When Bob Foster met Ali in 1972...

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 21 Apr 2008, 07:53

....it was just eight weeks after a gruelling 14 rounds with Chris Finnegen.

Did Foster take the fight at relatively short notice, or was it already signed before the Finnegen fight?

A random observation as I spool through records, but that seems unsavoury haste for the LH champ to move up, he added just 6 pounds and gave away 40 pounds to Ali.

Madness, surely. Can anyone recall the circumstances of the match-up....

Poncey · Post by **Poncey** » 21 Apr 2008, 07:55

I have Thom Hauser's book at home, so I'll scour back to 1972 and check for you tonight.

I thought it was, but need to be sure.

Syntax Error · Post by **Syntax Error** » 21 Apr 2008, 07:56

Ali played with & carried Foster, to his detriment IMO.

Foster managed to jab Ali silly & was the only man ever to cut him.

DIRT SUGAR · Post by **DIRT SUGAR** » 21 Apr 2008, 08:38

Horrible fight in shitty Nevada casino. Great fighters who should not have really been in the same ring unless it was for a sparring session.

Foster was teeing off on Ali but he just faked wobbly legs and then opened up and dropped Foster three or four times before a youngish Mills Lane called it off.

Poor Foster. Decapitated by Frazier and demoralised by a piss-taking Ali.

But watch him in his own division and think what he'd have done to Calzaghe or B-Hop at the weekend and glove would have been on the other hand.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 21 Apr 2008, 08:45

DIRT SUGAR wrote:Horrible fight in shitty Nevada casino. Great fighters who should not have really been in the same ring unless it was for a sparring session.

Foster was teeing off on Ali but he just faked wobbly legs and then opened up and dropped Foster three or four times before a youngish Mills Lane called it off.

Poor Foster. Decapitated by Frazier and demoralised by a piss-taking Ali.

But watch him in his own division and think what he'd have done to Calzaghe or B-Hop at the weekend and glove would have been on the other hand.

I know he was fighting hall of famers at heavy but I am still surprised just how badly Foster's effectiveness fell off when faced with bigger men (circa 15st at least - not big in the context of today's lumbering monsters)

At 12st 7 Foster is a one punch KO monster who was rightly feared and respected. At heavy he was easy pickins.

Poncey · Post by **Poncey** » 21 Apr 2008, 08:48

TerribleTerry wrote:
At 12st 7 Foster is a one punch KO monster who was rightly feared and respected. At heavy he was easy pickins.

Is he Slim's brother?

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 21 Apr 2008, 09:00

TerribleTerry wrote: At 12st 7 Foster is a one punch KO monster who was rightly feared and respected. At heavy he was easy pickins.

Maybe he just relied on size/power/strength too much and had too poor a defense, maybe his opposition were too small or on their way out. Patterson/Byrd/Young/Spinks are all natural Light heavyweights who competed with the best. Byrd is fighting at 175 himself in his next fight

DIRT SUGAR · Post by **DIRT SUGAR** » 21 Apr 2008, 09:01

Well, to be honest. Foster went up in weight and faced a peak Joe Frazier and an Ali who was still a wonderful fighter.

Roy Jones boxed an over-achieving mauler in John Ruiz and Toney an overrated big lump in Peters.

Would they have done so well against a marauding Frazier and an Ali still on top of his game? I just don't think so.

Foster just couldn't cope with their power or size. He wasn't the most mobile of light-heavies and they didn't have the science in those days to help him bulk up and deal with the size difference.

Phenomenal-Nutrition · Post by **Phenomenal-Nutrition** » 21 Apr 2008, 09:03

DIRT SUGAR wrote:Well, to be honest. Foster went up in weight and faced a peak Joe Frazier and an Ali who was still a wonderful fighter.

Roy Jones boxed an over-achieving mauler in John Ruiz and Toney an overrated big lump in Peters.

Would they have done so well against a marauding Frazier and an Ali still on top of his game? I just don't think so.

Foster just couldn't cope with their power or size. He wasn't the most mobile of light-heavies and they didn't have the science in those days to help him bulk up and deal with the size difference.

Jimmy Young another natural light heavy beat Foreman and many feel he beat Ali (an older version I grant you). Spinks beat Holmes and Cooney weighin in the 190s. Moore and Charles smashed their way through HW contenders

I don't think bulking up is everything, you lose mobility/stamina by bulking up and strength doesnt go up proportionally to your weight unless you know what your doing

knockout · Post by **knockout** » 21 Apr 2008, 09:23

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:
DIRT SUGAR wrote:Well, to be honest. Foster went up in weight and faced a peak Joe Frazier and an Ali who was still a wonderful fighter.

Roy Jones boxed an over-achieving mauler in John Ruiz and Toney an overrated big lump in Peters.

Would they have done so well against a marauding Frazier and an Ali still on top of his game? I just don't think so.

Foster just couldn't cope with their power or size. He wasn't the most mobile of light-heavies and they didn't have the science in those days to help him bulk up and deal with the size difference.
Jimmy Young another natural light heavy beat Foreman and many feel he beat Ali (an older version I grant you). Spinks beat Holmes and Cooney weighin in the 190s. Moore and Charles smashed their way through HW contenders

I don't think bulking up is everything, you lose mobility/stamina by bulking up and strength doesnt go up proportionally to your weight unless you know what your doing

PN: Agree.... as always it boils down to the styles makes fight scenario.... a fighter who bullies and out muscles fighters in his own division will generally struggle more when he moves than a fighter who uses skill and speed.

Hatton is case in point, pretty sensational at 140 but not very effective at 147 when his strategy of outmuscling opponents didnt work as well.

Also worth remembering that light heavies back in the day were 175 ON THE DAY.. not boiled down 190lbers of today

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 21 Apr 2008, 09:41

Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:
TerribleTerry wrote:
At 12st 7 Foster is a one punch KO monster who was rightly feared and respected. At heavy he was easy pickins.
Is he Slim's brother?

Nah, Easy Pickins is Slim's mother.

Needless to say, she has a pretty poor reputation about town..

Poncey · Post by **Poncey** » 21 Apr 2008, 10:08

TerribleTerry wrote:
Emerson Poncey Name Ghent wrote:
TerribleTerry wrote:
At 12st 7 Foster is a one punch KO monster who was rightly feared and respected. At heavy he was easy pickins.
Is he Slim's brother?
Nah, Easy Pickins is Slim's mother.

Needless to say, she has a pretty poor reputation about town..

Slag.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 21 Apr 2008, 10:21

DavidPayne wrote: Madness, surely. Can anyone recall the circumstances of the match-up....

All about a heavyweight payday for Bob no doubt.

Wondering about Haye's move to HW, I usualy think about Foster. He probably carried an even bigger punch than Haye - his KO's were as brutal as you'll ever see, leaving them out for 10 minutes.
But his big punches just bounced off the big men though...but it was Ali and Frazier we're talking about.

Plus Haye is naturaly bigger, and the HW div is crap.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 21 Apr 2008, 10:29

Foster had flirted with the heavies numerous times before. He went up there for paydays and because he was a murderous light-heavyweight. Finnegan gave him, in Foster's words, "a pretty good fight." That's all. Foster failed to finish Finnegan early, got on his toes as Finnegan rallied bravely, and waited for Chris to tire. Then he took him out.
You also have to remember, Ali was still rebuilding from the Frazier defeat at this time and barely selling out venues and not always topping the bill.

When Bob Foster met Ali in 1972...

When Bob Foster met Ali in 1972...

Re: When Bob Foster met Ali in 1972...