Everything I saw on that video would work for a bigger, stronger fighter but would not work for a smaller fighter. That is why I favor contemporary, bigger, stronger fighters over 70s GF. GF was huge for that era, and those things worked for him but if he had been a smaller fighter they wouldn't work. 90s GF had better defense. Just imagine if that had been Mike Tyson's defense against the much bigger fighters he faced in the 80s...Tucker, Williams, Biggs, Smith, etc.? Wouldn't work.
Putting your hands on an opponent to manipulate him is high ring IQ stuff and very crafty finesse. We don’t think of George as a finesse guy because he was a brute and he didn’t do it in a slick fashion, hence why most people never notice techniques such as are pointed out in the video. When we see Pernell Whitaker do it, we notice and credit it. Larry Holmes was very good at putting his hands on the opponent to not only manipulate but to obscure his vision. There’s a tiny moment in a Thomas Hearn blowout — maybe it was Pablo Baez? — where he has his left hand extended and he just barely pushes the opponent’s jaw or chin to turn his head so he can’t see the right that quickly follows. It’s absolutely brilliant. There’s a lot more to Foreman’s game than his brute power and sheer strength. Would it work for everyone the way he did it? Nah, his strength played a part in it — the opponent has to be wary at all times and maybe ‘allows’ the hands-on manipulation because it isn’t a threatening punch coming his way. A wrecking ball can knock down a building by sheer force, but that doesn’t mean the operator doesn’t have to have skill to do it.
