Was George Foreman the hardest-punching heavyweight champion in history?
Of course, no hard-and-fast, empirical evidence exists for comparing the punching power of George Foreman with, say, Mike Tyson, or any other heavyweight champion in history. However, former undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who fought both men, including a 42-year-old, 275lb Foreman in the so-called ‘Battle of the Ages’ in 1991, called ‘Big George’ the hardest puncher he ever faced.
Famously an ‘arm’ puncher, who threw punches from the shoulder without putting his body weight behind them, Foreman was, nonetheless, blessed with immense physical strength and fearless constitution, which more than compensated for what he lacked in speed, stamina and technical prowess. Indeed, in his early years, Foreman was probably the most intimidating puncher in the history of boxing.
Foreman first won the world heavyweight title against ‘Smokin’’ Joe Frazier in the so-called ‘Sunshine Showdown’ in Jamaica in 1973. In a devastating performance, Foreman punched Frazier from pillar-to-post, knocking the hitherto undefeated, undisputed champion down six times before winning by technical knockout after 1 minute 35 seconds of the second round. Foreman retired for the first time in 1977, but returned to the ring a decade later at the age of 38; seven years later, he became the oldest heavyweight champion in his history when, at the age of 45, he knocked out another hitherto undefeated champion, Michael Moorer, in the tenth round of the so-called ‘One for the Ages’ in Nevada with a clean, short right hand.
Widely considered the greatest sprinter of all time, over 100 and 200 metres, Jamaican Usain Bolt, who announced his retirement from athletics in August, 2017, requires little introduction. Individually, he won gold medals in both the 100-metre and 200-metre events at three consecutive Olympics – Beijing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016 – and still holds world records at both distances.
The PGA Tour is arguably the most important, and definitely the most lucrative, golf tour in the world. Week in, week out, between 120 and 156 of the best golfers on the planet tee it up in PGA Tour events, but only one can win. Winning on the PGA Tour remains notoriously difficult; some golfers play their entire career without ever doing so.