...re-visit one another, but with Foreman at the peak of his powers, circa-1974, against the same Holyfield who decisioned him at the peak of the latter's career. Holyfield took a lot of punches at the best of time, & never backed down from a challenge, including those delivered by men with heavier hands than he. Foreman was a wrecking ball, & at his absolute peak of devastation with hittable targets. I think Foreman monsters him in four or five savage rounds. Holyfield doesn't really do anything to give Foreman major problems, IMO.
Interesting one. I have trouble envisioning this....If I had to plump I'd probably agree with you - Foreman KO 5 or 6.
I dunno.... Difficult for me to see a prime Holyfield being stopped, even by prime Foreman. Of course Bowe nearly stopped Evander in that first fight (I don't considr the 3rd fight 'cause Evander came into the ring with a virus)...but Bowe throws more accurate combinations than Foreman and is a better pure boxer (plus he was bigger). I think Holyfield weathers the early storm and then stops George late.
Foreman is a totally different animal to Bowe, though. It isn't Foreman's slick boxing ability or aesthetic combinations thats gonna do it, it's his ability to cut off that ring, corner, crowd and bully. And those long, weird arm punches were deceptively accurate and quick; despite not being pretty, they invariably got where they were going.
Bowe had precision & in-fighting over Foreman, but Foreman starts faster, finishes better, & hits a hell of a lot harder than even Bowe. It's difficult to envision, because no one did it to Holyfield. Who else did it to Frazier, though? Frazier was, at a minimum, as tough as Holyfield. I don't find it that tough to imagine when you consider what Foreman did to Frazier. They're different fighters, but in Frazier, Foreman took apart one of the toughest hombres ever to lace 'em up, simply because he could land hard, clean shots on a fighter who was easy to find. Holyfield was easy to find, as well. I can't see him surviving realistically, & he doesn't truly have the punch to win a firefight, either.
I don't see Holyfield succumbing without his pound of flesh like Norton & Frazier did, though. I think those short left hooks make for at least one or two interesting moments.
Frazier (a bigger puncher than Holyfield, for mine) could not hurt Foreman. He landed. Then again, I tend to think less of Holyfield's punch than a lot of people, I noticed. In any case, can he outbox Foreman? I can't see that. He hasn't the speed or, in truth, the discipline. Can he out-slug him? Again, I don't think he has the punch, &, frankly, no one has the chin. Foreman had Chuvalo covering up. He could certainly dent Holyfield's tremendous --- but not impregnable --- whiskers. I really can't envision a way out of this one, the more I think of it. It is strange to imagine Holyfield down two or three times in the opening rounds of a bout, & getting stopped, I admit. Again, though, no one else ever made it happen with Frazier.
Yeah but aside from Foreman did Frazier ever fight any other big bangers? I remember Bonavena dropping Frazier twice in a fight too. I don't think Frazier is as tough as they make out (eg...in Fight Night round 4..haha ). Holyfield also fought Lennox Lewis, Tyson...he's proven himself to be a tougher more durable fighter than Frazier has proven..with all due respect...
True..Holyfield wouldn't outbox or outslug Foreman. But what he will likely do is OUTLAST Foreman. Prime Holyfield can fight at that pace longer than a prime Foreman proved. The race is not for the strong or the swift....
Well, it's a real personal gripe of mine when people bring up Frazier's first fight with Bonavena. That fight is an absolute credit to Frazier. Bonavena was one of the better contenders in his day, was in his prime, & was highly-charged for the bout...it bothers me no end when this fight is used to discredit Frazier. He took on one of the better guys out there at 12-0-0 & won...it's ludicrous to criticise him for it. It enhances his image, not detracts from it. I guess it comes down to whether or not you think Holyfield can endure Foreman's punches. Lesser men hurt him. If he could stop Frazier, & hurt Chuvalo (whose chin was much better than Holyfield's), he has the power to really hurt Holyfield, so it becomes a matter, to me, of whether or not he'll land. Everyone landed on Holyfield. Everyone.
