George Foreman vs Lennox Lewis

I think that Lewis would come out slow like he normally does and it would spell disaster for him.

Foreman would check Lewis's chin and it would be lights out.

Foreman KO5

 

Lewis KO

 

A prime Lewis never came out slow against big dangerous punchers like Foreman- see his bouts with Golota, Grant and Vitali. He just didn't like being in a ring with someone who he felt could easily reach him with a KO punch. If anyone is going to be on the defensive in the early stages, it's Foreman.

 

You beat me to it. When Lewis fought big ****ers, he went for the kill.

 

Young Foreman didn't know what it was like to be defensive.

Grant and Golota are jokes and not a tenth of the force 70s Foreman was. Vitali is maybe half of what he was.

Lewis came out slow and hesitant against an old shot Mike Tyson because he feared his power. Young Foreman was more intimidating and far more dangerous.

 

I don't necessarily agree with your forecasted outcome between a Foreman/Lewis fight, but I definately share your awe of the 1974 Foreman. I used to think that Ali outboxed George en route to knocking him out. But I read a very good article online a few years back that changed my outlook on that fight. Ali tried to outbox Foreman, but he realized that he couldn't. So, he went to the "rope" strategy and beat George another way. Foreman was so aggressive and charged ahead with such intent, that Ali really had only two options: stand and trade with George, or do what he elected to do and go to the ropes! Foreman was indeed a monster, and he would have beaten a lot of the past greats. The Foreman that fought under the tutelage of Gil Clancy was, in my opinion, a clearly inferior Foreman. At that stage of his career, George tried to box at a more measured pace, and his natural aggressiveness was tempered. While I thik Lennox Lewis definately had a lot more firepower than did Ali, it still would have been a very ticklish fight for as long as it lasted. I think Lewis definately had the skills to beat Foreman, and he had enough power to hurt him as well. But George could really crack!

 

There is no way that any version of Lewis is going to be more aggressive in the early rounds than a prime George Foreman. Foreman had more power than Golota, Vitali and Garant and if Lewis got caught which we know he can/will he's going out.

 

Au contrare, mon frere- Foreman was on the back foot for almost the entire Chuvalo fight. He was doing the "******ed elephant dance" for the early Frazier fight until he found his balls and started to fight an inactive Joe.

Faced with a taller, stronger and more aggressive Lewis, Foreman has nothing to do except the "******ed elephant dance". From that position, his punches have little power and his defense is similar to Rahman's in its made-to-order nature for Lewis.

There is a myth that Foreman was an eternally front-foot fighting machine who went forward in every fight and demolished his opponent. Yet, in one of his most famous fights (the Sunshine Showdown) Foreman starts off by trying to out-box Frazier. Indeed, Foreman used to train to be a dancer like Ali.

Foreman going on the defensive is an impossible strategy for him, but it's the only one for him. Going forward against Lewis is suicide for Foreman, whose zombie-style arm positioning leaves him wide open for Lewis's overhand rights and left hooks.

Logically then, Lewis would be more aggressive and imposing against Foreman than ever before. Foreman would bring out the demon in Lewis, shortly before Big George started paying vists to Hotel Canvas.

Tyson is a completely different fighter to Foreman. Or hadn't you noticed? Foreman, like Grant or Golota, is a tall fighter with the reach to get to Lewis. Lewis would know he couldn't do to Foreman what he did to Tyson and Tua (beat them into a shell and then humilitate them). Thus, he'd go for his alternative strategy against punchers, which was to bomb them out.

The more Foreman intimidates Lewis, the more destructive and concienscious Lewis will be. A Lewis who was aggressive and respectful of his opponent's power was real wrecking-ball; one who was just as powerful as Foreman, but also more skilled, bigger, stronger, faster and with better reflexes. Foreman is totally outmatched here.

Incidentally, Tyson was not shot against Lewis. Get your facts straight or don't come on here.

 

Of course Lewis will be more aggressive. Compare Lewis's aggressiveness against Golota and Grant with Foreman's aggressiveness against Frazier and Norton. :deal

 

Foreman is nothing like Michael Grant who didn´t know what to do with his power. Foreman actually hit his target - again and again, and HARD. Lennox lacks the chin it requires to be succesful in this one.

 

Like Michael Grant, Foreman is going to do his utmost best every time he attacks to get nailed with Lewis's uppercuts. Foreman isn't going to be on his feet for long, given his lack of defense against this punch.

Let's not portray Foreman like some sort of offensive genius. At his most effective he swung from side-to-side with hooks from both left and right. Lewis, a counter-puncher by birth, is going to have plenty of opportunities to hit and not be hit.

 

I am not portraying Foreman as any sort of genius at all, but he did have loads of power and a great chin. LL would be able to land like Ali did, but then the scond round starts and Lennox doesn´t have Ali´s chin.

 

But they landed.

 

I and most that watched it must have seen a different fight than you.

 

If Lewis lands like Ali did, then Foreman wouldn't get to see the second round.

Against defensively inferior opposition, they did. Charley Polite was able to go three rounds without Foreman landing solidly in their exhibition fight, using one of the most primitive defenses imaginable. Jimmy Young was able to really only take one punch of significance in an entire fight against Foreman, using no technique which Lewis couldn't emulate.

Even Ali, laying on the ropes, took only about five solid shots to the chin in the entire fight.