Old George Foreman was better than prime version

The premise of this thread is absolutely ridiculous.

 

People (not necessarily the OP) don't want to believe a faded version of a HW from the 70s is able to reclaim the top prize in the 90s.

Because then it throws the whole idea of every generation being an improvement right out of the window.

So instead they say the version of Foreman in the 90s was better. They say he'd have beaten Ali.

It's the most ridiculous thing I ever read on here.

 

Tommy Morrison must be a lot better than Lyle and Frazier since he managed to go take a decision against supposedly a better version of Foreman whereas the other two got bombed out.

 

No.

 

But would it have been a 2nd round brutal beatdown? I really don’t think so. I think Frazier would even beat old Foreman on points.

 

Old Foreman ? Fatter, yes but not better.

 

No.

Old version better composure, experience.

 

No way. His power and ferocity in his youth really overshadows any improvements he made in other areas.

 

In my opinion, the prime George Foreman was a better oiled machine. He could intimidate with his look, much the same way that Sonny Liston, his idol used to do in the late 1950's and early 1960's. He did not appear on television commercials selling grills, he walked around with his violent dogs. He was lean, 215 lbs, and in the ring, did not let you set up, like he did to Ken Norton in 1974. And that right hand that George threw, it sent you into dreamland right away.The only weakness in that early edition of Foreman was his stamina, as he banked on ending his bouts early. The older George was a nice enough fellow who went on television commercials, with a bald head and a friendly smile, but he was flabby. He was a more patient fighter with a heavy hand, but ponderous at times. He took more blows as seen against Alex Stewart and Tommy Morrison. It was quite a feat that he won the title by knocking out champion Michael Moorer in 1994, but that was his moment in the sun. The younger version was more preferable than the grinning older model.

 

The younger version of George made even Iron Mike look relatively tame. He was BIG, even made the Herculean Ken Norton look smaller than him. He had this robotic way of fighting that was somehow creepier than the viciousness of Tyson (or the times when Holmes got pissed off and started making that nasty face whilst corkscrewing the jab). More like Liston's sinister blankness, but again a bigger man and overall more efficiently destructive. His abilities to smother opponents' punches, parrying, plus his deftness at simply pushing or otherwise manipulating others' balance made his defense no joke. His faults were of course an ability to be psyched out and getting too easily frustrated.

Comeback George shortened his punches up (in the 90s), was far more durable, and could actually box more in the traditional sense (though in the case of the latter, he only applied basic boxing skills just enough to get the opponent into range for the big muthas). One of the biggest shames of his career was (ahem) "losing" to Briggs, because I'm not sure he ever showcased just how phenomenal his jab truly was before that. It was a fantastic showcase for that punch, perhaps the best of its kind since 1982 Holmes (and yeah, I know Bowe had a great one, too). I highly recommend folks here to watch that fight again, just to appreciate how he used that one punch to (ahem) WIN that fight. Briggs didn't have a chance against it.

So...both were great, in different ways though. Old George was a slayer, a bully, and he ended up the way bullies do (from Liston to Tyson). 90s George was slower, lost some of his defensive moves (he didn't shoulder around opponents like he did when he was younger, the bullying was mostly over). But overall a fine, fine fighter with more ring intelligence and patience. He took too many shots, but could never be counted out.

Was one better than the other? I can't decide. The 70s George was frightening...Big George was still bludgeoning but way more intelligent.

You decide.

 

A very thorough post my friend, it covers everything.

 

Agreed

 

My god no.