Which fighter iyo could stand toe to toe with a prime foreman. And win?

lol

 

Liston would be the one I send in to get the job done.

 

In my mind, you'd need 4 things to have any success against Foreman, if you went right at him and neglected the finer points of the game:
Great engine
Strong punch
Great chin
Bulldog tenacity

Not too many heavies with all those qualities.
Lots of people picking Liston, but I don't see it. I think he fails the gut check. Was Liston ever in a toe-to-toe war against an equally large and powerful foe?

Tua... in with a chance.
I think Tua actually fits most the criteria. He went into a shell against Lewis, but that's because he was struggling to get to Lewis and became discouraged. He sure wasn't discouraged against Ibeabuchi in an absolute war. But I'm not sure his short stature helps him out here. Still, not a bad shout, I think.

Tyson... not so sure. He had those crazy fast-twitch muscle fibers that tend to not be so good over the long haul. He was never in a war of attrition really (he had by far the beat of it in both Ruddock fights) and I'm not sure how he'd cope with Foreman's tendency to push fighters backwards.
Tyson didn't fight well off the back foot and should he lose momentum, I think George gains the upper hand quite easily.

Louis... in with a shot. The best overall puncher for me, and I think it's possible he'd find all sorts of openings against George and land hard, hurtful punches in bunches.
Big concern is if he's durable enough to get back what he dishes out.

Holmes/Holyfield.
Both pass the gut check. Both pass the chin check. Both had great engines. Neither a puncher really, but carry respectable power and are sharp, accurate punchers. I'd give Holyfield a better shot because I think he has greater physical strength than Holmes, and found himself in wars with Bowe, so he has proven himself there. Holmes, not so much.

Lewis... in with a shot. Big, strong, decent engine and not bad on the inside. Big power obviously. He did fine against Mercer and displayed a stubborn tenacity there, and it's not inconceivable that he could hang with George toe-to-toe. Chin is a concern though. George will land, and I'm not sure Lewis can take several hard punches from a proven powerful puncher like Foreman.

Mercer... not a great shot, but still a chance.
He's got everything required. Great chin, good power, good engine and as dogged and rugged as they come. But yet, he didn't beat Lewis in my opinion and laboured to beat the smaller Bert Cooper in toe-to-toe wars. He'd have to hope George tires, and while a possibility, it's equally likely Mercer himself will tire.

McCall... not seeing it. Just doesn't have the fire in the belly.

Vitality... not sure. Will his skin hold up? Does he hit hard enough to get Foreman out of there? Not sure on either front. Certainly tough, big and tenacious though. I just am not convinced his skin will hold up.

Bowe... this could be wild. Bowe has a good, maybe great chin. Big puncher. Very adept on the inside and had a good long range game. Not hard to hit though. Does Bowe have a big enough gas tank in a war of attrition with a large, powerful fighter like Foreman? I don't know. I think he might though.

But having said all that, George himself has questions to answer. Yes, big punch. Yes, great chin. Yes, tenacious and determined. Stamina isn't bad.
But not hard to hit.
He beat Lyle by out lasting him, just having that bit extra in the tank that Lyle didn't. But he was wild and reckless, getting smashed by a big shot at the end of the 4th that had him face down on the mat, seeing stars. He was very lucky the bell sounded when it did.
So it's not like all he has to do is show up.
There are possibly other fighters in with a chance here, too.

 

Holyfield and Bowe I think

 

If Lyle gave Foreman the fight of his life, then the likes of Ibeabuchi, Bowe and Liston could possibly accomplish beating Foreman in a slugfest. Yes Lyle was boxing and moving at first but he slugged it out with Foreman later on and gave him problems

 

But he also came close when Foreman had not ha a standard fight for a year & change & was rusty.
He needed to pull out all the stops, but before Ali broke his spirit I do not think he would have been pushed to the brink by Lyle..

 

I wouldn't favor Lewis but he'd be my second or third choice. This just goes to show how highly i rate Foreman in toe to toe warfare. Lewis with his immense size, reach and power would certainly be something George never saw and it's not impossible he poses problems even in a shootout. He'd be hard for even George to push around and maneuver into advantageous positions. But yes i'd certainly favor George.

 

Good post and i totally agree. Foreman had his aura of invincibility destroyed by Ali and he was never quite the same dominant force again. By the time of the Lyle fight he trying to incorporate a more conservative style and for me at that very time it didn't make him better. He'd also been out for some time as you say.

 

This is an overblown myth tbh. He passed the gut check with flying colors when he fought the better part of an 8 rounder with a broken jaw, came back to KO Valdez after having his eye shut, and KOing Williams who hurt him, staggered him, and broke his nose.

Yes, Mike Dejohn (who Chuvalo ranked the hardest puncher he ever faced despite facing a completely washed version in his last fight) the aforementioned Valdez and Williams, (all of whom were bigger than him). The latter of whom according to all their common opponents and men who sparred with them, hit harder than Liston.

"Williams hit Liston with a left hook that would have finished any other man" Gross remembered. "It would have torn some fighters hears off. Liston just blinked and came right back. He took Williams into a corner and finished him.... finished him right there."

Source: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54152307/fort-lauderdale-news/

Now of course, it goes without saying that Williams was no Foreman but I think it's a bit unfair to say he "fails the gut check" based off two fights in his mid 30s (at the earliest), where he'd fought 5 minutes in 3 years, which is hardly enough preparation for the GOAT.

 

Excellent post JT. Foreman was (mentally) never the same after his loss to Ali. If I remember correctly, when he made his comeback, he wanted to face the most dangerous and feared person out there to put himself back on the map. That person appeared to be Ron Lyle after KOing Shavers in a brutal slugfest. That choice very nearly backfired on him.

 

mutiple people could sense he was slow and sloopy

 

I know what many will say, it starts with a T, Ha, Ha.

 

I think that even somebody like Louis or Liston, would probably elect to back away from him, and try to force him to come to them.

Their mindset would be "if I go toe to toe with this guy, I will end up in the same boat has him."

Even a fighter like that would chose which hill to die on very carefully.

 

Didnt ali let this guy him him ?

 

yea but ali couldnt move as good as he used to but I know the point is to say George power is overrated bad he wasnt the only one no names always took multiple shots before being stopped and dropped