George Foreman's lead left uppercut

I think this is where old George excelled. His younger incarnation could get wild, could leave himself open, could punch his way INTO trouble. Old George was super efficient, more like a multi litre turbo diesel than a big, powerful, inefficient muscle car. Every ounce of every punch counted.

 

Just imo, younger Foreman was tracking remarkably well but then he became too intoxicated with his own power and securing quick finishes - at times, he departed from previously established fundamentals.

His patient, methodical destruction of George Chuvalo was really something - and Foreman was only 20/21 yo.

I’ve always wondered how that version of Foreman might’ve fared against FOTC Frazier. Many would favour Frazier I would guess…but, Foreman would’ve still been a very dangerous opponent even at that stage I think.

Against Chuvalo, his jab was already in the realm of the jabs possessed by both Louis and Liston. Set him up beautifully for his on point, two fisted barrages.

It seems Foreman tried to model himself a bit on Joe Louis - and while he obviously wasn’t as technically proficient, I think you can see some
Louis influence on his style.

Foreman looked pretty wild vs Jose King Roman - but notably, Jose really gave George the needle going into the fight - Foreman was angry and departed from his usual measured approach.

I have to wonder if Ali, the King of psychological warfare, didn’t take note of that - he had George very steamed also - Foreman came out literally trying to tear Ali’s head off - and that in fact aided Ali’s overall plan.

 

Yeah, Foreman's lead left uppercut was a nasty weapon, and you don't see many heavyweights who could throw it the way he did. Most fighters are set up to throw the rear-hand uppercut, the lead uppercut, especially at heavyweight, is way harder to time properly without leaving yourself wide open. Foreman could snap it up short without needing a big windup, and because of how strong he was physically, even his half-committed shots carried fight-ending power.

It wasn’t just the power either, it was how sneaky it was. He’d mix it into combinations or throw it when guys expected the cross or hook. Fighters would cover up tight on one side, and Foreman would just punch right through the middle with that weird, looping lead uppercut. You saw it wreck guys who weren’t even fully committed to trading yet.

I agree too that when you’re talking pure two-handed power, Foreman’s about as good as it gets. Right hand, left hook, left uppercut, everything came heavy. Lewis and Wlad had brutal right hands, and Lewis had a killer right uppercut, but they didn’t have that short, devastating left uppercut or natural inside savagery like Foreman had, especially in the 70s version.

Young Foreman was a nightmare because you didn’t know which side the bombs were coming from, and even if you blocked the first shot, the second or third would go through or around your guard.

 

Timing the lead uppercut is a lot like or pretty much the same as other punches… more knowing the distance, it’s a very short punch, you need to not be predicting the jab to land it.

 

Yeah, distance is definitely the key for landing it, I agree with that.

I just meant that compared to a standard jab or cross, the lead uppercut has a lot less margin for error, especially at heavyweight. You mistime a jab, you’re usually still half-covered. You mistime a lead uppercut and you’re wide open for a counter. That's why even guys with good distance control don’t throw it much unless they’re confident they’ve frozen the opponent or are catching them between movements.

Foreman had that weird ability to throw it short without fully committing or needing perfect setups, he could just punch through gaps off pure physical strength and timing. That’s what made it so dangerous.