George Foreman has commended the mindset of a modern era superstar, and compared it to how he himself approached his fights.
‘Big George’ and knockouts go together like meat and grills. He scored 68 from his 76 wins – an 84% ratio – with 56 coming in the earlier rounds.
Famous for staging a comeback at 45-years-old after ten years out of the ring, Foreman was nothing if not determined, and it’s that quality he’s recognised in the modern era.
Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Foreman named Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez as a fighter after his own heart.
“In the middleweight division, the guy from Mexico. Canelo. Wow. I saw his life develop. He reminded me so much – not in the style – but of George Foreman. He believes he can knock out anybody, and that’s the way I felt.
I saw a fight, wasn’t doing well and next thing you know he had a knockout. And he’s still one that I like to follow.”
From his 58 wins, Canelo has 39 early finishes including but not limited to Amir Khan, Liam Smith, Sergey Kovalev and Billy Joe Saunders.
Formidable in his body work and counterpunching, the Mexican does indeed pose a threat throughout fights. Three of his four most recent stoppages have come in the second half of the fight, two as late as the eleventh round.
Canelo is next out against the UK’s John Ryder on May 6 in Mexico – his first contest there since 2011 before the bright lights of Las Vegas came calling on a more permanent basis.
Should he beat Ryder as odds and pundits predict, he’ll look to a rematch with Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight – a fight he’ll need all of that belief Foreman discussed and more should he want to avenge his loss from their first meeting last May.