Heyday of heavyweights again?
George Foreman is still making top dollar as a television pitchman for his business after an illustrious boxing career.
Two days ago, he weighed in on the second bout pitting WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder and former unified champion Tyson Fury at MGM Grand in Las Vegas this weekend.
Tyson will win on points provided he could stay away from Wilder’s devastating right hand, said the ex-heavyweight champ who figured in some of the biggest fights in boxing’s books.
Foreman said subtly that the Tyson-Wilder rematch reminds boxing fans of the 1970s—the heyday of heavyweight boxing dominated by the likes of him, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
The 71-year old Foreman told bookies.com: “Yeah that Deontay Wilder can punch. Oh he can hit and he can hit hard.”
But he said Fury will win in stunning fashion on the judges’ scorecards.
“The world will be talking about heavyweight boxing after this match,” Foreman said, adding that the rematch of unbeaten titans, after their initial fight in December 2018 ended in a controversial draw—“is going to be good for boxing…”
Several past and current ring world titlists are one with Foreman in coming out for Tyson (29-0-1, 20 KOs).
Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao, meanwhile, is in solidarity with a number of active and inactive fighters, including Hall of Famers Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns in siding with Wilder (42-0-1, 41 KOs).
“Gusto rin ng taong kalsada si Wilder (The man on the street also likes Wilder),” noted fellow Inquirer columnist and boxing scholar Recah Trinidad, who feels the pulse of the people in his daily walk to the Mandaluyong wet market—hallowed haunt of ring diehards.
Pacquiao and Keith Thurman, the guy Pacman beat recently, are on Wilder’s corner. Pacquiao even compares the American puncher to heavyweight knockout artist Mike Tyson.
“Never bet against a puncher particulary one like Deontay Wilder,” Pacquiao, the only eight-division champ in history and a puncher himself, told boxingscene.com. “I look at Wilder winning this rematch with Tyson Fury by a 10th round knockout.”
————————-
Of interest to Filipino fans before the heavyweights collide is the undercard featuring Emanuel Navarrete and Pinoy pug Jeo Santisima for the WBO world super bantamweight title fight.
It will take grit and a lucky punch or two for Santisima to depose the Mexican fighter who is fresh from a string of three knockout wins against more credible opponents.
