Who was better: Old Foreman or Young Foreman?

[Bipolar Hero]

Been watching some George Foreman tapes and comparing him in the 1970s to his comeback in the 90s.

He was a lot more aggressive in his 20s yet old Foreman actually seemed to be more mentally tough and stable going the distance with prime Holyfield and beating Moorer.

Is it possible that old Foreman in his 40s was actually better than his younger self? Could he beat his younger self if they fought?

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Nah I just don’t see it. Was he mentally tougher? Yes. But the mental toughness he gained does not make up for physical prowess that had naturally declined. Young Foreman would obliterate Old Foreman IMO.

[PRINCEKOOL]

Probably abit more intellectual inside of the ring, maybe even had more bruit strength. But in every other category, the 70's Foreman was superior etc

[MartialMind]

What kind of fighter would Foreman have been had he not taken that 10 year retirement gap? How would he have done in the early 80s against Holmes and the like?

[ShaneMosleySr]

Old Foreman lost wide to Holyfield and Morrison. He had also lost almost every second of the Moorer fight before he landed a miracle punch. There were also a couple of fights against guys who were fringe dudes that Foreman probably deserved to lose.

Young Foreman battered Joe Frazier and Ken Norton like rag dolls.

I’ll take young Foreman lol.

[boliodogs]

Nobody is better in their 40s than they are in their 20s. The young Foreman KOed a prime Frazier in two rounds.The old Foreman lost to guys the young Foreman would have crushed. The old 250 pound foreman was great for his age but not nearly as good as the 215 pound young Foreman.

[QueensburyRules]

What kind of fighter would Foreman have been had he not taken that 10 year retirement gap? How would he have done in the early 80s against Holmes and the like?

- -Holmes never a rated fighter in George era.

He was ducking His Duane Bobick disgrace that Kenny settled for him, so he ain't gonna be in the same county as George much less the ring.

[BKM-]

This is the perfect video breaking down how deceptively skilled young Foreman actually was:


Yes he was still wild and crude at times, but the man knew exactly what he was doing.

He fought in one of the strongest HW era's and had trouble with two slickers, and a slugger who caught him by surprise early.

But other than that he was one of the most gifted HW's ever. He was a truly unique and special fighter that I've never seen before or since.

So much so that indeed he was still good enough to bag a title in his 40s.

[LoadedWraps]

Nobody is better in their 40s than they are in their 20s. The young Foreman KOed a prime Frazier in two rounds.The old Foreman lost to guys the young Foreman would have crushed. The old 250 pound foreman was great for his age but not nearly as good as the 215 pound young Foreman.

Just not true.

If you start late and don't take damage / bad losses, you can peak around 40.

It's really because guys bodies are so spent and broken that they don't have the mileage. Crafty, savvy fighters can fight for a long time, but it can also he understated how badly a real beating can affect your career. You may sustain injuries you never r recover from, you may shave years off your life. Mentally, it could change you. This is still the fight game, make no mistake.

[ruedboy]

Young Foreman destroyed Smokin Joe and even though he lost to Ali,
the beating he put on Muhammed's body before he punched himself out is probably partly responsible for the Champ developing Parkinson's. George's only mistake was going to Africa to fight Ali.
Old Foreman was probably smarter but young Foreman was a force of nature.