First sign that Young Foreman could punch himself out against the Elite?

George Foreman fought a lot of dead body’s on the way up - mostly because he had not had that much experience as an amateur - but this fight at the Garden was not one of them.

Luis Faustino Pires came to fight and was not giving away any weight. With a so so record the Brazilian who had been matched quite hard in south America made a real go of it in the garden. The kind of fighter who on the wrong side of 30 could have been big enough and "live" enough if groomed correctly from the start of his career.

Foreman (already rated by then) had pires under the cosh the whole time but came close to punching himself out and got sloppy later on. George's massive power (and sheer confidence in it) was telling - but the size differential was not negligible and I think the performance offers a window into the possibility of a big strong elite fighter riding the storm against George in the future.

I have a hunch Ali watched this fight. When pires got arm weary he backed up to the rope and played possum, it did not quite work out for him because after all he was up against an elite fighter ..but Luis did land some telling shots when George was swinging away.
http://youtu.be/zUZhuRdp8p4

 

For some reason South Americans really came at Foreman. Strangely Joe bugners early career ran kind of parallel with Foreman’s at that time and they shared a lot of opponents -with similar results, despite Bugners lack of punch he registered stoppages over wepner, polite, Davila, Miguel paez, dino dennis etc and others that Foreman also fought but using far less effort and power than George. Only scrap iron Johnson and jack O’Halloran lasted longer with bugner. Some went quicker against bugner.

George was so strong that for a lot of guys it was sink or swim. There was no where to hide. Everyone was entirely out of their comfort zone against him. He ran you down so made you throw your best shot at him over and over just to stay in the fight. Exhausting stuff.

With an edge in youth, size and two handed power there was little chance of a fighter weathering the storm and surviving such an early onslaught but there is little doubt that when he was really throwing George could keep it up much further than 6 rounds. As a young man Foreman’s pace did not match his own stamina - but it did not have to be against those he met on the way up.

Watching the Luis pires fight I think Ron Lyle always would have been a problem for Foreman. Against elite heavyweights Size neutralises a lot of what Foreman had if you could stay with him. Rope a dope was certainly the perfect antidote if you could match him physically.

 

Peralta also Drew with chuck leslie who bob foster KO'd. Peralta was also knocked out by willie pastrano ..as a light heavyweight.

 

Peralta was also 4 inches shorter, 20lb lighter, 14 years older and had never dropped or hurt a respected heavyweight. In the USA peralta was a career 3-4 and the three he won were all close fights.