Tyson Fury Vs George Foreman?

Fury wins this comfortably.

Foreman was at his best against two types of fighters: smaller opponents he could muscle around and aggressive brawlers who stood in front of him. Fury is neither he’s bigger, more mobile, more elusive, and far more tactical than anyone Foreman ever beat in his prime.

A prime Fury would box circles around Foreman, constantly moving, switching stances, landing from odd angles, tying him up on the inside, and frustrating him with feints and reach. Foreman was powerful, yes, but he was also slow and predictable. You need speed, timing, and precision to catch Fury clean, and Foreman didn’t have those tools.

Sure, Foreman might land a shot here and there. But Fury has proven he can take massive punches, get up, and keep coming. Foreman's power alone wouldn’t be enough not when he's swinging at air, getting jabbed in the face, and getting clinched every time he tries to get close.

And let’s not ignore Foreman’s biggest flaw: stamina. In any fight where he couldn’t dominate early, he faded badly. Fury’s movement and ring IQ would drag him into deep waters, sap his energy, and make him look one-dimensional. Either Fury wins a wide decision or stops a worn-out Foreman late.

Stylistically, this is a nightmare matchup for George. It’s just a bad look all around.

 

You can ignore @Dynamicpuncher he gets mad when people point out how little he actually understands boxing besides looking at results and repeating narratives that he steals from those who actually know what they're talking about. Whenever anyone calls him out on it he shells up and starts getting personal which says a lot about him tbh (hence why he blocked me and pretends I don't exist because I destroyed him in every debate we had to the point he started crying and running away whenever I engage him)

 

I think so many people grew up with Foreman as a giant who knocked out Frazier -- and later a large, jolly grandfather who was only 6'3", but looked like a brick wall -- that they have trouble adjusting to a new reality where the Foreman who beat Frazier would be among the smallest guys in the division.

You'll hear them speak about him against modern fighters as if he'd still be a steel-chinned hulk who could shove and wrestle his opponents in a way they've never seen before. And whose opponents would need to flee so badly that Foreman's ring-cutting skills become relevant.

I think their mental image of Foreman when they imagine this fight is a man about the size of Joe Joyce. And for many of them, I'm sure that's how large Foreman seemed to them as children, when they saw him chasing tiny cruiserweights like Peralta and Young.

 

Foreman is way, way ahead of Fury on ATG list. He's not in my top ten, but he's way ahead of Fury. But Fury beats him. He beats young George in every round, i think he hits him at will and does some damage with that spiteful uppercut. Old George though...a closer fight. Old George is much more defensively prudent and careful of his gas tank. He might beat the best Fury maybe one time out of five. And he wins rounds in the other four, losing clear but competitive fights against the bigger, faster man. Styles make fights. I think Old Foreman and Young Foreman spank AJ.

 

I think even the old Foreman of the Holyfield fight might beat Fury. The young Foreman destroys him

 

Foreman was stopped once in his career and that was by a man who had a knack for stopping durable fighters.

On what planet is Fury going to stop Foreman when Lyle, Cooney, Holyfield, Morrison, Briggs, Moorer, Frazier etc. couldn't?

Fury's mobility isn't going to work. He is 250-270 lbs. He is extremely easy to hit. Foreman would have a far easier time landing on Fury than he did on smaller opponents.

Fury has been knocked down by featherfisted Cunningham, down multiple times vs Wilder. Foreman not only has a right hand like Wilder, he has better uppercuts with both hands, a far better hook and a far better jab.

Ali couldn't dance away from Foreman and hence he decided to fight off the ropes. Even the 32 year old Ali is twice as quick as any version of Fury. And yet a 260 lb goliath is going to keep Foreman at bay with his movement? I don't think so.

 

Let’s not rewrite history Jimmy Young, a small, light-hitting defensive boxer with slick movement and ring smarts, outboxed a prime George Foreman. He made George miss, tied him up, frustrated him, knocked him down, and drained his gas tank. And this was a guy who didn’t have anywhere near Fury’s size, reach, durability, or ring generalship.

If Young could do that with just footwork and fundamentals, imagine what a 6'9", 260 lb Fury with elite feints, switch-hitting, and a suffocating clinch game would do. Fury wouldn’t just make Foreman miss, he’d lean on him, wear him down, and drag him into deep waters where Foreman always struggled.

And no Fury isn’t “easy to hit,” not when he's focused. Go watch the Klitschko fight that version of Fury was a very hard to hit and neutralized one of the most dominant champions of all time. Wlad barely touched him clean for twelve rounds.

You don’t land clean on Fury without speed, precision, and elite timing tools Foreman flat-out didn’t have. He was powerful, yes, but telegraphed, plodding, and stiff. He relied on guys standing still, walking into his kill zone, or bullying them into position to hit them. Fury’s entire style is about denying that kind of rhythm.

Foreman’s offense came in slow, predictable arcs. Against a guy like Fury, who can pull back, counter off the jab, or tie you up the second you get close, that’s not going to work. Fury would force Foreman to chase, swing, and miss and lean on him when necessary until he’s gassed and once that happens, the fight’s done.

You can’t beat Fury with just raw strength. You need the kind of speed, accuracy, and conditioning that Foreman never possessed even in his prime. Fury’s not just a bad matchup for George he’s the worst possible one.

 

Wlad was a gun shy fighter who was psyched out by Fury. Wlad was stopped 3 times and hence he was gun shy. Foreman was a durable fighter and he isn't going to be gun shy.

Fury is not some great switch hitter like Crawford or Hagler. He does not know how to throw a hard left hand from a southpaw stance. He does not throw a great right hook either. Fury's switch hitting can confuse journeymen fighters and it managed to confuse a gun shy mentally psyched out Wlad. But it doesn't work on quality opponents. The second that Fury switched stances on Usyk, Usyk laughed at him and nailed him with big lefts.

Young was smaller and harder to hit than Fury. Not only that but Foreman had Young in serious trouble and was reluctant to follow up. Foreman made the mistake of pacing himself vs Young. The Ziare and pre Ziare version did not pace himself and didn't need to.

Fury is easy to hit. Usyk hit Fury with more punches than he hit Joshua with and Joshua is no Pernell Whittaker.

Foreman was not slow. He was very quick on his feet. Quick enough when even Ali did not feel he could dance away from Foreman.

Predictable? The guy threw powerful right uppercuts, sneaky left uppercuts, big left hooks, powerful right hands, and he mixed them up really well. I don't see it as predictable. He is far more unpredictable than Wilder.

You're a good poster and i am happy to agree to disagree. I just think you are overestimating Fury's defense and movement.

 

Wlad wasn’t just gun shy because of his past, he looked lost against Fury because of the feints, footwork, and constant rhythm-breaking movement. Fury didn’t just psyche him out; he shut down his entire offensive. That’s why Wlad looked far more comfortable against Joshua, even after a long layoff and at an older age, Joshua didn’t bring have the same awkward style that Fury did.

No one’s claiming Fury is Crawford or Hagler when it comes to switch-hitting. But he doesn’t need to be, he switches stances to disrupt rhythm, create new angles, and score from unpredictable positions especially when fighting off the back foot. That works exceptionally well against come-forward, pressure fighters like Chisora (who’s more than just a journeyman) and yes even Wlad, as you mentioned. Against Usyk it didn’t work but Usyk is a special case. He’s quicker, more cerebral, and tactically superior to Foreman. Foreman would not see those tricks coming nearly as well as Usyk did and would get hit clean before he realizes what’s happening.

Fury’s size, mobility, and ability to tie up on the inside are exactly the kinds of traits that gave Foreman fits. We saw that with Ali and Young fighters who could avoid exchanges, frustrate him, and smother his offense. Yet somehow that wouldn’t work on Foreman now? That’s a tough sell just because Usyk could land on Fury doesn’t mean Foreman can replicate it. Usyk did that with speed, angles, footwork, and layered offense. Foreman isn’t bringing that level of nuance or adaptability, Fury, meanwhile, had a lot of success early against Usyk by using range and counter when Usyk tried to close range, Foreman’s not adjusting mid-fight like Usyk did that’s just not part of his game.

Foreman was always plodding, that’s why he struggled with movers like Ali and Young. You’re painting a version of Foreman that didn’t really exist, one who’s light on his feet, tactical, and versatile. The real Foreman was a destructive powerhouse, but limited in how he dealt with fighters who wouldn’t just stand there and trade. Fury’s struggles have come against fast, elusive guys not slower, more mechanical fighters like Foreman.

And no, mixing up power punches doesn’t automatically make you unpredictable. Foreman had a rhythm, a clear, punishing rhythm, but it could be broken, and once it was, he became far less effective. Wilder’s more one-note, sure, but his speed and snap made him far more dangerous in terms of actually landing clean. Foreman’s shots came like freight trains, you could see them coming. Wilder’s were launched out of nowhere and Fury’s problems have always come from speed, not raw power. Foreman doesn’t bring that same kind of threat.

I’ll say this, you’re a great poster and I always appreciate how you back up your points with solid analysis, not just surface-level takes. But in this case, I really think you’re overestimating Foreman’s ability to deal with a big, awkward, tricky boxer like Fury I don't see how it's not just a brutal stylistic matchup for him.

 

Foreman always need to set to throw. Fury is too quick to allow that consistently. And weirdly he has a deeper gas tank. He's too big be steamrolled. He's too long to be forced into Foreman's uppercut range. Fury had mental lapses for sure. But so did George, who could shrink his ring IQ to single digits.

I'd bet on Fury.

 

Old George was outboxed by Tommy Morrison and Axel Schulz. Fury beats him 12-0.

 

He hit him with everything he got and gassed out. Young actually got the best of him last minute of that round.

 

I will add Fury isn't 6'9 though but not that it makes a difference to your answer.

 

He also had a hard, competitive fight with Holyfield...its easy to 'pick' examples when a fighter didn't do well...Fury barely outpointed big, strong Ngannou, but I'd not say that's representative of the best of Fury

 

Because Holyfield was there to slug with him. Styles makes fights. Fury wouldn't do that. And we're not talking about Ngannou Fury here, but prime 2014-2015 Fury.