Joe Louis vs George Foreman: Do you agree with this prediction

An ATG worth his salt would/should believe they could beat any other ATG in history.

I never buy any ATG testimonial stating otherwise - if they state otherwise, it is simply out of courteous respect. Just imo, such testimonials hold no weight.

Some ATGs might honestly state that another ATG would give them a tough fight while believing at the same time that they themselves would still ultimately prevail. I can appreciate and believe that type of sentiment.

I think it fair to say that Joe would fully believe that he’d beat Foreman and visa versa for George.

 

Completely irrelevant. KO's depend of countless factors, not just on punching power. You factor in era, opposition, punch speed, accuracy, etc.

Lyle fought far superior oppostion in the 70s.

He was both slow and flat footed, and the footage attests to that.

He was a bum, and not just cause he was fat, but cause he lacked skill.

Who said anything about blocking with your chin ?!?
Foreman has the reach edge, and he'll pound Louis when Louis gets close.

Nope. At close range yes, but at long range no. Foreman will do a lot more damage with his jab.

Yes he can more than bully Louis, he'll manhandle him with ease.

Louis ain't got fast enough feet to do that. As another poster mentioned, Louis fought in that old school close distance and fight in a phonebooth style. Being that static is suicide against Foreman. You need fast feet and great movement, and Louis ain't got it.

That won't happen in a million years.

 

FFS !

What a sneaky, lowdown attempt to garner credibility using the av of a superior poster .

I expect you'll be hearing from Seamus' lawyers !

 

The victory tour after smashing Louis's jaw to bits? Yes, I agree.

 

Foreman’s coma dream sounds pleasant.

 

Your coma dream sounds like it's still ongoing.

 

It seems plausible but I think it would be harder than that. And this is a fight that Louis could potentially lose

 

Agreed. Neither man can be dismissed out of hand.

It’s not a reach to be able to simultaneously compute and visualise either man winning in the style and manner for which they were most famous for - and being the punchers that they were, many of their victories were emphatic and unequivocal.


If either man did win in the fashion we forecast on paper - it would still be nonetheless stunning and shocking to see it successfully executed.

On either side of the fence we’re predicting negative complexions and outcomes that rarely (if at all) played out for real, during their actual PEAK careers.

Certainly I could see Louis winning in the fashion that most, who have picked Louis, have forecast.

I’d add that I think Louis has to be more considerate and mindful than George - making far less mistakes that he can’t afford as easily as Foreman might get away with.

However, being the far better all round boxer and technician as demonstrated through out his career, it wouldn’t be anything new for Louis to approach the fight thusly.

Like I said though, even if I can imagine it, to actually see Louis roll the monster that peak, supremely confident Foreman was at his BEST would still be jaw dropping to witness (and imo, that doesn’t include any version of first career George post Zaire).

IMO, Young’s victory over Foreman pales next to Ali’s win in Zaire - and Young’s win wasn’t a cut and dried reaffirmation of the type of boxer required to beat peak Foreman.

Young had the advantage of fighting a Foreman that Ali had already broken and who had never fully recovered himself for the balance of his first career.

 

Louis beat more ranked contenders than Lyle, he proved himself against better opposition.

That isn't true

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One of the many examples.

He lacked so much skill that he managed to beat Lou Nova, Nathan Mann, Al Ettore and rank no.1 in 1939

Foreman's tiny reach advantage won't compensate for the gulf in skill and timing there is between them. Louis's jab is faster and more accurate and these are two important attributes when it comes to establishing your jab. George has 2 inches over Louis's reach, hardly an insurmountable disadvantage.
Louis was also a master at slipping and ducking, Foreman simply was not.

I shared a video that shows the exact opposite. Louis was not an idiot. When he fought big punchers he backed away, slipped and stalked. He wasn't static by any metric.

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Reading some opinions about Louis in this thread you would think he was just a mediocre journeyman...

 

Yeah Louis was really wanting punch speed and accuracy

Yeah Lynn Ball and Gregorio Peralta were guns compared to what Louis fought. Joe would have failed to beat those two for sure.

Maybe for cyclops.

He likely would have had a decent scrap with Lyle.

Louis would be at his most dangerous in close. He would get inside many Foreman's wide blows and lace him with combinations.

Louis could poleaxe people when dealing with their jab. Why do you think Schmeling canned it.

Rubbish.

Louis footwork is perfect for Foreman. He was economical and precise and loved an opponent he didn't have to find.

You've been here for years and haven't learnt a single thing. You are like a brainless bot.

The fight will come down to who can take the others punches, who can get on top and finish when the opportunity presents itself. Both can take solid punishment and come back. Louis is incredibly dangerous when hurt as he recovers fast and isn't afraid to let his hands go as the opponent looks to take advantage. His blinding speed, power and accuracy are still there because he is a perfect punching machine. He can turn the momentum a flash.

You can out forward a good argument for either. Louis would be looking to light him up with his big speed and technique advantage while Foreman doesn't have to land much to have his man reeling and he's a surprisingly accurate finisher.

I wouldn't be surprised if a trilogy was split.

 

This …

 

That's exactly what he'd be in more modern eras.

 

Nope. How many contenders he beat is irrelevant, cause they competed in different eras. A contender from an era would be a nobody in another era.
I've always considered Louis the 2nd greatest (behind Ali, cause Ali had a bigger impact), but H2H, he's not even top 10 for me.

All bums.

Yes it will. And it won't be just reach, but also his far superior power. And I'm not just talking about punching power, but pure ability to manhandle opponents.

Foreman doesn't need to, Louis will rarely get close enough to land.

The big men from his era were unskilled bums.