he was incredibly skilled. One of the most skilled in the world. Boxing, Punching, and Brawling are all archetypes of fighters.
Boxers are slick and technical. They use guile, tricks, traps, and overall ring IQ to win their fights.
Punchers have great mechanics, balls of steel and god given power. They’ll stalk their opponent with good defense and some trickery to land clean to win their fights.
Brawlers will take one to give one but they are hard to hit clean. They pressure forward, trust their guard, and utilize world class cardio to wear their opponents down physically and mentally. They have a spirit that can’t be broken and will grind you down with their relentless pursuit of the fight.
You’ll see amateurs without much skill in all of these categories. You’ll see amateurs with some skill here. You’ll see pros with some but not much skill and you’ll see highly skilled pros who embody all 3 archetypes of boxing with resounding skill and a deep understanding of the sport.
George foreman was a very skilled boxer. His ring IQ, defense and set ups for his big punches showed it time after time.