By James Slater: Back in his big, bad heyday, when he felt his withering punching power was something no man could ever have a hope of standing up to, George Foreman would never have said any fighter was better than he was. Yet, as we know, Big George has mellowed these days (since his amazing 1987 comeback, when he reappeared as a jovial giant, capable of self deprecating humour) and today he makes a fine, honest commentator/historian. It’s always interesting to hear what Foreman has to say about a fighter, and his recent comments on the recently departed Teofilo Stevenson were noteworthy.
Speaking with ESPN.com, Foreman basically said that had the Cuban amateur great turned pro, there would have been no Ali,Foreman, Frazier era the way we all know it. Foreman said the three-time Olympic gold medal winner “had the best right hand in amateur history,” and when asked to compare Teofilo to the ’70s heavyweight greets he himself was a part of, George replied that “he was better than all of us.”
“He took his time like a pro,” Foreman said when describing Stevenson’s ring approach. “Then he came at you. He never turned pro – a shame. He’d have kept the heavyweight title the same way he did the amateurs..”
Just think for a minute how differnt heavyweight boxing could have been if Foreman is right; if Stevenson would have been capable of out-boxing him the way Ali famously did, and of then out-foxing or overpowering Ali himself. Of course, all thus is pure speculation and we have no way of knowing whether or nut George is way off track. Still, it’s interesting listening to one heavyweight immortal speaking about another.
Foreman certainly has a ton of respect for Stevenson, and we fans have nothing but respect for Foreman and his opinion. And the images George counjures up – of Stevenson slugging it out with, and beating, Ali, Foreman, Frazier,etc – sure are mesmerising. just how great could this proud Cuban have become?