I think Holyfield beats 70s Foreman is that an unpopular opinion?

The heavy bag is multi purposed but primarily used for developing punch technique, punch power and for conditioning of the wrists/hands to cope with the resistance. The training includes trainers sometimes holding the bag in place. It really is that simple.

Did Foreman manage to trap Ali on the ropes and wail with hellacious shots to the body as he did on the heavy bag? Yes he did. Did Ali partially volunteer himself on the ropes. Yes he did but it was the lesser of two evils between that and trying to move around Foreman and being caught while off the ropes.

Ali had brittle hands and sometimes, due to same, had to abstain from heavy bag work a few weeks prior to fight time. Never heard of Foreman having any issues with his hands let alone breaking them.

Notably, Zaire was one of the few fights in which Ali had absolutely no trouble with his hands and was therefore able to punch with impunity during training and during the actual fight.

 

Came here to read nobody else's post and agree with the OP's premise. Holyfield wins this fight any time. He took George's power and that's that for me. Old George had superior conditioning and I doubt the power had decreased much from how he sent Gerry Cooney into outer space with that step through uppercut KO. Holyfield would outlast, outbox and out-tough the young Foreman who hadn't yet refined his straight punches to the degree older Foreman had. I think older Foreman's cross defense, toughness, grit, conditioning, and length gave Holyfield some issues in their fight, now you trade all that for power and youth. Is it enough to get it done? Maybe, but I don't think so.

 

#freeJourneyman92

 

REAL!

 

Foreman by KO...why? because when Holy gets taged he wants to engage. That's a disaster against 70's Foreman

 

Holyfield by attritional stoppage sometime after round 7...George can't stop Evander who will take advantage of his wide punches and utilise his own compact, accurate inside game to bust young George up, take his heart and his soul and stop him. Evanders engine is just hitting top gear when George runs out of gas. Old George is a harder fight than young George for me....

 

All day long brother.