Mike Tyson 1987 vs. George Foreman 1973

Excellent point made. To be effective against foreman tyson would have to close the distance and george wouldn't let him. Also, foreman wouldn't have to hit tyson as many times as other fighters would because of his power. Just 2 or 3 punches went a long way with him.

 

He hit Saverese and Stewart with his best punches and they did not go anywhere, as a matter of fact, he could not finish Stewart off after the knock down. Remember, power and strengh are the last thing to go, so what happened with "monster" George ?...... He also did not "throw" those guys around, far from it. A washed up Tyson literally "threw" them around like a ragdoll before tranfering them into la la land.

Funny thing , he did not "throw" glass chinned Moorer around either, he prefered to block punches with his face while waiting to get the lucky shot in.

Foremans punching power and overall strengh are waayyyyyyyyy over rated but his chin is not. I also had the privilege to attend some sparing sessions with him and , I sound like a broken record, lol, he is slowwwwwwwwwwww.

Foreman was the "big" guy in the seventies. In his comeback he was no longer the "big" guy, he was simply average sized in comparison to the rest of the contenders and the results speak for itself....above the can level he did not get a lot of respect, avoided ANY skilled big guy with a punch like the plague but had HBO hype him into glory. (The funny thing is that he probably was more skilled and disciplined in his second career and not so exorbitantly crude anymore.)

Well, it worked as this thread prooves that the majority of posters are unable to seperate fact from fiction.

 

Yes, he was. The fight was much-talked about and was pencilled in to be the biggest moneyspinner of them all, late 1990 after Tyson's mandatory vs Holyfield, scheduled for that summer. But someone didn't keep their part of the bargain. Foreman actively sought a Tyson fight in 89/90. Champions don't get ducked. When the titles were split, he could be more choosy (just like Tyson's team picked Berbick for instance).

 

I know, even if i quoted you, it was more of a general response to the many comparisons to Frazier that are being made.

I also think that Foreman's jab will be non-factor in this fight. His jab was heavy, but relatively slow, and Tyson showed to have no trouble getting past it. It wasn't Douglas/Holyfield's jabs that were bothering him, it was the whole package of not being able to hit them. Foreman is not going to dance and jab and stay out of range. He is going to be there to hit, and be hit.

 

they both could hurt each other. stylistically the advantage is to big george.
but imo tyson is more of a one shot ko artist whereas big george had slightly more heavier hands.

i say tyson will win, simply too skilled and too explosive. round 8-10

i say it goes this late becos they both had solid chins.

 

The thread title says the Foreman of '73, not the 40+ fat man. Ok you can say power is the last thing to go but it does go, we saw that with Tyson himself in his fights with Williams and McBride and he was less than 40 there.
You think either of those guys would have got out of the first round with a young Tyson?

 

I think when Tyson lunges forward to take a shot, it might place him in a very vulnerable position.

 

Big George wins this one for me. When matched h2h with other great fighters no one ever seems to mention Tysons fragile mental make up. when he couldnt intimidate is opponents he always seemed to crumble. He's overatted h2h imo

 

Big George by KO early.

 

sauhund II.

How can you claim that Foreman hit Stewart and Saverse with his best punches and couldn't put them away so his power is way overrated?

How old was Foreman in those fights?

Tyson was 38 and got dropped and KO'd by Williams while hitting him with everything but the kitchen sink.

It's that a good judge of Tyson's power?

What about the McBride fight? Who has a worse chin? Mcbride or Stewart, Moorer, Briggs? Mike couldn't even Dent a glass chinned McBride at 38-39, not only that, HE QUIT.

How was Foreman's strength overrated?

Who ever pushed an old Foreman backwards? Or even a young Foreman (except the damaged goods version that fought Lyle?)

Tyson was pushed back by McNeeley for godsake and Evander, who never came close to pushing back George.

Foreman at 45 KO'd the undefeated lineal Champ in Moorer at 45, while Mike couldn't KO McBride at 38-39, and he bloody quit.

DO YOU REMEMBER THAT FOREMAN TOOK TEN YEARS OFF?

Foreman was never dropped in his comeback and faced Holyfield, Stewart, Morrison, Moorer and Briggs. Imagine the Tyson that lost to McBride facing the versions of those at 38-39.

Tyson takes 4 years off and nuthuggers claim he was shot, while George who won his fight with Stewart at 43, took a hammering and still won against a puncher.

Foreman was "an average sized heavy in the 90's"? The guy was huge even then.

 

I wont have it, Tyson wins.

No in seriousness i was watching the young Tyson today, and the thing that jumps to mind is that most outboxers are going to be beaten by him, he countered too well, and with that great footwork he was too much for someone with that style. But when i think about Foreman's style against Tyson it increasingly makes me think it's Foreman's win. Constantly beating him up and not giving him an inch is the way, matching him etc. But there are the other things to make the case for Mike, like Foreman's weakness is maybe the stamina and the defense, not good against maybe the best offense in terms of switching to body and head.

I like Tyson a lot.

 

If Foreman doesn't get Tyson out of there within three rounds, then the fight swings dramatically in Tyson's favour. Foreman was a formidable puncher but Tyson had a solid chin.

In terms of skills, stamina, etc, there's no comparison in my view. Tyson had way more variety than Foreman ever had, better footwork, threw more combinations, better head movement. Tyson was a more complete fighter than Foreman ever was!

I understand why people feel would pick Foreman because of styles but for me Tyson would work the body & head. Foreman had a solid chin also, but Tyson would hit him & often. Foreman would know where the punches were coming from.

Tyson by TKO 8.

 

I agree LOL. Tyson knocks him out 3. Foremans slow ass wouldn't land a handful of rocks on Tyson.

 

It is relevant. It shows that while prime Tyson was an ATG puncher no doubt, it wasn't because of his raw power alone but his overall qualities as a puncher (speed, accuracy, and power combined). When he lost 2 out of 3, you saw the McBride fight.

Sorry, I don't buy the damaged goods sympathy. Getting pushed back is mostly a physical thing. Foreman was in his physical prime when fighting Lyle.

Thank you for bringing this up. I'll admit I'm somewhat contradicting my above line but here it goes: Tyson allowed himself to be pushed back. Just like the way he was a sleeping baby when clinched. It was more of mental passiveness during those events. Don't ask me why. I've never been able to that out. Surely you're not going to tell me that McNeeley was stronger than Tyson? Also, Tyson did make one big exception to this by pushing back the big, strong Razor Ruddock. So if Holyfield or McNeeley pushed back Tyson, I myself will not say that it because those two were stronger than Tyson. Maybe they were (Holyfield) but maybe they weren't (Tyson was just passive). Nevertheless, this point still works in favor with Big George. Bottom line is Tyson is easy to push back and if Foreman is up to the task (and doesn't just negligently slug it out alone with Tyson) then this aspect helps him.

That rest helped him in his comeback big time! Had he been fighting from 1977 (whenever he retired) until 1987...he'd probably never regained the title. I recall some members here having met George and commenting on Foreman losing his legs because in the worlds of Foreman, "30 years of boxing". This has little relevance to this thread but I wanted to mention it anyway. :good

 

I pick a 73 Foreman to beat Tyson. However, suggesting the 90's Foreman beats Tyson is defying common sense. Foreman may have had the style but he was too old in the 90s for a fighter like Tyson. Period. No if's or buts. I do suspect that Tyson was afraid of Foreman. That's natural given that Foreman was an icon, inspiration, and hero for a young Tyson. Foreman had the aura over Tyson. Much like the way Frazier had an aura over Foreman in Jamaica. Tyson would be afraid of Old Foreman but that would not stop him from destroying old Foreman. Old Foreman was still faster than given credit for (see the Cooney KO - brutal speed & power) but this is Mike Tyson we're talking here.