By Chris LaBate
Former heavyweight champion and hall of fame legend, George Foreman, doesn't expect unified champion Wladimir Klitschko to gain the recognition as being one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time. During a recent appearance on Houston's 1430 AM Sports Rap show with Ralph Cooper, Foreman was critical of Klitschko's fighting style and said the star fighter from Ukraine was far too defensive, always protects his chin and never takes chances.
Foreman gives Klitschko a shot at being a force in any heavyweight era, because of his style, but at the same time he believes the top fighters of the past, like Sonny Liston and Joe Frazier, would have terrorized him.
"Well, he’s a defensive fighter. It doesn’t matter if his opponent is big or small, he will never take any chances. He’ll probably go down as one of the most reluctant Heavyweight Champions ever. Floyd Patterson wasn’t that big, but at least he took a chance and stood in front of Sonny Liston. So he’s not going to go down as the bravest guy. The reason why he’s reluctant is because he has a weak chin. He’s always trying to protect that chin, but he’s not going to leave much of a legacy," Foreman was quoted as saying by Earney White of The Houston Boxing Examiner.
"He could have stood the test in any era because he’s so defensive. However, those guys would have walked right through him. If he’s afraid to engage against a fighter like David Haye, he would have been frightened against Sonny Liston. Can you imagine Joe Frazier coming after him? I don’t think he would have been able to do well."
