1970: George Foreman vs. Oscar Bonavena?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Old addage of the young bull & the old bull. Could actually be a barn-burner, in my view.

[HomicideHenry]

Bonavena would have been one helluva hoss for foreman in 1970. ali admitted after ringo's death that it took all he had to put oscar away. frazier fought life & death with him as well. foreman in 70 was just a street brawler, and bonavena could oblidge him in that kind of fight. imo bonavena was better than quarry. i cant pick a winner but i see a foreman/lyle type of confrontation here.

[Flump]

Bonavena would have been one helluva hoss for foreman in 1970. ali admitted after ringo's death that it took all he had to put oscar away. frazier fought life & death with him as well. foreman in 70 was just a street brawler, and bonavena could oblidge him in that kind of fight. imo bonavena was better than quarry. i cant pick a winner but i see a foreman/lyle type of confrontation here.

I think it's a competitive fight too, at that point in time, with a lot of mauling but i don't agree tha Bonavena was better than Quarry. He was very tough and could punch,strong and was awkward, but he had little in the way of boxing skill or balance, and he couldn't throw a combination. Quarry beat far better fighters than Ringo did.

[John Galt]

Don't see any version of Foreman hurting Bonavena. Foreman wasn't a quick, sharp puncher like Ali or Ellis, he was a clubbing, wide puncher who wouldn't be hitting Bonavena with punches he couldn't see coming. Bonavena did have some balance issues so Foreman's clubbing shots hitting Bonavena on the hands or shoulders might result in a knockdown when Bonavena was off balance. If Foreman couldn't knock him off balance 3 times in a round early, Foreman would probably weaken and tire after 3-4 rounds. Bonavena would probably be mauling Foreman at the end of the fight making it a close decision one way or the other. Bonavena might even hurt Foreman a few times after Foreman tires, but probably wouldn't land a follow up to finish Foreman.

[HomicideHenry]

Quarry had better skills, yes, but bonavena did better against ali and frazier than irish jerry did.

[Robinson]

In 1970 this would have been an interesting fight. Violent Raw Power smashing
into an Anvil of a man that is Bonavena. Experience and ruggedness would
certainly play into Oscar's favour for this one. But Foreman did smash and
destroy an always iron jawed and determined Chuvalo who had as much
saavy and courage as did Ringo.

Would that sheer force, though unrefined, be enough to beat Oscar?

It would be an interesting one to watch. Foreman did look decent going
some distance against fellow Argentine, Peralta though he was more the
boxer, Foreman showed he could pace himself and exercise some patience.
But I think the nature of this fight would see him burning out early and
going hell for leather.

I do tend to favour Foreman. But I can not imagine a blow out for him.

[Brutu]

Foreman vrs Bonavena was originally supposed to be the preliminary fight under the Ali-Wepner fight in March 1975.
Foreman pulled out,so then it was to be Bonavena-Norton,then Bonavena injured himself several weeks before the date,
so Jerry Quarry subsitted for Bonavena with only about 18 days to get ready to fight Norton.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Foreman vrs Bonavena was originally supposed to be the preliminary fight under the Ali-Wepner fight in March 1975.
Foreman pulled out,so then it was to be Bonavena-Norton,then Bonavena injured himself several weeks before the date,
so Jerry Quarry subsitted for Bonavena with only about 18 days to get ready to fight Norton.

I'd actually forgotten all that. Thanks

[Robinson]

Shame that we never got to see a well conditioned Quarry
meet Norton.

[Goodnight, Irene]

...or Bonavena against either Quarry or Norton.

[Brutu]

If Bonavena had fought Foreman in 1975.
I would pick Bonavena to win.
He was still only 33 years old,and had gone the distance in a number of fights since his(only)knock out loss to Ali
over the past previous 5 years.
Foreman still shell shocked mentally from his loss to Ali just 5 months earlier.

[Goodnight, Irene]

If Bonavena had fought Foreman in 1975.
I would pick Bonavena to win.
He was still only 33 years old,and had gone the distance in a number of fights since his(only)knock out loss to Ali
over the past previous 5 years.
Foreman still shell shocked mentally from his loss to Ali just 5 months earlier.

Maybe, but Bonavena was awful-worn by that stage. If Foreman could've put it together for even, say, two rounds of vintage, it may've been enough.

[Brutu]

...or Bonavena against either Quarry or Norton.

(according to Teddy Brenner's book ONLY THE RING WAS SQUARE)The first live coast to coast broadcast HBO boxing show in June 1973 at MSG, was originally scheduled to be Bonavena-Quarry.
Bonavena injured himself dropped out,then it was supposed to be Quarry vrs Earnie Shavers,
then Quarry got the stomach flu,dropped out,then it became
Shavers vrs Jimmy Ellis.

[Brutu]

According to google newspaper archives
George Foreman was originally scheduled to fight Oscar Bonavena ,October 11.1972 ,for 15 rounds at Boston.
The winner to fight Joe Frazier for the title.
The fight was canceled two weeks after Foreman and Bonavena signed the contract,after
Bonavena broke his hand (hairline fracture)in the second round in his August.15.1972 tune up against Lou Bailey,
(Bonavena still won on points)
It would appear Bonavena had fractured his left hand before twice ealier in just over a year before he broke it again in the fifth round of Patterson fight in February 1971.
The fight with Floyd Patterson had also been postponed because he hurt his left hand in training .
Bonavena broke his left hand again in a car accident in LA a month later and had to have surgery again.

[Brutu]

George Foreman fought two genuinely tough guys early in his career to compare with mixed opinions.
Chuck Wepner and George Chuvalo.
The Wepner fight was stopped early because of a large gash on Wepner's eye in the third(required 10 stitches).
I think the fight with Chuvalo may have been stopped too early.
IMOP ,Foreman may have gotten really tired a couple more rounds later of punching Chuvalo non-stop like he was doing prior to the stoppage.
I sometimes wonder if someone in Foreman's corner may have pulled a trick from Johnson-Burns,
that is having someone go near Chuvalo's corner and start yelling at the top of their lungs,
STOP THE FIGHT!,STOP THE FIGHT!

[Goodnight, Irene]

Chuvalo was getting pasted, man! Absolutely pasted! Yes, he did protest with remarkably clarity, but Jesus, what a whipping he was catching. It was Foreman on a rampage.

"It's an awesome battering Chuvalo is taking. He is now spitting blood..." - Don Dunphy, on the call.

[Brutu]

But is seems Chuvalo got off on being pasted.he would have been insulted if u missed him with a punch.

[yancey]

But is seems Chuvalo got off on being pasted.he would have been insulted if u missed him with a punch.

It is simply unbelievable that he shows no sign of pugilistic dementia, at least going by some youtube videos I saw of him a couple of years ago.

Hope George is still doing well.

[Brutu]

I think the subject of canceled fights is more interesting topic then any fantasy,what if?

Did you know that Earnie Shavers was scheduled to fight George Chuvalo
May.9.1973 in Cleveland Ohio?
Archie Moore was training Shavers.
I think Chuvalo pulled out because of a bad back.

[Goodnight, Irene]

But is seems Chuvalo got off on being pasted.he would have been insulted if u missed him with a punch.

It is not a ref's job to take such a thing into consideration. He has to rule on one-sided assaults, & that was one.

[allworld80]

But is seems Chuvalo got off on being pasted.he would have been insulted if u missed him with a punch.

It is simply unbelievable that he shows no sign of pugilistic dementia, at least going by some youtube videos I saw of him a couple of years ago.

Hope George is still doing well.

I saw him on an episode of Holmes on Homes recently, some Canadian home improvement show. He looked to be in excellent health, and spoke clearly to my ear. No signs of any dementia.

[yancey]

But is seems Chuvalo got off on being pasted.he would have been insulted if u missed him with a punch.

It is simply unbelievable that he shows no sign of pugilistic dementia, at least going by some youtube videos I saw of him a couple of years ago.

Hope George is still doing well.

I saw him on an episode of Holmes on Homes recently, some Canadian home improvement show. He looked to be in excellent health, and spoke clearly to my ear. No signs of any dementia.

Great.

Always respected and liked him.

[Mr E]

In my opinion, Big George would have destroyed Bonavena.

[hhaehre]

In my opinion, Big George would have destroyed Bonavena.

I agree, if Foreman could bounce a superior swarmer like Frazier of the canvas like a basket ball why should Bonavena fare any better ?

[Goodnight, Irene]

In my opinion, Big George would have destroyed Bonavena.

I agree, if Foreman could bounce a superior swarmer like Frazier of the canvas like a basket ball why should Bonavena fare any better ?

Because this is 1970, not 1973.