George Foreman (1968)

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by Il Duce, Mar 8, 2011.


  1. Il Duce

    Il Duce Boxing Addict Full Member

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    September 1968

    1968 Pre-Olympics Training Camp, at St, John's College of Santa Fe.
    18 years-old, 6' 3" and 216 lbs.

    Record; 16-3 (11 KO's)

    At the moment, George is trying to learn to box. Though he had power,
    he had no clue of what to do in the ring.
    He still hadn't discovered a left-jab yet.
    Told by his trainer Robert 'Pappy' Gault, that he can win a fight, just by using the jab.

    In his final Olympic elimination bout, he scored a knockdown with his jab.
    'I'm not concentrating on slugging so much. I want to utilize my jab.'

    His new moniker,,,,,'Gentleman George Foreman'
     
  2. Il Duce

    Il Duce Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Losses to;

    1967 ,,,,,,,L Dec,,,,, Max Briggs
    1968,,,,,,,,,L Dec,,,, Clay Hodges
    8/16/68,,,,,L Disq 1,,,Dieter Renz (West Germany)
    1968,,,,,,,,,L Dec,,,,,,Clay Hodges
     
  3. goat15

    goat15 Active Member Full Member

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    and it took him another twenty years to complete that learning process.



    i jest!
     
  4. jowcol

    jowcol Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Well?...once the skills were honed....you had a wrecking ball machine...

    Sidebar: Although I still think Ali is the best HW of all time, he NEVER gave George a rematch!
    Why would he? Fool me once, shame on me.
    IMHO Muhammad's second reign as champ was a semi-scam of a reign.
    As great as the Thrilla was?...two old timers having at it...IMO a good handful of ATG's
    would have beaten both of them that night.
    Ali lost Norton 3. OK, if you say otherwise, then you have to say he completed his
    trilogy with Ken completely un-dominate and un-fullfilled...
    He timed his defenses perfectly against guys he knew he could beat...
    at that point in time.
    Not to mention his bum of the month efforts...Evangilista, Dunn, etc...
    IMO no one touches Ali in prime.
    But, years later now, I see his second reign as a semi-joke.
    My $0.02
     
  5. clark

    clark Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Jun 15, 2005
    I thought this thread was about George Foreman (1968)?
     
  6. goat15

    goat15 Active Member Full Member

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    i feel similarly, his second reign was epic, but dominant only in terms of the official wins column (which is a feat regardless, it should be noted).

    i think an interesting question is, how important is that second reign to his legacy? people often say 'ali's legacy was sealed in zaire', and i'd agree with this, he was a great then and there. but in my opinion he needed manilla to reach the heights he's reached since. he also needed shavers, young, norton 3 etc. to be the obvious candidate for the number 1 heavyweight. take away those wins, however tenuous you may think they were, and he simply came out on top of an era - as opposed to having dominated/cleaned out an era. a real difference if you ask me.
     
  7. Il Duce

    Il Duce Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Saw the film of George Foreman knocking out (KO 1) Peter Hussing.
    On August 20, 1968, in West Berlin, West Germany.

    The National A.A.U. Championships were in Toledo, Ohio. (Won by George)
     
  8. jowcol

    jowcol Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Yes Clark, I digressed.
    Ali was greater than his talents, his personna dictated his actions. But his success in his second career was just as much due to the HW climate out there as it was to his great ability to RULE the title.
    IMO he is the greatest HW ever! But after about 40 years of reflection, his second reign is one that, arguably, should be critiqued.
     
  9. Il Duce

    Il Duce Boxing Addict Full Member

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    In the end Muhammad Ali was consumed by his own self.

    He did not know how to walk way,,,,,,,,,which tells you something about his character.

    The time to go ,,,was after that fight with Jimmy Young.