Veteran boxer George Foreman has gone through two different eras in his career – the 70s and 90s, so he has faced many fighters with different styles and skills.
In 1973, Foreman challenged then-heavyweight champion Joe Fraser and managed to reach the top by knocking out his opponent six times in just two rounds. At his peak, Foreman was arguably the most destructive fighter, at one point achieving 40 victories and 37 knockouts, and 30 of the 37 knockouts ended in three rounds.
Foreman's gloomy moment was a crushing loss to Muhammad Ali in 1974, and three years later, the slack Foreman announced his retirement from boxing after losing to second-rate fighter Jimmy Young, returned to the ring 10 years later, and finally topped the boxing title again in 1994, a full 20 years after his last appearance as a champion, which has to be said to be a major miracle in sports history.
Now that his great-grandchildren are married, Foreman looks back on his career and reveals that there are 3 fighters that have been on his mind, and Foreman regards them as the most feared opponents.
"I've played about 80 more fights (76-5, 68 knockouts) and in my entire career, I've only faced three of the most formidable opponents — Gerry Cooney, Ron Lyell, and one fighter I worked with named Cleveland Williams whose attacks were so fierce that they would shake your body," Foreman said. ”
When asked who is the best of the three? Foreman said: "There is no doubt that it is Cooney, he can be at the top of the list, in the fighters I have experienced, Cooney can definitely be in the top 3 in terms of danger, and his hooks are harder than Fraser. ”
The three Foreman mentioned are indeed among the top heavy gunners, but interestingly, none of them have reached the world championship.
Cooney was once known as "White Hope", and his peak was in 1982, when he knocked out the somewhat faded Ron Lyle and Ken Norton, only to lose the thirteenth round in the subsequent challenge to boxing champion Larry Holmes.
Lyle is also a tough guy, challenging Ali in 1975 and suffering a TKO defeat when he was dominant. Later, Lyle became Foreman's comeback opponent after losing to Ali, and the two sides knocked each other out in the match, and Foreman finally submitted to Lyle in five rounds.
Foreman mentioned Williams, the two did not fight, but met in real combat. Williams, nicknamed "Big Cat," is much older than Foreman, having lost to Sony Liston twice in 1959 and 1960 and Ali in 1966.
Foreman's ranking of Cooney No. 1 somewhat surprised fans, because Foreman won "very easily" against Cooney in 1990 and knocked out Cooney in the second round, but in the first round of the fight, Foreman received a lot of punches from his opponent, perhaps because of this, he felt Cooney's power deeply.
Cooney's punches are indeed outstanding, ranking 53rd on the 100 greatest heavy gunners named by The Ring magazine, Williams at No. 49, and Lyle failing to make the list, so it's not for nothing that Foreman regards Cooney as the best of the most formidable opponents.