George Foreman is close to the top of the biggest punchers the sport of boxing has ever seen.
The man from Marshall, Texas scored 68 knockouts from 76 wins, his thudding shots famous for putting dents in heavyweights and heavy bags alike.
After a storied career which saw a ten-year retirement before a return to become the division’s oldest champion in history, Foreman hung up the gloves on a majority decision loss to Shannon Briggs.
Briggs was known himself as a hard-hitter, best known for his highlight reel knockouts and shootouts with the likes of Lennox Lewis, a fight which he lost by knockout in the fifth but not before wobbling ‘The Lion.’
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, it was Lewis who Briggs picked above all else as the heavyweight who hit him hardest.
“I fought some punchers! So many vicious punchers that make you say, ‘Wow!’ Ibragimov, little guy but hit pretty hard, he could knock any man out. Botha was a very hard puncher. Ray Mercer hit hard and Vitali Klitschko – let’s not forget Klitschko. He hit me one time so hard I didn’t know where I was at. [laughs] I would say Lennox Lewis – that right hand would kill anybody.”
He did reserve praise for ‘Big’ George though. Even despite him being 48 at the time they fought, Briggs said Foreman still had ‘the greatest jab.’
“The greatest jab that I felt right in my face, every time, that wouldn’t miss, was George Foreman. It wasn’t the fastest jab, but it was very accurate and I couldn’t get away from it sometimes. (laughs) Lennox was a tough jab to get away [from]; he had an accurate, strong jab. Ray Mercer (August 2005) had an accurate jab. It hurt. It was like a right hand.”
Foreman recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle against Muhammad Ali.
