Name all the boxers you think could beat a PRIME George Foreman?

Question

Muhammad Ali did it. But do you think anybody else could.

Answer 1

Larry Holmes is the favourite. Liston hits pretty much as hard, but what about when Sonny is taking the fire back? Where is the guy's heart? They are the only ones who have the combination of hitting hard enough to worry Foreman, and their chins being able to hold out better than any of the other guys mentioned. Holyfield is an outside shot - was erratic, but had tons of heart and could box, and could not be ruled out. I think Foreman would stop him late (9th-11th), though.

*Earnie Shavers is an outside bet. The one person who would actually come in as the Puncher against George Foreman. If Shavers lands a Cold-War missile of a shot early on (like he landed on Holmes), he has the best chance of putting Foreman down and seriously hurting him. If Foreman gets up, Shavers has to jump on George and try to bomb him out. But Holmes got back up, and so could George. Shavers was stopped 7 times in 14 losses (suspect chin?), and probably wouldn't last for very longif George did get up. Foreman in 4.

*Joe Louis couldn't have beaten a prime Foreman. He was too small, and his chin wouldn't have held up. When people talk about Joe Louis, they tend to over look that he fought with 6oz gloves. Since this is a dream fight, they wear the same size gloves. What effect do you think Louis wearing bigger gloves would have on him. And here's a chilling thought: What sort of damage could George Foreman have done if he wore 6oz gloves? Schmeling (who weighed in 6Ib less than Joe), dropped him twice and Kayo'd Joe in their first fight. Jim Braddock, Buddy Baer and Tony Galento decked Joe when Louis was in his prime. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that these names are in the same class, or hit anywhere near as hard, as Foreman. Is these guys decked Joe, Foreman would have near-enough murdered him.

*Marciano - all heart, but would be right in front of Big George. Foreman would knock Marciano down a few times, and stop Rocky on a a cut.

*Dempsey? Dempsey hits hard for his size, sure, but hard enough to stop George? And as hard and as often as he punched early on (first two rounds), could he sustain that? He couldn't do it against Willard. He expended so much energy trying to finish Willard off in the first, that he almost completely ran out of energy. That, and the fact that Gene Tunney decked him, would spell bad news in there against Foreman.

*Lennox Lewis would have been walked through by George. There were times when he seemed tentative. Being in there with Foreman would make him even more so. Chin is a huge question mark, and for me, Foreman gets inside and switches Lennox's lights out in 3.

*Tyson wouldn't be patient enough or clever evough to try and draw the sting out of Foreman like Ali did. He would rush straight in and try and land bombs on Foreman. He would have a little success in the first few rounds, but would be discouraged when he saw that George was still standing. Foreman would take over, and mow Tyson down in 6.

Answer 2

Larry Holmes.

Holmes-Foreman: the greatest fight that never happened but should have.  Had it not been for the rope-a-dope, it would have happened.

Answer 3

joe louis and earnie shavers. Foreman even admitted to ducking shavers.

Answer 4

I could see Larry Holmes or Sonny Liston doing it, but my money would be on Holmes long before Liston. Evander Holyfield could probably get away with it, but he would have to work his @$$ off to get that victory.

Answer 5

wooow all these folks saying marciano could beat foreman, tells you a lot about some people'e boxing knowledge. Foreman was a tough opponent the only guys i can think of are holmes and liston.

Answer 6

Ali did it but payed with his health later on...he took a tremendous beating before Foreman ran out of gas and got knocked out.......maybe Vitali Klitschco or Lennox Lewis...maybe....or possibly even James Toney...he has hands of stone and a steel chin...and lot's of heart.

Answer 7

ali (who did)

jack johnson

joe louis

jack dempsey

gene tunney

larry holmes

sonny liston

Answer 8

Marciano

Maybe Holmes that is about it

Answer 9

UMMMM Foreman avoided Jerry Quarry around Foreman's prime years and Quarry was a top rated contender...... Foreman even admitted he was afraid of Quarry.

Answer 10

Muhammad Ali

Lennox Lewis

Larry Holmes

Evander Holyfield

Joe Louis

I cant really see Sonny Liston beating Foreman eaither, I see that as being similar to a Frazier fight, Liston might stick around a few rounds longer but the end result would be the same.

Marciano would have been way too small, even though he was a tough son of a ***** who could punch Foreman would be too much and too big. Marciano would be overwhelmed against a guy who was bigger,stronger,hit harder. Marciano was never hit by a guy as big and powerful as George. If he could actually take shots from Foreman then he may tire Foreman out and stop him late.

Other then that Marciano loses in my opinion.

Answer 11

I place Prime Forman 5th on my list.   Only 4 would beat him.

ALI

Holmes

Louis

Lewis

Holyfield has a chance to outbox him but I think he would keep Evander on the defensive and score a mid-rounds KO.  

George's stamina wasn't as terrible as many think.   ALI just fought him in a way where he MADE George Extend himself.  Evander would not be able to do the same.  If the fight goes the distance it would be because Holyfield had the heart and conditioning to hold on after suffering the 2 knockdowns he'd suffer.  

We already saw what happened to Frazier.  Marciano and Dempsey would be too small to deal with a fighter like Big George or Lennox Lewis.  

Liston punches nearly as hard but he's too slow and George would get him before being caught himself.  Tyson might have a chance because he probably would not fight George as foolishly as Frazier did.  

I don't see Johnson doing it.   I laugh when people compare Johnson to ALI.  He was more like a poorman's Larry Holmes who was never tested against mobile boxers.   I wonder how he would do against Gene Tunney.  

There are others who could out-box George but they could not keep it up long enough to avoid being KO'd.  

Only ALI, Louis, Holmes and Lewis would beat Prime George.

Answer 12

Larry Holmes, Marciano maybe, Joe Louis, a prime Evander Holyfield maybe as well. Another really interesting question.

Answer 13

Liston