Who'd win Jack Johnson or George Foreman?

Providing he sticks to a gameplan, I think Holyfield has a better chance than Foreman and would have more success. Would he defeat Johnson? More open to debate.

 

Holmes' Jab is right here I think. Some people are understimating Johnson by a good margin. He would weather the early storm and then frustrate a more and more fading Foreman and score a KO between round 10-13.

 

I think Foreman would overpower him.

 

no uve mistake johnson with jeffries. Johnson fought and toyed with alot of bigger guys.

 

Fair enough. Early doors I take it? Bear in mind Johnson ain't a "swarmer" in the mould of a Frazier, Marciano, Dempsey or Patterson and wouldn't be heading right into Foremans ideal range/firing line, he's a more savvy calculating fighter, had a less spontanous style than any of these fighters and would present Foreman with subtle feints and tricks to solve. His ability as an infighter is extremely formidable too. Foreman can never be counted out of course and was always very dangerous early, so of course a stoppage is possible, but I think Johnson would pull through and grind him down. I mostly always respect your opinions and knowledge of the sport and you always put foward a good case for who you choose. Any chance on insight into how you see it unfolding?

Cheers


(didn't include Tyson with the listed "swarmers" as I think he is more well rounded and better equiped to take on Foreman than the others. I think Tyson stops Foreman around the 9th or so).

 

Jack just doesn't impress me on film sorry. I think Foreman would have his way.

 

Unfortunately we don't have enough footage in the pipeline, especially prime stuff to truely guage his fundamentals and 'prime', but unlike tales about a few other oldtimers I'm sold (in this case substance outweights the myth) and think he'd be a headache matchup for most.

Have you ever read Unforgivable Blackness, it's a masterclass of a book. Documentary is great too.

 

Haven't sorry. I'll keep an eye out.

 

You really should. Both is great.

 

Cheers mate.

 

Depends on the era mostly, Will Johnson have his lead way in the clichs like he did in his day?? IE, no ref breaking em up. That was a big part of Johnson's game.

I favor Johnson in a case like that. Pulling or tugging on the arms, and wearing out Foreman that way. Foreman wont get in power shots off if Johnson ties him up, and mauls him that way.

 

It's nowhere near as simple as that. You can't really compare the two sports as they were in one another's prime. But I took the bait on this one...

Johnson was a truly great fighter. Don't you think he could master throwing a combination to win in a modern setting? his style was effective fro him back then: that's why he used it.

I mean by the same argument Foreman couldn't pace himself to go into the second half of a fight.

 

I know people put heavy issue with the combo thing with Johnson, BUT it would be hard to get them off, if the refs didnt break em. I mean Gans Nelson 1 was a clichfest, hardly no combo thowing there, same with Johnson Jeff, Now Johnson had great inside work, as the Jeff fight show. But he would not look like Ali, if Johnson got tied up all the time, and no break.

Ali would be fast, but think of the Wepner fight, just think if Wepner got the clichs, and the ref didnt break them?? Ali would not land any combos tied up like that.

 

Also relies on Johnson seeing someone throw a one-two, standing back and saying, "How do you do that???"

 

Ali fought Foreman similarily to how Jackson fought legions of his opponents throughout his career.

Johnson wasn't a dancer, what he'd do is draw out his opponent, and then counter what he invited. He was actually more flatfooted. He preferred uppercuts when guys would come in -which were murderous, and he'd throw combinations. He was also what was termed as a "mouth fighter". He'd antagonize the opponent and get them aggressive, and they'd be all kinds of traps waiting when they did. Sounds like Zaire.

His favorite kind of style to deal with? "Slashers". Guys who came in winging shots -they were made for him. Stanley Crouch said it best, "see what a boxer -ideally- wants to do is make his opponent an assistant in his own ass-whipping." Jack Johnson would make Foreman do all the work, and be a party to his own demise.

I think that Jack Johnson, more than any fighter in history, represents 1973 Foreman's nightmare style. See, highly-developed technique is less important to cope with Foreman than grand strategy. In fact, technicians may actually fall victim to their own false sense of security because Foreman had a way of overcoming technicians with that "Hulk Smash" style... But strategists like Ali with patience and trap-setting can neutralize that style. Johnson fought like that as a rule.