1973 George Foreman vs 1986 Mike Tyson

[THE THIRD MAN]

There has never been such a brutal display of awesome power shown by a challenger in the history of Heavyweight boxing than what we saw with Foreman's demolition of Joe Frazier in 1973. This was Joe Frazier...conqueror of the great Muhammad Ali, a man who had taken all before him in the previous 10 years of his career. An Oylmpic gold medalist and undefeated World Heavyweight Champion and Foreman enters the ring and punches him around the ring like a rag doll. Foreman in 1973 is a monster, a powerhouse the Heavyweight division has never seen before. Ali studied him closely in this fight and his next two, by the time Foreman fought Ali he had only 5 rounds under his belt and Ali exposed this vulnerability and realised big George sent out messages that a punch was coming via the Pony Express! Foreman v Tyson in 1973 is a short fight, Tyson goes 2 rounds and receives similar treatment to Smokin' Joe.

I agree. A good jab bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Lewis, Douglas and Holyfield. Big men also bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Douglas, Tucker and Lewis. George was a big guy with a punishing jab. Once he starts manhandling Mike it is all she wrote. Tyson mentally breaks n is done by the 10th round.

You are both talking about a shattered Tyson and looking at how it ended and not at his peak as a fighter. Making a big deal about Lewis beating that shell is like making one over Marciano/Louis or Tarver stopping Roy.Tyson was already a basket case before he fought Douglas. Guys like Tucker and Smith hugged Mike to death. They never had a strategy outside of survival. Not sure what this Foreman jab you are talking about in 1973 is. He had a much better jab in 1987 and was even faster.
Joe Frazier had a left hook and bobbed and weaved. Tyson was a two handed fighter who took bobbing and weaving to an entirely different level and was much, much faster then Frazier. Foreman was slower in 73 then the second coming of Christ. I like Ron Lyle but Foreman went life and death with him and if Tyson put him down like Lyle did he would finish the job. Foremans lumbering octopus routine would not work with the prime Tyson. Mike would explode underneath and Foreman would not know what hit him and they would be concussive and multiple.

Foreman fought Lyle in 1976. we're talking about Foreman from January 1973? It's true Tyson was formidable in his prime, but what was his prime? 1986-1989? Tyson's prime was a relatively short timespan and was effectively done before he was 24yrs old. Frazier was a seasoned professional fighter with 8 years professional experience before fighting Foreman and he was made to look like a fool by big George. Every time Frazier tired to explode underneath he was pushed away with ease. Foreman of January 1973 v Tyson of 1987 still goes the same way, Foreman is too big and simply to powerful for Mike Tyson.

[generalbulldog]

If I remember correctly, Mike Tyson was always vulnerable to a right uppercut. I remember Tony Tucker hurt him and push him back in their fight in the 1st round before he broke his right hand and never threw that right uppercut again. Tucker magnificently timed Tyson in that 1st round, furthermore Tyson was wobbly and badly hurt at the end of the Bonecrusher Smith fight, it wasn't a right uppercut but an overhand right that was timed when Tyson lunged in.

George Foreman in '73, although crude in style more than likely will catch Tyson lunging in. If guys like Bonecrusher and Tucker could hurt and wobble Tyson like that with timed shots, I can see Big George catching Tyson. Sure Big George was crude back then, but best believe if he catches you, it's over.

[IamInuit]

There has never been such a brutal display of awesome power shown by a challenger in the history of Heavyweight boxing than what we saw with Foreman's demolition of Joe Frazier in 1973. This was Joe Frazier...conqueror of the great Muhammad Ali, a man who had taken all before him in the previous 10 years of his career. An Oylmpic gold medalist and undefeated World Heavyweight Champion and Foreman enters the ring and punches him around the ring like a rag doll. Foreman in 1973 is a monster, a powerhouse the Heavyweight division has never seen before. Ali studied him closely in this fight and his next two, by the time Foreman fought Ali he had only 5 rounds under his belt and Ali exposed this vulnerability and realised big George sent out messages that a punch was coming via the Pony Express! Foreman v Tyson in 1973 is a short fight, Tyson goes 2 rounds and receives similar treatment to Smokin' Joe.

I agree. A good jab bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Lewis, Douglas and Holyfield. Big men also bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Douglas, Tucker and Lewis. George was a big guy with a punishing jab. Once he starts manhandling Mike it is all she wrote. Tyson mentally breaks n is done by the 10th round.

You are both talking about a shattered Tyson and looking at how it ended and not at his peak as a fighter. Making a big deal about Lewis beating that shell is like making one over Marciano/Louis or Tarver stopping Roy.Tyson was already a basket case before he fought Douglas. Guys like Tucker and Smith hugged Mike to death. They never had a strategy outside of survival. Not sure what this Foreman jab you are talking about in 1973 is. He had a much better jab in 1987 and was even faster.
Joe Frazier had a left hook and bobbed and weaved. Tyson was a two handed fighter who took bobbing and weaving to an entirely different level and was much, much faster then Frazier. Foreman was slower in 73 then the second coming of Christ. I like Ron Lyle but Foreman went life and death with him and if Tyson put him down like Lyle did he would finish the job. Foremans lumbering octopus routine would not work with the prime Tyson. Mike would explode underneath and Foreman would not know what hit him and they would be concussive and multiple.

Foreman fought Lyle in 1976. we're talking about Foreman from January 1973? It's true Tyson was formidable in his prime, but what was his prime? 1986-1989? Tyson's prime was a relatively short timespan and was effectively done before he was 24yrs old. Frazier was a seasoned professional fighter with 8 years professional experience before fighting Foreman and he was made to look like a fool by big George. Every time Frazier tired to explode underneath he was pushed away with ease. Foreman of January 1973 v Tyson of 1987 still goes the same way, Foreman is too big and simply to powerful for Mike Tyson.

Nah, and again you are somehow trying to compare Frazier to Tyson and some king of evidence and it simply does not wash. I guess he could win I mean its a fight but more likely then not he'd look like a blind man in a packed shopping mall w/o a cane or dog. In theory I suppose Gerry Cooney could beat him also but not likely. In addition saying Foreman is to big and to powerful is like saying Primo Carnera was to big and to powerful for Max Baer or that Sammy Langford was to small to be fighting over 160. His size would simply not be a factor in this particular fight and he's the rinse and repeat fighter in the match not Tyson. I see no possible way Foreman wins this. Shame we dont have a time machine.

[brocktonblockbust]

There has never been such a brutal display of awesome power shown by a challenger in the history of Heavyweight boxing than what we saw with Foreman's demolition of Joe Frazier in 1973. This was Joe Frazier...conqueror of the great Muhammad Ali, a man who had taken all before him in the previous 10 years of his career. An Oylmpic gold medalist and undefeated World Heavyweight Champion and Foreman enters the ring and punches him around the ring like a rag doll. Foreman in 1973 is a monster, a powerhouse the Heavyweight division has never seen before. Ali studied him closely in this fight and his next two, by the time Foreman fought Ali he had only 5 rounds under his belt and Ali exposed this vulnerability and realised big George sent out messages that a punch was coming via the Pony Express! Foreman v Tyson in 1973 is a short fight, Tyson goes 2 rounds and receives similar treatment to Smokin' Joe.

I agree. A good jab bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Lewis, Douglas and Holyfield. Big men also bothered Tyson as evidenced in his fights vs Douglas, Tucker and Lewis. George was a big guy with a punishing jab. Once he starts manhandling Mike it is all she wrote. Tyson mentally breaks n is done by the 10th round.

You are both talking about a shattered Tyson and looking at how it ended and not at his peak as a fighter. Making a big deal about Lewis beating that shell is like making one over Marciano/Louis or Tarver stopping Roy.Tyson was already a basket case before he fought Douglas. Guys like Tucker and Smith hugged Mike to death. They never had a strategy outside of survival. Not sure what this Foreman jab you are talking about in 1973 is. He had a much better jab in 1987 and was even faster.
Joe Frazier had a left hook and bobbed and weaved. Tyson was a two handed fighter who took bobbing and weaving to an entirely different level and was much, much faster then Frazier. Foreman was slower in 73 then the second coming of Christ. I like Ron Lyle but Foreman went life and death with him and if Tyson put him down like Lyle did he would finish the job. Foremans lumbering octopus routine would not work with the prime Tyson. Mike would explode underneath and Foreman would not know what hit him and they would be concussive and multiple.

Foreman fought Lyle in 1976. we're talking about Foreman from January 1973? It's true Tyson was formidable in his prime, but what was his prime? 1986-1989? Tyson's prime was a relatively short timespan and was effectively done before he was 24yrs old. Frazier was a seasoned professional fighter with 8 years professional experience before fighting Foreman and he was made to look like a fool by big George. Every time Frazier tired to explode underneath he was pushed away with ease. Foreman of January 1973 v Tyson of 1987 still goes the same way, Foreman is too big and simply to powerful for Mike Tyson.

Nah, and again you are somehow trying to compare Frazier to Tyson and some king of evidence and it simply does not wash. I guess he could win I mean its a fight but more likely then not he'd look like a blind man in a packed shopping mall w/o a cane or dog. In theory I suppose Gerry Cooney could beat him also but not likely. In addition saying Foreman is to big and to powerful is like saying Primo Carnera was to big and to powerful for Max Baer or that Sammy Langford was to small to be fighting over 160. His size would simply not be a factor in this particular fight and he's the rinse and repeat fighter in the match not Tyson. I see no possible way Foreman wins this. Shame we dont have a time machine.

George Foreman is simply not getting knocked out. He went down from sheer exhaustion against Ali. Thats all it was. He threw 1000 punches in 8 rounds against a rope a doping slickster. Mike Tyson is coming straight in and George will take his head off with uppercut. I say uppercut because all he will need is ONE. I just watched Mitch Green land countless uppercuts on a prime 1986 Tyson. Buzzed him once or twice, though Green had shit power. Big George would take Tyson's head clean off with one Texas Uppercut.

[El Kabong]

The comparisons of Tyson and Frazier are because of the tactics used by Foreman to push himself out of danger and push Joe into the ropes where Foreman could trap him. Also Joe Frazier was the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world at the time who just beat Ali and George hammered the hell out of him. Frazier was about the same size as Tyson as well 6'0 214 vs Tyson's 5'10 218 (vs Spinks). George had slow-ish hands...people act like his punches were thrown at a glacial pace, NO his punches always had power on them but they weren't slower than the average heavyweights' punches. Tyson had fast hands? Yeah sure, his speed was part of his power...it was that kind of Shane Mosley power. The power knocks you for a loop only after the speed has caught you completely off guard. People make a big deal about Tyson's chin, but shit George's chin was pretty fucking solid as well...only KO'd 1 time, 1 time!!!

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Joe Fraizer was a one armed, one eyed fighter with a big heart and very very good power.

Very different to Tyson.

I keep going round in circles very tough one to call.

[holmcall]

Based on styles, prime Tyson beats first version of Foreman. But Foreman number two takes out the bully boy.

[Master]

A Tucker and Green uppercut and Bonecrusher right hand is all you got and the only reason they are mentioned was because Tyson was rarely caught because he had a great defence and was hard to hit clean. Tyson took those punches and came back immediately. Tyson took the bombs of Ruddock.

Frazier was really finished at the top level after the brutal war with Ali and was stylistically perfect for George to beat. Tyson was faster and more elusive and yes he was finished by 24 years age.

Also Tyson could not be intimidated then he was too good to worry about mind games. Tyson KO 2 rounds ala Berbick.