I think he might have done. People talk about Foreman being a broken fighter after the Ali fight but I had another look at Foreman vs Frazier 2 and Foreman looked in great shape, he took Frazier apart albeit not as quickly as their first fight.
Now take into account that Foreman vs Frazier 2 happened two years after the Rumble in the Jungle when Ali famously beat Foreman in Zaire. In the Foreman vs Frazier 2 fight Foreman looked as ferocious as ever and Frazier just wasn't able to deal with Foreman's extreme punching power.
Personally I don't think that Foreman would have fallen for Ali's rope-a-dope tactic if they'd had a rematch and I think Foreman using different tactics wins the fight. I also think that Ali knew he wouldn't be able to pull off another win against Foreman which is why he never gave him a rematch.
Would Foreman have won a rematch with Ali?
posted on 15/1/15
Gunner a rematch between them would have been totally different.
Foreman would have learned a lot from the first fight and certainly wouldn't have tried to go at Ali all guns blazing.
In Zaire that night Foreman fought the worst fight he possibly could have done. He wouldn't have needed to fight a particularly clever fight to beat Ali either, just not a ridiculously stupid one.
posted on 15/1/15
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 15/1/15
Not denying that Ali was a better boxer but if Foreman picked his shots better, used his jab more and not gone for the throat as much then he would have had a significantly better chance of winning the fight.
It's a shame because I think a rematch could have potentially been the greatest fight in Heavyweight history.
posted on 15/1/15
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Not denying that Ali was a better boxer but if Foreman picked his shots better, used his jab more and not gone for the throat as much then he would have had a significantly better chance of winning the fight.
It's a shame because I think a rematch could have potentially been the greatest fight in Heavyweight history.
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Foreman was not going to out box Ali, he could only do what he could do, and be who he was.
posted on 15/1/15
comment by D4thincarnation (U2520)
posted 2 hours ago
comment by Superb (U6486)
posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Not denying that Ali was a better boxer but if Foreman picked his shots better, used his jab more and not gone for the throat as much then he would have had a significantly better chance of winning the fight.
It's a shame because I think a rematch could have potentially been the greatest fight in Heavyweight history.
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Foreman was not going to out box Ali, he could only do what he could do, and be who he was.
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Not out box Ali but pick his shots much better than he did in the first fight.
We all know Foreman could punch through brick walls.
posted on 15/1/15
Picking his shots won't help. He was two slow for Ali. All that would have done would have slowed the pace allowing Ali to land more and move.
To paraphrase Brother Nazim once said, his punches are like bullets but if they miss the target then they do no harm.
posted on 16/1/15
Foreman was swinging wildly in the fight in Zaire. He was such a better fighter than he showed that night.
I just don't think Foreman would have been able to put on such a woefully amateurish performance if they fought again.
For all the plaudits Ali gets for beating Foreman I don't think that enough attention is given to just how poor Foreman was that night.
posted on 16/1/15
Foreman got more reckless as the fight went on because Ali made him angry and he got desperate. He was more controlled at the start but not landing much and getting schooled made him more wild.
The best Foreman could hope for was a points lost.
posted on 16/1/15
Tactically Foreman fought an awful fight and I can't see him repeating that in a rematch.
To this day Foreman claims that he was badly advised from his corner throughout the fight. He also claims that Ali would only agree to a rematch if George used the same trainer from the Zaire fight - a trainer who in later years ended up joining the Ali camp.
Anyway make of that what you will.
posted on 17/1/15
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