In their prime, who do you think would come out victor in a Formean vs Tyson fight?

[mindkiss69]

I watch alot of boxing, and am a big fight fan and aspiring boxer; and I've got to say, that would be one hell of a fight. They were both known as two of the hardest punchers in boxing history. At one time, Foreman had a record of 40-0 ,with 37 knockouts, and everyone who is an avid fight fan remembers how devestating of a puncher Mike was in his prime.


I've been watching alot of their earlier fights, and I gotta say, it would be a fight to pick. At a time, I would have without a doubt gone with Formean; but, after watching some more of his matches, it just seems that he wears out really easy at the end of fights: Rumble in the jungle. Tyson, on the other hand, seems to still have the hand speed at later rounds; but his chin isn't as strong as Foreman.

Tough call; who would you pick and why?

[RustyRazor]

Foreman.
In both of their primes (?), Mike Tyson had the ability to strike you with punches that could rock the shit out of you, literally but George Foreman had a body that could absorb an ultimate level of punishment and stay standing. With those palm tree long arms of Foreman's, he could take the power from Tyson until Mike pooped out by Round 3 or 4 and then Foreman would do what he did best:

Chip you down like an ice sculpture.

Mike was a five or six round fighter that bet on knocking you out, technical or straight KO. Foreman could go the distance with a more maticulous, drawn out, beat you down style.

I say Foreman.

[jeo4]

I agree with RustyRazor completely. Foreman could go a whole fight and absorb some punishment. Tyson could not. My pick is Foreman.

[The Mack]

Obviously, they were both great in their prime so either could win. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on Tyson. As an aspiring boxer, you know the whole art of the puncher's chance. Even if you're a better fighter than me, if I can knock you out with one punch, I've got a shot.

Tyson has always struggled against skilled big men which would seem to go against him, but in his prime, Tyson was unbeatable.

[RustyRazor]

But, how many times has Foreman gone down with one punch?
The man is like the side of a well structured building. You need heavy duty tools and a degree in demolition to bring him down.
At the end of a fight, his face looked like top choice chopmeat, because he could take a beating.
Foreman was an old school fighter that could endure a beating.
Tyson took down "new school" fighters that couldn't take a pounding.
James "Bonecrusher" Smith? Come on.

Not knocking anyone's opinion.
Just posting.
I personally thought Tyson was the man in his prime, but if he didn't get it done in the first few rounds, it wasn't happening.
Foreman won the title in his prime AND AGAIN in his 50's.

Who would've won?

[LegionX]

foreman all the way.... tyson could take foremans stamina

[jeo4]

Originally posted by The Mack
Obviously, they were both great in their prime so either could win. If I was a betting man, I'd bet on Tyson. As an aspiring boxer, you know the whole art of the puncher's chance. Even if you're a better fighter than me, if I can knock you out with one punch, I've got a shot.

Tyson has always struggled against skilled big men which would seem to go against him, but in his prime, Tyson was unbeatable.

All true, but in his prime, Tyson was knocked out by Buster Douglas. He also had trouble with Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. George Foreman in his prime had one loss. I'd say it was excusable...

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=muhammad+ali/v=2/SID=w/l=IVI/SIG=12p50kig5/EXP=1127958769/*-http%3A//www.wtv-zone.com/moe/moesboomerabilia/images3/ali-inaction.jpg

[RustyRazor]

The Dark Lord of the Sith is correct.
And just between us Schmoes (not to start a THING), but if Muhammed Ali went up against Tyson, in their prime, Tyson would have his ass handed to him, no contest.

:cool:

[mindkiss69]

Originally posted by RustyRazor
The Dark Lord of the Sith is correct.
And just between us Schmoes (not to start a THING), but if Muhammed Ali went up against Tyson, in their prime, Tyson would have his ass handed to him, no contest.

:cool:

ohh of course man. Ali would have made Tyson look like an idiot in the ring. I just learned this and I'm not sure if this is true, but someone on a boxing forum, said that George himself said Tyson would beat him, Frazier, and Ali, if they fought in their primes. Now this may not be true-- being that it came from the mind of a Tyson lover, but if it is that lowers Foremans odds because if you feel like another man can beat you, you have already lost part 1 of the fight. The guy said Foreman said it recently so it may be different because everyone knows that Foreman's personality completely did a 360 after he lost to Ali. Back before the Ali fight, George was an arrogant asshole who thought that he could beat any man.

[Scorpio24]

Oh my.

When I came across this thread I was expecting very different answers.

I to am a boxer. i very much enjoy the sport and although I am in no way an anorak I have a fairly large knowledge of the history of the sport.

It's Tyson for me. Every time. That quote of Foreman saying Tyson would beat himself Ali and Fraizer is true. I've seen the interview in which he claimed it. If I can find the interview I'll post a link.

Tyson in his prime was unbeatable. Yes Foreman didn't go down to one punch. I hardly think this matters in this fantasy fight. Why? Well Tyson would have hit foreman with 4-5 shots, each with one punch knockout power behind it before he had soaked up the first of them. Tyson was and still is an animal. And I mean that in life not in the ring. He has hatred in him and man did he used to unleash it on people. Go back and watch tapes of him fighting. It's flat out scary. It sends a chill through your body just watching him TRY to HURT people.

As for his losses. Buster Douglas - Well any documentary or interview with people close to him during this time will tell you that Tyson didn't even train for the fight. He was already on the downward spiral to self-destruction. His fights against Holyfield and Lewis don't even count. The man had been in jail for I can't remember how long. He was already far to past his best to get in the ring with those guys.

I firmly believe that Tyson at his absolute best would beat any other boxer in history at their absolute best. If the man had half the professionalism of Ali or Fraizer then he would have dominated that division like no-one else in history ever has. IMO

[mindkiss69]

I gotta disagree. To me, if Tyson is as good as you think he is, then shouldn't he have beat the much and I mean MUCH lesser Douglas, even without training much? I don't know why George said that, but I have watched Foremans fights, and I gotta say, in my opinion, his punches have alot more ill will behind them and he exhibited a whole lot more ferocity in his prime than Mike did. And you can't say that the fight against Holyfield didn't count because if Mike is one of the greatest fighters of all time then he should have had a better showing against Evander. Ali came back from exile and re gained the championship 9 years after being banned from boxing, and Foreman won it again almost 20 years after losing it. If Tyson is so great he should have been able to stand up against Holyfield, instead he absconded into a corner and conceided to childish antics.

[RustyRazor]

You know what it is? It was Tyson's mystique. So many people were scared to death to step in the ring with the man.

I saw the fight where he took on Alex Stewart and I swear for the first minute and a half, Stewart was "running" away from Tyson, going the opposite of wherever Mike was. He was afraid to get knocked the f**k out by this man (which he did, I believe in the second round).

Foreman wasn't scared of his opponents and he wouldn't have gone in for the whole "Tyson mystique". When you're that massive, pack that much power in your punches and can take that much of a beating, what are you scared of?

It wouldn't be Tyson.

[mindkiss69]

Exaclty. Hey, enter George Foreman vs Mike Tyson on Google and click on the saddo boxing link; there are a whole lot more replies to this topic on that site.


And yeah, the boxers of the past used to take a whole lot more punishment and still fight. The modern boxers, now, are a whole lot more likely to take one decent punch and fall down.

[Buck Turgidson]

Foreman.

People forget, seeing this jolly fellow pushing his grill, just how Goddamned fierce he was. People were scared shitless of him. Many people in Ali's camp and his fans were afraid that he would literally die of injuries at Forman's hands when they fought in Zaire.

Tyson's one huge vulnerability was to guys signifigantly bigger than him, with superior reach who could stay away from him. If you want an object lesson in what would have happened, watch the first Foreman-Frazier fight, where he knocked Joe down @ 11 times. Joe Frazier was smallish like Tyson (though he had 100 times Tyson's skill and was, is and always will be 100 times the man Tyson is.) Foreman did to Frazier what Ali never did: he made him look bad. He simply had his number and a lot of that was the size discrepancy.

There were 4 men in the 70's who were each immortal fighters. In any other era, Frazier, Foreman and (yes) Ken Norton (who probably had Ali's number more than anyone, beating him in San Diego and losing a horrible decision in Yankee Stadium in '76...I defy anyone to watch the film and tell me he wasn't robbed.) would have dominated the division like Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano did.

Instead, they engaged in a ten year cavalcade of carnage against each other that produced excitement like that division hasn't seen since, with Ali coming out on top of the group in the end.

[mindkiss69]

Yeah, and let us not forget that Mike ducked Formeman in 1990, when Foreman was about 40 . Just think, if Mike was scared to fight George then, he would have been pissing himself going against a young George.

[Scorpio24]

Well first of all, as for tyson's huge vulnerability. The only time I ever heard this brought up was when he lost to Evander and Lewis. Every fucking guy he faced was much taller than him. Yet this was never brought up anywhere near the amount of times it has been since his decline.

mindkiss69 - Ive read that you are an aspiring boxer. That means you're in training or fighting I guess? Or are you just wanting to become a boxer? The reason I ask is that you have stated that Tyson should have beaten Douglas even though he didn't train. I'm sorry thats bullshit. Every trainer (well every decent trainer) in the world teaches you. That you have to be trained. Fuck there's a poster on every boxing gym I've been to that says "If you want to be good train. If you want to be great train harder." It's not the shock that everyone claims it to be if you seen the leadup Tyson had to that fight. Out till 4 in the morning drinking constantly and even alledgedly doing drugs. You have to be trained no matter who you are fighting.

As for Lewis and Holyfield. They were both bullshit feuds that was built up way beyond what they should have been. Tyson would have destroyed either one of them in his prime. The man was already a beaten force by then. Lewis makes me laugh. He claims to be one of the greats. Fuck off. He was just decent in a diabolical divsion for a few years.

I know the point you are making about Ali being able to come back to the ring and win the title. But come on now. We are talking about two very differet men. Ali didn't stop training in those lost years. Not once. Tyson hardly trained when he was the champion so there was little chance of him keeping himself in shape for his big comeback was there.

I'ts amazing how quickly people forget just how great someone once was when they now seem them in the ring as a bum.