A TALE OF TWO GEORGES
POWER There was a mysterious quality to young Foreman’s power. He could land devastating punches with only the barest attention to proper technique. He could hit a man on top of the head and knock him down. But while it appeared he threw wide punches with almost no leverage, his talent was for finding the perfect distance between himself and his opponent, just right for launching his long uppercuts and sweeping hooks. Granted, opponents could see his punches coming. That’s why he didn’t score many single-shot knockouts. Rivals saw those wrecking balls flying toward them and they’d freeze, stiffening up as Foreman made contact. A lot of his opponents would end up dazed but still on their feet, with referees stepping in before Foreman could do more damage. He may not have possessed the crisp knockout punching of, say, vintage Joe Louis, but he had thudding power, the sort that left opponents wishing they’d chosen another profession. In Foreman’s most impressive performances of that era, the two-round demolition of Joe Frazier for the championship and his equally quick victory over the formidable Ken Norton, Foreman looked invincible. The second incarnation of Foreman could punch too. A selection of his greatest hits from this period would include the brutal left-hook knockout of Adilson Rodrigues, the two-round blowout of Gerry Cooney and, of course, the right hand that put Moorer down for a 10 count. Evander Holyfield, who fought some good hitters in his time, has gone on record saying Foreman punched the hardest. At one point in their 1991 fight, Holyfield returned to his corner convinced that Foreman had knocked his teeth out. Both versions of Foreman could wallop, but the 1970s Foreman was a destructive force of nature the likes of which boxing has rarely seen. Winner: 1970s Foreman
The news of Foreman’s recent passing was greeted by tributes from around the world, a reaction that would’ve been unthinkable for the first incarnation of Big George. The 1970s Foreman was a powerful, idiosyncratic fighter, moody, mean and misunderstood, a figure whose bearing was described by Norman Mailer as “a lion standing just as erectly as a man.” The 1990s version was a unique blend of slightly mismatched parts, as if a shopping mall Santa revealed himself to be a superhero. It was a combination that his adoring public found irresistible. Whether he was poking fun at himself or offering moving references to God, hope and faith, it was apparent that Foreman had evolved tremendously during his hiatus from boxing, a decade spent as an ordained minister. Two Foremans? Maybe there were more. Though the second version of Foreman was surely more popular than the earlier one – it’s impossible to imagine the young Foreman as a Doritos pitchman – it was trickier to discern which of the two Foremans was better in the ring. Before his sudden exit in 1977 at age 28, the first Foreman chalked up a record of 45-2 (42 KOs). The Foreman who began the second act of his career at 38 compiled a respectable record of 31-3 (26 KOs). Many in the press were dubious of the later model (and unkind), so comparisons usually favored the 1970s version. But by the time he scored his title-winning knockout of Michael Moorer in 1994, it was clear that both versions of Foreman had made an impact on the boxing business, and his critics on press row could celebrate his victory by eating their words. With his story coming to a sad conclusion on March 21, 2025, it’s tempting to once again compare the two versions of Foreman. Just for entertainment purposes, let’s examine the two Georges in eight categories and see how things add up:
Foreman destroyed the great Ken Norton in less than two rounds.
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