Foreman vs Johnson

Johnson.
At his best, Johnson was impossible to hit. Foreman would gas himself out trying to land.

 

This is tougher to decide than I thought it would be. My first thought was that Johnson would win due to his defensive prowess and better pacing and stamina but then I thought Johnson never really faced a fighter quite like the Foreman that bludgeoned Frazier and Norton into submission. Lets assume that George comes out hell bent to end it early and opens up on Jack with both hands like he did to Frazier and Norton. Could Johnson evade those big punches in bunches from a man the size of Foreman? This isn't Burns or Ketchel, or a washed up shell of Jeffries coming after him, or most likely stalking without throwing much. Plus I don't see Jack cradling George in his arms while smiling at the spectators. Johnson better be able to avoid George's early bombardment and drag him into the later rounds. If he can't then it's all she wrote for Johnson but I'll still pick him to take it by a late round KO when Foreman tires to the point of being offensively ineffective. Jack may play the role of a stronger Jimmy Young in this one....but I still don't think it's a cinch.

 

I believe Johnson would hand Foreman his first loss, stifling & smothering his offense, giving him no room to punch, giving him no target to hit, giving him angles and frustrating him all nite long. George never faced a master like Johnson or anything close until Ali & JimmyYoung

 

Johnson. Foremans wide swinging would play right into Johnson's hands. I dont think Foreman's strength would be a factor either. An old, fat Johnson dealt with the enormously strong Jess Willard just fine before age and 26 rounds caught up to him. Regardless of what part of Foreman's career he was in if you were a top ten contender and took him into deep waters he either lost or struggled. Johnson was a master at that and hed drown Foreman.

 

I dont dismiss your argument out of hand , but Johnson coped very well with big punching men 20/25 lbs heavier than himself eg Sam Mcvey, even when old and out of shape he was in front against Willard after 20 rds .Against Jim Johnson crude but powerful , and a heavy puncher he managed to salvage a draw fighting for 7 of the 10 rds with a broken arm.

 

The Foreman from Kingston 1973 to Zaire '74,inclusive,would stop Johnson.

Jack was far better than George,as far as all round skill goes,but I can't see Johnson keeping George off him for a sustainable period.

 

Is Johnson strong enough to hold his own in the clinch?
Can he dodge those pesky hookercuts? Didn't Tyson remark that
fighters in Johnson's day didn't throw combos like today's fighters?

 

Mcvey and Hook from Hell raise interesting points. Mcvey for bringing up the fact that Johnson did fight big bangers and was successful against them and HFH for raising the question as to whether or not Johnson could cope with more modern combination punching, a point that I've often wondered as well. It seems that the style of fighting prevalent in Johnson's time was somewhat different than in Foreman's time. Hands low, stalk ur man and wait to land a big shot. Add excessive clinching to the mix as well. I'm not saying the style was inferior mind you, just different...It seems to hold on the bare knuckle influence a bit, certainly more than we saw in later years and see today. I have no doubt that Johnson could effectively block or dodge 1 or 2 wide sweeping shots from Foreman but what about 3 or 4 of those shots in succession? Behind a ramrod jab that George possessed...though didn't always employ. My guess is that he probably could but he would have to pick up the pace a bit if Foreman comes charging out from the opening bell hell bent on ending it early. From the footage we have of Johnson none of his opponents came at him like Foreman came after Frazier and Norton, throwing many big shots in succession. I still lean toward Johnson but it's not an easy pick...Not with a big puncher like Foreman who liked to throw more than 1 punch at a time.

 

For me it boils down to who can successfully implement their style against the other man the most.
They are like chalk and cheese in their approach to the game that it's very difficult to project how a fight between the two unfolds.
The eras are vastly different and that extends to the equipment they used and the conditions they fought in.

 

Fists of Fury might've ended the debate right there. I agree completely.

 

I don't think George threw combos .
Good post btw.:good

 

Would pick Johnson if he and Foreman came along at the same time and they developed in that time in analogy to how they developed in their own times.

If brought together by time machine, I don't know.

 

Foreman is exactly the kind of fighter that Johnson would have loved to fight!

If you were in any way predictable, you were unlikley to beat Johnson, or even avoid getting used as apunch bag.

 

tough fight to figure out, Foreman had the power to KO anyone but Johnson was a good defensive fighter and could catch you with a nice shot....Foreman lost to Ali and Young, Ali roped him and Young took him deep. Can Johnson avoid Georges power rush (Jeffries was about as close as he got to a Foreman but Jeff was old and rusty with 6-years off)

I am leaning for Big George to catch Johnson with something before Johnson can wear him down and drown GF but not an easy task