Only in your fantasy world. Which quality opponent did Foreman ever beat by using his jab and keeping his distance? Toney is five inches shorter than Rahman as well as more skilled than Rahman. Foreman is only half an inch taller than Ali and far less skillful and mobile. Your comparison is irrelevant for this matchup. Foreman had a powerful jab, but he lacked the timing, the patience, the footwork and just about anything to neutralize Ali with it. To think that he could make the leap from never having outjabbed any quality opponent, to outjabbing Ali is borderline insane, in my opinion. He tried to jab Young, but the only success he had during that entire fight was when he hurt the Philadelphian with his power punches.
Exactly Bokaj ! And still some people cannot accept that George was beaten by a better man on the night. As is said,it was a style thing. Foreman would blast Frazier out any day of the week. Ali and Frazier would always give each other hell,if they'd fought a HUNDRED times,and Ali would permanently baffle Foreman. "It was n't the African weather. It was the Ali leather"
only way foreman would win is to stop ali so highly unlikely. foreman telegraphed his punches - made it easy for ali to intercept/outspeed him. foreman would be best using his jab more and setting up his combos better but i can't see him outjabbing ali either lol. his best weapon was that right uppercut that destroyed frazier, norton etc- one of the reasons ali used the ropes - he knew george's main threat.
I think had Foreman fought a different fight, then Ali would have fought a different fight. You can't give one man that consideration but not the other. Ali was a more versatile fighter than Foreman.
No, Ali would've had his number that night. Anyway, isn't that just how Foreman fought back in the day?? What other fight did he actually outbox somebody? Seems like he always overpowered them and knocked them out or had them on ***** street. In the middle of the ring, Ali could outbox foreman with his jab, because had had faster hand speed, and would've always beat him to the punch. It's not like Foreman has huge advantages over Ali in that fight. Ali would've won.
Thing is, Lyle fought just the fight Foreman should have against an Ali in pretty poor shape who didn't seem that focussed. And Lyle didn't trail Foreman that very much in terms of power and chin, but it still ended with the same result.
Do you not think an air conditioned arena would have benefited ali too ? At that stage of his career he could'nt do 15 rounds with ali because of his style. Now change his style( more thinking, conservative) to his later career and he still loses an embarrassingly one sided fight but on points.You got the best outta foreman on that night in zaire imo