Supposing Marvin Hagler & George Foreman had rematches....

Very tough question!
I voted Hagler but I think he was diminished as a boxer by 1987. I also thought that his fight with Leonard was very close, but Hagler had lost his snap and sharpness.

I think Foreman was too mentally crushed to beat Ali in a rematch.

 

Depending on how much time was between the rematches, I actually think both would have won rematches. The fact is the Ali - Foreman fight might very well have ended differently if the ropes were legal. Ali himself said he was out on his feet at one point.

Hagler would likely have won the rematch as well, so I don't know why it has to be one or the other.

Never read the six month stipulation, in that case I would assume pretty much everyone would pick Hagler.

 

I picked Hagler, I think in large part he blew the fight.

Foreman . . . .I go back and forth. I just listened to a recent interview in which he discusses his fight with Jimmy Young. Apparently, you wanted to prove that he could go 12 rounds and let young off the hook a few times. I don't know if it makes sense from the standpoint that the fight was supposed to be an elimination fight to face Muhammad Ali. Why did he have to prove he could go the distance? However, today, I am thinking that Ali was sufficiently diminished to the point that he would have been able to catch him.

 

Not sure if Hagler had enough in the tank at that point. Tons of mileage

 

I voted Hagler because of the six month stipulation.

Now if Foreman could wait a bit longer, it would be a different story.

 

Hagler

 

Ali never lost a rematch. Foreman was trash after that until his comeback.

Hagler was really past it when he fought Leonard. I don't know if he could pull off a rematch but I think he has a far better chance than Foreman.

 

I'd go with Hagler changing his strategy and beating SRL

Foreman was too mentally damaged from that fight he couldn't get that level of intensity back and even if he did that search and destroy mindset was not going to beat Ali.

 

It did not matter if ropes were loose or not Ali beats foreman. The only reason the ropes were loose is it was an 18 foot ring with ropes designed for a 19 foot ring.

Foreman when he fought Young was fighting a newer style.....pacing himself rather than going all out for the Ko. With that style rounds went by and by round seven he was behind. Early in round 7 he hurt Young badly and then went all out for the ko exhausting himself in the process. Young then went on to the win. The idea that George let Young off the hook to show he could go the distance is completely and utterly preposterous.

 

Not going to argue about the Young fight, but I disagree about the Ali fight. Because Ali could simply lean back and move his out of punching range, he really only had to protect his body and never absorbed many clean head shots at all. Had this not been the case, I think Ali wouldn't have won. He himself said he was out on his feet, during parts of the fight and that's after a number of head shots were missed due to Ali leaning back. It's pretty easy to watch that fight and see what might have landed had the ropes not been a factor.


That said, that was a pretty poor game plan by Foreman no matter how one looks at it.

As for Ali, it wasn't even Ali's game plan to fight against the ropes, he himself said he realized that if was in the middle of the ring, taking two steps for everyone one of Foreman's he would been exhausted by the end of the fight.

 

Several legit sources stated in the 70's that Foreman was told by TV & The Promoter to go easy on Young in the early part of the fight so ABC (?) could get some rounds in for home TV and the related commercials.

As stated above, Foreman found himself too late in the fight to win via K.O....and got knock down himself.

 

Silly. I lived through that period and watched this bout live and no way anyone asked George to go easy on a slick boxer like Young. Never happened. George conserved his energy and was outboxed early by young, exhausted himself in the seventh and was too arm weary to do anything thereafter. Foreman gets the prize for constantly making up history as it comes. Can't believe a word he says.

The reason Ali did not move in this bout is the very thickly padded canvas that night. Like trying to move side to side on a sandy beach. Very tough on the legs and exhausting. Ali was very used to laying on the ropes and practiced it often in training. He layed on the ropes in just about every bout after Foreman and was never knocked down or beaten because of it until he was out worked by Spinks at a very late stage in his career. No Foreman ever beats prime to 1975 Ali.

 

You saved me a post!:good

 

Hagler.
I thought he won the Leonard fight anyway.
I'd expect him to win the rematch.

I doubt Foreman ever beats Ali.
A rematch 6 months after Zaire would have badly damaged, maybe killed, Ali ... but not before he'd KO'd Foreman again.