Did George Foreman fight like an unskilled bum against Ali ?

Yes.

 

I think he had little respect for Ali's physical and mental strength, but I cant blame him for being pissed after what Ali put him through throughout the entire fight promotion.

 

He fell for the trap that Ali set. Ali said the big muscle guys throw roundhouse punches for 4 rds then the arms start to drop. Foreman's ego built on a padded record and some perfectly matched fights ( Frazier and Norton) but Ali set the trap and he fell

 

Foreman did n't fight like a bum. He employed the same tactics as he did against Frazier and Norton,and his team obviously thought "If it ai n't broke,why bother fixing it" ? He believed his own publicity about him being Liston and Louis rolled into one. The toughest that he thought the Rumble In The Jungle was going to be was that it would take him one or two rounds longer to finish the job than it did in his previous three fights. He never realised that Ali was going to be a force of nature that night,and present George with something that he'd never had to deal with.

 

I think there was much more wildness in Foreman's game against Ali than there was against anyone else. Foreman was surprisingly disciplined when he got fighters on the ropes usually; he'd pin them back and jab them, dig to the body until opportunities opened up to the head. The Chuvalo fight was a good example of this: Foreman had him on the brink for a good 2 minutes picking him apart with the left hand and body shots until he stopped him. He was also more patient against Frazier (both times), and waited for the opportunities to land his shots rather than just swinging away.

All of this went out of the window against Ali. He neglected his jab massively, threw shitloads of right hands that were clearly way off the mark and loaded up on hook after hook that had little or no chance of landing. Obviously, Foreman's stamina was never spectacular, but he would have stood a better chance of being able to duke it out with Ali if he had fought more intelligently, picking his spots and constantly using the left to set things up.

 

HE fought like a head hunting slugger who continually loaded up, but technically he wasnt as bad as is made out. He also dropped his hands nto respecting Ali's power. He had a degree of success and supposedly had Ali out on his feet 3 times according to the great man.

 

"That guy can't punch."

 

How many other fighters would you have picked at the time to beat Foreman, even if he fought like an "unskilled bum" in that fight?

How many other fighters would have beat the Foreman that fought like an "unskilled bum" that night v Ali?

Not many.

 

Jimmy Young beat an unfocused Foreman in 1977, 3 years after Foreman lost to Ali, and a year after Foreman's up and down tussle with Lyle.

Foreman was 40-0 and was considered unbeatable when he fought Ali, he was not the same guy when he fought and lost aginst Young, i think thats undisputable.

Jimmy Young never beats the Foreman of 1973-1974 unless he brings a Magnum 45 to the ring with him.

 

I wouldn't give Young much of a chance against Foreman in 1973-1974 considering he was KO'd in three by Shavers in 1973 and went to a draw with him 1974, a draw that was disputed yes, but in which Young was down and nearly out in the early rounds.

 

"you're basically giving a fighter who beat Foreman absolutely no chance of beating your evalutaion of Foreman?"

McGrain, are you claiming that Buster Douglas who beat Tyson in 1990 would beat the Tyson of 1987?