Arum believes that Deontay Wilder is the only current heavyweight who comes close to matching George Foreman's legendary punching power. The Top Rank boss shared this view in a recent interview with Sean Zittel, where he was asked how Foreman would fare against today's heavyweight stars.
"I think quite well, because I don't know any heavyweight around who had the ring savvy that he had and the punching power that he possessed. Of heavyweight fighters with punching power, the one that came close was Wilder, but Wilder didn't have the defensive skills that George had and couldn't take a punch the way George did."
Foreman, known as 'Big' George, was a force to be reckoned with in the ring. He racked up 76 wins in his career, with a staggering 68 of those coming by knockout. His power was on full display in 1973 when he knocked out Joe Frazier in the second round to become World Heavyweight Champion.
But Foreman wasn't just about power. Arum points out that he had exceptional ring savvy, superior defensive skills, and could take a punch better than Wilder. One of Foreman's most impressive achievements came in 1994 when, at 45 years old, he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round to become the oldest heavyweight champion in history.
Wilder, the former WBC Heavyweight Champion, has built a reputation as a fearsome puncher himself. He's won all 43 of his fights by knockout and believes he's the biggest puncher the sport has ever seen. But recently, Wilder has hit a rough patch. He's suffered back-to-back losses in Saudi Arabia to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
At 39, Wilder isn't ready to hang up his gloves just yet. He's planning a low-key comeback in June 2024, hoping for one last shot at the top level.
Arum's comparison of Wilder to Foreman is high praise indeed. The promoter's career spans over five decades, during which he's promoted more than 500 world title bouts. His first championship promotion was back in 1966 when he put on the Muhammad Ali vs George Chuvalo fight in Toronto, Canada.
While Arum acknowledges Wilder's power, he still sees Foreman as the more complete fighter. It's a reminder of just how special Foreman was - a heavyweight who combined devastating power with ring intelligence and durability.