Foreman's agressive throw caution to the wind vicious all out attack vs Louis' patented calm, economical and pin point accurate devasting attack. Intriguing. Naturally the consensus would be that Foreman wipes out Louis in under three rounds, suggesting that Louis is, at best, just as vulnerable as Frazier or Norton. People will point to the size difference...15 pounds or so and 1.5 inches in height. But at Heavyweight 15 pounds isn't unsurmountable..and 1.5 inches is negligible. Also I would counter that Louis had the power and handspeed to catch Foreman in his wild onrushes and therefore keep him honest.....a combination of speed, power and accuracy that Neither Norton or Frazier possessed. Foreman had a very good chin, but it wasn't concrete. I see an intriguing fight. I too woul dlean towards a Foreman early to mid KO....but a Louis late KO wouldn't be out of the question either...
I think the big question is whether or not Louis can survive the early onslaught. If Big George can't take him Louis out within about 5 rounds he starts to be fodder for Joe's sharp and accurate combinations. I'll take the Brown Bomber in an upset. Stylewise i think Louis matches up better with Foreman than a guy like Tyson.
Near 50-50, but I like Louis to make Foreman pay for his wide, inaccurate shots. That's a lot easier said than done, but I think people might be surprised at just how severe the penalty for Foreman would be with his missed punches. IMO, Louis' technique, speed & crippling power (a monster hitter in his own right) win the day...just.
Foreman had a exceptionally good chin, but as hitable as he was, against a guy like Louis.....we might see something we wouldn't have visualized going in. No way this sees the final bell.
surely Foreman KO's him early...or there's no way Louis does not get dropped early...and against Foreman what happens next..?
Indeed. Louis is known for turning someone's agression against them...with his patient pin point cripping counter attack. Granted, Foreman is more dangerous than anyone Louis has fought...and that could be the difference...but stylewise, at least...Foreman plays into Louis' strengths...
Offensively, I believe that's true. Yes. I think there is some degree of thinking out there that, because Louis wasn't very mobile, he would simply be steamrolled by a bigger, stronger man. This I dispute (while acknowledging that possibility is nonetheless fairly high), because offensively, they are positively worlds apart. Louis is just so much better across the board, & since this will be a punchers' fight, I give him the edge. Louis was a smart, intelligent fighter. Smarter & shrewder than Foreman. He wasn't Ali, & he could not do the things Ali did which led to Foreman's downfall. However, when you've got two all-time, elite punchers & finishers, as is the case here, I'm feeling that the man with similar raw power, but much, much faster hands, more accurate shots, & better combinations, is going to be the one a little more likely to knock his man out. That's Louis by streets in those categories. If one man is down early more than once here, I don't think he can salvage the fight. I just get the feeling Louis' precision & speed are going to make Foreman pay a very, very steep price for his wilder offensive tactics. On the other hand, critics of Foreman often like to point out his glaring deficiencies, & say he was wide-open to be exposed with this or that. Well, Foreman was one of those characters where, while that may be true on paper, it was a different thing completely to actually carry out what appeared so inviting. Once he got on top of you --- using under-rated quickness, a heavy, pulverising jab, & a huge early-fight work-rate --- it was lights out for almost everyone. If he got right on top of Louis & bore down on him, the fight is Foreman's, IMO. I don't discount Louis' rate of recovery (it was terrific, IMO), but Foreman was truly special when it came to finishing adversaries he had wounded, & few, ever, were better at wounding men. I would make this about 55-45 Louis. Obviously, it's not going the distance. Whoever lands hard & early first is going home a winner. My gut is Louis stretches him out in the end. Although Foreman is the harder raw hitter, they both have savage, crippling punching strength --- it's just that Louis is so much better in all other offensive departments, it tips the scale over Foreman's advantages in strength, early-fight output, & sheer brutality.
This is a a weird type of pick 'em... its not often that you can say of a fighter "he either gets KOd quickly or he scores a final 3rd of the fight knockout" because the two positions are so diametrically opposed but that is what we have here... I think if there is one quality Louis illustrated many times, it was his ability to rise from early flash knockdowns and get up to win, and win big on most occassions... Now, obviously, George Foreman putting you on your ass early in a fight is a hell of a different story than Jimmy Braddock or Buddy Baer putting you down and getting up requires more resilency, as does surving the follow up... It IS possible that Foreman just keeps Louis from being able to recuperate and he stops him early (think of that, Foreman was so immensely powerful and deadly that we can realistically envision him bludgeoning the second most accomplished heavyweight of all time... if thats not a tribute to George, I dont know what is... tells you how dangerous the man was) ... But I am of the view that Louis had the resilency to survive and eventually THRIVE... I love his pinpoint straight punches inside of those Foreman haymakers and I see him gradually chopping down the big guy en route to a terrific, back-from-the-brink KO via the 8th or 9th round
I don't know, I feel Louis is too damaging to win this fight that late. If he starts to get on top in this bout, I think he would shock a few people with how badly he actually hurt Foreman. He cracked better chins, & broke harder men than Foreman. I see a knockout, whoever achieves it, inside of five rounds.
