Would Any World Class Heavyweight Beat Prime Foreman, By Lasting 15?

Usyk would have out-boxed, his angles and speed were something Foreman never faced plus he`s a southpaw.

 

Foreman has seen quicker fighters than Usyk but yes Usyks complex boxing ability and slickness would probably get the job done. How he copes with Foremans constant pressure and ring cutting is a little bit of a question mark. Usyk definitely gives Foremam a competitive fight at the very least

The classic forum will put on their nolstolgia glasses and say Foreman slaughters Usyk in a few rounds but his record against outboxers in the 70s says otherwise

 

Lennox Lewis & Evander Holyfield come to mind

 

Hmm. The premise dictates that Foreman’s opponent has lasted 15 rounds.

So the focus is on whether Foreman still wins the fight over the full duration (15 rounds). 1973 Foreman wasn’t getting a lot of rounds under his belt - his unbridled seek and destroy output saw no deference to the possibility of going into later rounds let alone the distance.

George would have to pace like we never saw and pull well back on his offense to even hope to go 15 - and that would allow a world class opponent to impose himself even more from the outset.

I dunno man, as per the hypothetical, whoever is still standing in front of George by round 13 + , he’s probably clawed back whatever early to mid round lead George has established and might need only blow gently to tip an exhausted Foreman over.

If we have George lasting the 15 rounds he’s going to be a wreck in terms of fatigue and his opponent will have increased their lead that much more again.

Anyway, just IMNSHO.

 

Tucker was more resiliant than Douglas and Spinks, Usyk would have landed more shots than those three against George, he`s always trying to create openings with feints.

 

Who was quicker than Usyk in Foreman`s resume?

 

A small handful could pull it off. Aside from the men who beat him in the 70's, if the goal is to simply survive and use annoying spoiler/survival tactics and then win on points once the early storm subsides, I could see Usyk, possibly Terrel and Johnson doing it. Maybe Lewis if he is super cautious and doesn't drop his left too much. Holyfield is another possibility, but his dumb brawling habits could lead to him getting dropped and ruining whatever points lead he had.

 

Used to think Young beats a '73 Foreman as well but rewatching their fight and learning more about the circumstances (Foreman unaccustomed to the heat, likely dehydrated etc) it's more than clear Foreman was nowhere near his best for the fight, nor as aggressive. His tactics were all wrong. I think a '73 Foreman cuts down the ring and bombs him out within 5.

 

Ali and Young. Usyk had a faster jab but Young could throw combinations on the inside quicker. Usyk has good speed but his speed is overrated.

 

The usual suspects.

Ross Purrity
Oliver McCall
Mariusz Wach

They're the battleships of the contender class able to soak up huge punishment and still be around late. Some other guys like Shannon Briggs and Lamon Brewster also exhibited great chins.

Now I'm not saying they WOULD beat Foreman, just saying that if you had to pick some dudes to do what the OP is asking, they'd be the go-to guys. Personally I prefer an Usyk like fighter or a slippery guy like Byrd or - ding ding - Jimmy Young to evade the worst of it and get Foreman to blow his wad. Basing a fight around getting Foreman to hit you so much that he gets tired is IMHO, a pretty idiotic idea.

 

Just lasting the 15 rounds wouldn't be enough for many World Class fighters to beat George. We also have to consider how much of, and what kind of, a survival mode some of these fighters would need to be in, in order to survive all of those rounds. And there's the question of knockdowns, which can add up to a lot of points at times as well. I think George beats most World Class Heavyweights throughout the ages, even when they manage to go 15 rounds with him.