Last Friday (21 March) was a momentous one to any sports fan of a certain age.
We sadly lost supreme human being and two-times Heavyweight Champion of the World George Foreman, who passed away in his home state of Texas, USA at age 76.
Over the last few days I’ve poured over countless articles which catalogue his sporting excellence and personality, whilst recalling the remarkable history of his life and outstanding boxing career. I’m sure many more my age will have done similar.
Now settling into my sixth decade, it has never ceased to amaze me what ‘Big’ George experienced and achieved in his life. Let’s merely focus on his boxing career…
In 1968 George became the Olympic heavyweight champion in Mexico City, waving the US ‘stars and stripes’ on victory, at the height of the Vietnam War and the civil rights protests back in his homeland. Some derided him for doing this at a time of intense racial tension and criticism of the US government.
Soon turning professional, he rose to eventually become the heavyweight champion of the world in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, destroying a previously undefeated ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier inside two rounds. He had just turned aged 24 at the time.
His next defining moment was meeting and losing his title to the recognised ‘Greatest’, Muhammed Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire on 30 October 1974. This being the famous ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. George was a heavy favourite going in, but crumbled in the eighth round.
This is etched as one of the most iconic sporting moments of the twentieth century. On this occasion at his expense.
In January 1976 he won his first fight back against fellow American and then-undefeated Ron Lyle in one of the greatest heavyweight slugfests of all time.
George continued up to 1977 until he suffered his second loss to another American Jimmy Young. Post-fight, he had an epiphany moment in the dressing room and announced his immediate retirement from boxing.
He became, and practiced as an ordained minister in Texas for the next decade.
Needing to raise money for a new chapel to preach the virtues of Jesus Christ he turned again to boxing.
His ‘second coming’ was in March 1987, almost ten years to the day since the Young fight. He was 38 and weighed 300lbs. He won his first fight back and went on to compile victory upon victory and rose up the heavyweight ranks again.
On 5 November 1994, at the age of 45, ‘Big’ George would knock out previously undefeated champion Michael Moorer, 19 years his younger, with one monumental right hand to regain the title he’d lost 20 years earlier to Ali. That was remarkable then, and it remains to this day.
To cap it all, on the night, he wore replica red with blue waistband shorts to the ones he’d lost to Ali in, back in the Congo. That night became even more iconic.
George continued boxing and charming everyone for three more years finishing with a record of 76-5 (68 KOs). He inevitably entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.
The next phase of his life was arguably more successful, certainly financially, with the launch of the George Foreman Grill. Outside of sports he is now more famous for this.
He married numerous times and had a large family.
His life and career was indeed remarkable and it is the sport of boxing who benefited most from his presence and his undoubted charisma.
Rest in peace George, there will never be another.
The Undisputed 