Had Foreman's jab actually improved after his comeback?

Foremans overall skills improved dramaticaly with his comeback. Jab, pace, endurance, patience. He was an entirely different fighter.

 

He always had a great jab but I guess you could say that he had learned how to use it better than when he was younger.

Young Foreman would often abandon the jab even if it was working well for him.

 

Look for some of the jabs that Foreman uses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI8EQTa1cbM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2KRcH1N-xY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxeSk4FFyUk

He actually knocks out his opponent with a jab here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOVM9DiY4KA

 

He utilized his jab more during his comeback than he did during his prime. But I think that was something that he needed to do; his other punches were so slow and cumbersone - the jab was his most effective punch.

 

Foreman always had a good jab, but sometimes he would push or paw with it when he was younger, and was less consistent with it and didn't use it as much as he did during his comeback.

I think he realized he would need it much more in his old age, and he wasn't quite as in love with his power in his 40s as he was in his 20s.

Agreed. Imagine the fighter that could have been if young Foreman had the skills and mindset of old Foreman...

 

In his younger days he may have pawed with the jab to create openings....against Lyel he always used his jab just to push Lyle's arms away from protecting his face.

 

I dont think so. I think overall he became a smarter fighter, and understood the importance of a good gameplan and patience. He knew what his capabilities were, picked fights accordingly and was patient to catch up with the fighters he knew would take the time. He showed a lot of heart and will in a lot of his tougher fights even in defeat, and really impressed me in the Savarese fight with his work ethic.

 

That jab looked better simply because there wasn't any sort of pedigreed mover with top notch footwork out there. The best guys to land jabs on are guys that just stand in front of you and are flat-footed. Can you imagine what an old Georgelooks like if there was a 77 Jimmy Young around?

 

The only things that improved that I could see were his patience and stamina. In some respects he was weaker. For example, he had a lot of balance problems in his comeback, mainly because of the weight. He couldn't shift well. He was less effective in cutting off the ring, as well. The jab, hooks, straight right were the same and as devastating as ever. One could make the case for his chin being stronger, but this was really the stamina thing.

 

There was. His name was Chris Byrd.

 

Did George's stamina really improve? I'm not so sure it did. I mean, the old George, the guy who fought Ali and blasted out Norton and Frazier, fought at a fast, sometimes frenetic pace. AGainst Ali, he came out very, very fast and aggressive, and he put a lot of energy into the first 4 or 5 rounds of that. Could the old George have fought at that pace if he had wanted to? I doubt it. I think George gets too much credit during his comeback for improved stamina and patience. He was older, heavier, and much slower; he had no choice but to fight at a slow, seemingly relaxed pace. Against Stewart Foreman came out fast(fast for him at the time) and was huffing and puffing by the 3rd round. The old George was better at everything I think; he just didn't have the mindset to pick his shots better or to adjust his pace. But physically he was much better than the comeback George. He hit harder, his punches were much more crisp, and he could even hit in combination.

 

No. Foremans jab in his prime had alot of power nap and thud into it thanx to Dick Saddler. Foreman in the 1990s had a very slow Jab, no snap in it.

 

Foreman always had a good jab but it wasn't really his style to use it in his heyday. He was a terminator looking to take his opponents out asap. After he made his comback years later he was a more mature, disciplined and patient fighter. This was due to being under the tutelege of the late, great archie moore. In his prime he was more ruthless but in his older age he was a better all-around fighter who learned to pace himself and pick his spots.