenses in 6 and a half years. No reason to think Foreman can't run the table against those 20 and then beat Spinks and keep going. Foreman beat Cooney in his comeback and Cooney is the 2nd toughest of those 20 defenses. The first HW I'd favor to beat Foreman in this span would be Riddick Bowe in 1990. The fighters with the best chance of upsetting Foreman before the 90s would be Witherspoon and Tucker. Here's a few things limiting Foreman's ceiling. None are really boxing related. 1)Foreman would take a longer time to get a title shot after the Young loss. While Foreman could beat anyone he'd just lost the NABF and his status as top contender. He'd also lost to Ali who'd stick around a few more years. This loss made him less suitable to be Ali's potential successor than Holmes or Norton. Holmes was undefeated. And Holmes didn't get the Ring title until mid 1980 for his 7th defense. Foreman retired for a reason. It would take him several years to rebound. So Foreman becoming champion would take awhile. If Foreman takes a few years off like in the OP he might not have the belt until 81 or 82. 2)Foreman isn't going to be as active as Holmes. Holmes was a late bloomer in the shadow of the 70s. He trying to be taken seriously as a champ in an era with a lack of serious challengers. Later on Holmes was in pursuit of Marciano's 49-0 record. Whatever the reason(s) Holmes was trying to defend his title as much as possible. Foreman was very active when he didn't hold titles but not in his two stints as champion. It's hard to see Foreman defending his title 3-4 times a year if the fights aren't there. He'd defend 1-2 times a year. 3)The HW division starts to turn itself around in 1984-1986. By this point Foreman might have called it quits already or be about to call it quits. Whether Foreman can keep fighting until 1998 or not it's hard to see him doing so without the gap decade.
