Fans all over the world continue to mourn the passing of George Foreman, and former super-middleweight champion Carl Froch has joined the tributes by asserting that Foreman would have overpowered today’s top heavyweight contenders. Speaking on Talk Sport, Froch said the 1970s “wrecking machine” would have been “far too powerful” for any of today’s names, including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Froch didn’t mince words in comparing Foreman’s punching power and rugged aggression to the more technical style of current titleholders. He remarked that Oleksandr Usyk, for all his skill, would be outmatched by Foreman’s sheer strength and destructive offense. Even Fury, at 6’9”, would struggle against a prime “Big George,” according to Froch’s assessment.
The notion that Foreman, who weighed around 220 pounds in his prime, could comfortably handle the giants of this era may sound startling. Yet jounnalists often point to his high knockout percentage, which saw him dismantle Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, and Ron Lyle. Only Muhammad Ali was able to solve Foreman at his peak.