The George of the Moore fight was something else compared to the one of the Evander fight the size advantages Tysons opposition had in his prime didn't belong to any ATG's at all let alone of George's calibre. Again I'm backing Tyson by a smige but these are all things we must consider George has a good chance of putting out Kid Dynamties fuse. The advantages George has are~ Experience.1 Chin.2 Power.3 Heart.4 Style.5 Strength.6 Weight.7 Height.8 Reach.9
Have respect for those who believe Foreman would be Tyson's kryptonite and I don't dismiss the theory but personally think a Tyson-Old Foreman fight would resemble Tyson pounding on a heavy bag for a few rounds, he'd land every shot he threw, if Holyfield and Alex Stewart could make GF's face a mess I dread to think what a focused, in shape prime Tyson would do.
I don't remember George looking like mince meat against Evander but the Alex Stewart fight does raise a good point, I just believe Stew had the dimensions to trouble Foreman and possibly had they rematched beat George where as Tyson simply is too short of arm and would fall victim to eventually being caught against someone who rivals Shavers power and would have a tougher nights work compared to Alex and Evander. I believe Tyson takes a split decision with empty lungs spending the entire night darting in and out working the body where he could but sitting hot and cold on the pressure with a few scary moments on the inside. One thing i guarantee is that he hits the canvas atleast once and gets up on shakey legs with good motivation to play 10-12 safe whilst George attempts to rally in a brawl talked about for the ages.
defeated, I didn't compare Cooney to Tyson, two completely different boxers who I think were both great in their own ways, I was just saying I thought the fight would go the same way
Not sure George was that much more experienced. He essentially started again in 1987, by which time Tyson had unified the titles and had had numerous big fights. Would the experience he gained in career one have been valid ten years after a ten year hiatus? That's why he built himself up against journeymen for so long. In the 80s he was almost a rookie again. Chin? Tyson's chin withheld the shots of bangers like Bonecrusher, Bruno, Ruddock without too many problems. If George has an advantage here it's marginal. Tyson's chin was top class and, unlike George's, was battle tested against the top men. Power? George probably hit harder but Tyson had better footwork and handspeed to be properly positioned to maximise his power. 80s George had poor footwork which meant he could be reaching, off balance and unable to put his full weight behind a punch, all of which lessened his effectiveness as a puncher. He could be an arm puncher on occasions. Style? Maybe. Maybe not. Prime Tyson might have enjoyed a slow moving, big target. Strength? Possibly but this is a boxing match not a strongman contest. Heart? Tyson took a hell of a beating from Douglas, nearly turned it around and when he was utterly beaten was still trying to get his mouthpiece back in. What equally compelling evidence had George given of heart in the 80s? Weight? Hardly an advantage when so much of it was fat. Quite the opposite in fact. Height? Tyson liked his opponents to be taller. When he fought Mathis, a lot of his punches sailed over Buster's head. Reach? Speed and co-ordination can negate that advantage. I remember the time when this was proposed and there was genuine concern for George's health. It's amazing how each fighter' stock has changed since.
How about Foreman vs Qawi? Why couldn't Foreman blast out a washed up, 5'7, obese Qawi if he's such a nightmare for swarmers?
Tyson by stoppage. He slips George's jab and counters with haymakers that repeatedly rock George's unprotected head. Eventually a cumulative effect takes it's toll. Such an encounter likely would have ended George's comeback but it would have been a great payday.
Holyfield hit George with about 15 unanswered punches in combination at one point and Foreman barely moved. Late in the ninth Holyfield hit George with a great right and half a dozen flush follow up shots and George stumbled into the ropes then quickly recovered and stood in his corner at the end of the round. They were about the only times in their fight that George looked even slightly unsteady on his feet and Holyfield hit him flush with a lot. Foreman was amazingly durable in his second career. Whether that allows him to beat prime Tyson I'm not sure but it gives him a great chance to extend Tyson and Tyson's power late wasn't the greatest.
Foreman was an Olympic gold medalist, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world with wins over the two of the three top hwts of his era both by early devastating KO. George was a boxing pedigree of the very highest order. Tyson competed in the watered down boxing world post Ali and cried like a baby prior to his major amateur bouts.
It's just that I keep seeing Qawi landing all those shots George should have just batted away. I realize a championship is far more worth getting up for, but if that George was in against Tyson or Bowe...
In the 80s Mike probably would have beat him. I don't know about post-prison Mike and George around that same time. To me Mike was a markedly lesser fighter overall after he got out prison. His inability to consummately stop Ruddock was to me a sign of his decline. So, I don't see that Mike beating the Foreman who cracked Moorer out. I'm not sure many people agree with me, but the post-80s George was a better fighter imo.
