Foreman: Modern Heavyweights “Just As Good” As Ali Era

By Scoop Malinowski

A common perception created by the media is that the modern heavyweight era is far less talented than the Muhammad Ali era of the 1960s and 1970s. For decades we have heard over and over and over that today’s heavyweights are nowhere near the same level of talent and skill compared to the likes of Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, etc. Zusätzlich zu den unmittelbaren vergleichen lassen sich mit hilfe der grafik aussagen über entwicklungen ghostwriter-hilfe.com und zeitlich bedingte veränderungen treffen. But one of those figures disputes the commonly held perception. George Foreman made a very interesting quote in the 2002 book Boxing Interviews of a Lifetime by Brad Berkwitt. Foreman was asked by Berkwitt to compare and rate today’s heavyweights to those of his era. This was Foreman’s response. “I think what’s happened, and it’s really a shame, is this. Muhammad Ali defined the heavyweight division for a long time with his pre-draft and after fight career, winning the heavyweight title three times and fighting Joe Frazier and myself. I think people compare the heavyweights of then and now just too much. The heavyweights today are very good and should not be compared to the ones of the past. They are very competitive today and like I said, earlier, just as good. ”

“JUST AS GOOD. ”

George Foreman’s opinion about heavyweight boxing talent quite contradicts that of Ben Doughty, Max Kellerman, and all the other boxing and sports media figures who have relentlessly bashed and discredited the talent and skill level of modern heavyweight talent for decades. How long will it take to repair and correct the decades of false media manipulation which has the majority of the public believing that today’s modern heavyweight talent is vastly lower than that of past eras?  How much damage has this inaccurate falsehood actually done to the image of boxing and the way the public views the sport?

The fact of the matter is this: George Foreman told us the truth. Today’s heavyweights are “just as good” as any other era in boxing history. There is no way to prove otherwise. The best only become the best by beating the best and no boxing expert can accurately assess which champion of which era is superior. We all have to respect the best because they are THE BEST. It’s time to stop discrediting and downplaying today’s greats because we are more familiar with our adored champions of the past. So spread the word and pay proper respect to the heavyweight talents of today like Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko, Kubrat Pulev, Luis Ortiz, Joseph Parker, Tyson Fury and even Deontay Wilder if he can fight and beat somebody ranked in the top ten.  

(Holyfield oil painting by New Jersey artist John Murawski. )