Epic Heavyweight Clash: George Foreman vs. Jimmy Young (1977) 🥊

George Foreman vs Jimmy Young in a 12 round non-title bout<br /><br />Date: March 27, 1977<br /><br />Venue: Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico<br /><br />Foreman stance: orthodox<br /><br />Young stance: orthodox<br /><br />After losing his world titles to Muhammad Ali, George Foreman was inactive for 15 months, apart from the night he took on five consecutive opponents in a series of three-round exhibitions. When he did return to the ring, Foreman showed he had lost none of his punching power, but also showed more vulnerabilities, in winning an absolute war against Ron Lyle. A rematch with Joe Frazier soon followed. Then Foreman took on Scott LeDoux, Dino Denis and Pedro Agosto. None of these contests went beyond five rounds. A rematch with Muhammad Ali seemed imminent. But first, he had to deal with Jimmy Young. Foreman flew to the venue in Puerto Rico just a day before the fight.<br /><br />Young was a cagey, defensive fighter, with good boxing skills and a preference for counter punching. His knockout ratio was fairly modest for a heavyweight contender. No one could call Young a "protected" fighter. In his tenth fight, he lost to Randy Neumann, and in his eleventh, he was stopped by Earnie Shavers, leaving him with a record of 7-4. Jimmy Young then went on a 12 fight unbeaten streak, including a draw against Earnie Shavers and a points win over Ron Lyle.<br /><br />Up next, was a fight against Muhammad Ali for the world titles. While the three judges all gave the decision to Ali after 15 rounds, many observers felt Young had been hard done by. Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee, said it was Ali's worst ever fight. Less than a year later, Young stepped into the ring with Foreman. The former champion was expected to brush Young aside and then settle his differences with Ali.<br /><br />For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:<br /><br />George Foreman - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/90<br /><br />Jimmy Young - https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/276