Gimme 5 names you would fancy over 1973 Foreman.

Jersey Joe Walcott may have given George a lot of trouble. Slicksters were the best bet against him; not many could live with his power.

 

Louis
Ali
Walcott
Young
Dempsey

and a few other lesser guys in his era, wish i would have seen him vs Quarry & Bonavena even Ellis

 

There is a great documentary about the Ali-Foreman fight and the delays, overtraining the climate with the people their jeering at Foreman etc...there are many things that could explain Foremans performance. I know Foreman has stated he wanted to KO Ali early and went out blasting punches and went for broke which was obvious Ali was like a punching bag who occasionally moved and threw punches back and on top of that taunted George.

The Young fight went the distance which rarely happened with George hell fighters today leave the ring after proper rehydration after weigh in dehydrated and some are close to kidney failure and go the hospital for fluids etc...

My point being the jungle of Zaire would make anyone not local sweat out all their fluid especially by the 8th round after going for broke. After having been to some of these countries the locals don't even do that because they know the heat kills. And his fight with Young just like anyone else was a long hard fight and fighters routinely leave those fights dehydrated, IMO it would be highly unlikely if these guys were really dehydrated going into the fights without serious life threatening consequences during the fight or immediately after.

 

1908 Jack Johnson, defensive genius
1959 Liston, stoppage early
1966 Ali, wide points defeat
1978 Holmes, despite a flash knockdown its jab,jab,jab.....points again

Not sure anybody since could live with his power as Tyson and Bowe would lose heart, Lewis and Ruddock gets clean KO, Ibeabuchi and Tua bullies who would get outbullied. Klitschko's would do better than most but George is physically supreme with

For a fifth name, only Holyfield fits the bill but the fast peaking Holy of 1990 who would withstand and withstand like Ali did until Foreman gasses.

So difficult as Big George looked invincible then, yet to be truly tested though. It took the greatest to beat him and the route was brutal. My gut says Ali and Holmes with some surety, less so the other three.

 

Sullivan, Goddard, Jackson, Jeffries, Fitzsimmons.