George Foreman thinks Deontay Wilder can beat Tyson Fury in third fight

Tyson Fury’s knockout of Deontay Wilder on Feb. 22 reminds George Foreman of his own stoppage loss to Muhammad Ali in the classic 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle.”

For that reason, Foreman told TMZ, he understands what Wilder is feeling. Foreman (40-0 at the time) and Wilder (42-0-1) were both undefeated before their emphatic, championship-losing setbacks.

Big George said he recently spoke to Wilder.

“I had a nice conversation with Wilder, nice conversation with him,” Foreman said. “… We talked because I was in a position where I lost unexpectedly with the title in Africa. Only I know what he’s going through.”

Foreman went on: “He’s gonna have to live with [the loss to Fury] but I can show him how to live with that and come back better. We talked a lot on those lines.”

Wilder and Fury fought to a controversial draw in December 2018, as most observers thought Fury deserved the decision even though he went down twice. Fury, adopting a more offensive strategy, battered Wilder en route to a seventh-round stoppage in the rematch.

Wilder has exercised a clause in their contract that allows for a third fight.

Bad idea? Foreman doesn’t think so. He believes Wilder can win.

“Not only beat him, [Wilder] can do it easily,” Foreman said. “… Give him another chance. He’ll show you.”

Foreman engineered arguably the greatest comeback in boxing history. He left boxing in 1977, returned a decade later and regained a heavyweight title by stopping Michael Moorer at 45 years old.

Anything is possible.