There is a certain category of people who, even being in a well-deserved pension, still look very dignified, arouse respect and even to some extent fear among others. This is exactly how George Foreman, a legendary boxer in the past and now a pastor of one of the religious movements, appears before the average person. Even at his advanced age (he is already 67 years old), he is still in excellent health. physical fitness and always smiles. In this article we will take a detailed look at the life path of this outstanding athlete and his main achievements.
Birth and childhood
The future champion was born in the American state of Texas, the city of Marshall, on January 10, 1949. Children's and teenage years George Foreman spent time on the streets of the Houston ghetto, where young people learned to rob, kill and rape. At the same time, many teenagers became drug addicts or alcoholics. There is a version that the outstanding boxer, after retiring from the sport, at some point returned the purse to one of his victims, but the American himself denies all this and does not justify himself at all. “I was a bandit, and there is no forgiveness for my past crimes!”
George Foreman, biography early years whose life is quite typical for a resident of Houston, he fought on the streets as part of a gang. His father left the family, and his mother raised several children alone. George was also kicked out of school because he didn't attend classes at all. In general, by the age of 16, the young man had become an inveterate gopnik without the slightest bright prospects for his future.
The turning point
However, fate prepared for the guy a fate different from the life of his brothers in the area. One day everything changed after George Foreman tried to escape from the police and hid under someone else's house. In order not to give himself away by the smell, he smeared himself with mud and fell silent, trying to wait out the raid. And while under the building, the words of his older sister began to swirl in the guy’s head: “You can do whatever you want! You still have no future!” Having got out from under the house, the young man washed himself and decided to radically change his life. As a result, he joined the ranks of the Work Corps, a government program aimed at combating poverty and unemployment.
First steps in boxing
The Work Corps turned out to be Foreman's saving grace. It was there that he received primary education and basic work skills. In addition, it was there that he learned what boxing was. Already in the first sparring, he - a street fighter with extensive experience - was very badly beaten. The opponent managed to inflict on him large number blows without the slightest damage to himself, and George himself never hit the enemy.
So our hero realized that he didn’t know anything about boxing at all, and street fights gave him nothing in terms of boxing, and he had to start training from scratch.
amateur top
George Foreman did not compete in the amateur ring for very long and already in 1968 at the Olympics in Mexico City he was able to win a gold medal. In the final fight he was opposed by the outstanding Soviet athlete Jonas Cepulis. During their fight, the American badly smashed his opponent's face, which also turned out to be a manifestation of his long life on the street. Some time later, Foreman admitted that he rose to the square of the ring with a burning desire to kill all his opponents. As he then believed, by killing one of his opponents, his career would begin a new, brighter round.
Going Pro
In the summer of 1969, our hero moved to professional boxing. George Foreman, in his first fight as a pro, brutally knocked out his compatriot Don Waldheim in the third round. After this fight, there followed a series of more than thirty successful fights for Foreman and access to the championship fight, which is worth talking about separately.
Winning the world title
On January 22, 1973, a duel between two hitherto undefeated heavyweights, Foreman and Frazier, took place in Jamaica. From the first seconds of the fight it became clear that the current champion would not last long.
And so it happened. In less than two rounds, Joe was knocked down six times, which eventually naturally led to the fight being stopped and Foreman winning by technical knockout. The Ring magazine, respected in sports circles, named this fight the fight of the year. After winning the championship belt, George successfully defended the title in a fight with Jose Roman and Ken Norton. And then the no less legendary Mohammed Ali appeared on Foreman’s path...
Loss of the title of champion
George Foreman's successful fights were interrupted when he met Ali in the ring. Their fight took place in the fall of 1974 in Zaire. The promoter of the fight, Don King, agreed with the ruler of the country to hold this fight in Africa and allocate a lot of money for it at that time - $12 million. By the way, each of the fighters then received 5 million.
Both Foreman and Ali arrived on the continent in advance and spent the entire summer there, systematically undergoing acclimatization. George Foreman's training took place in a hotel in the capital, and Mohammed's - in an environment closer to ordinary people who literally idolized him. A day before the scheduled fight, both fighters attended a party hosted by President Mobutu.
Since the location of the championship fight was very high in temperature and humidity, both boxers quickly began to lose their physical condition. Already from the second round, Ali begins to hang on the ropes and launch effective counterattacks, trying to carry out a successful cross to Foreman's head.
During the first half of the fight, Ali missed quite a few heavy blows, after which, according to him, he began to have severe hallucinations. After the completion of the fifth round, George asked the referee to tighten the ropes, but his request was ignored. In the seventh three-minute round, Ali began to increase his advantage, and in the eighth round he managed to knock out the young champion. Thus, Foreman lost the title and for a long time justified this with all sorts of unfavorable moments for him: the ring ropes were too weak, the referee’s very fast countdown, the poisoned water that his coach gave him.
After that, George fought with Ron Lyle, and the fight could have ended unsuccessfully for Foreman again, but he still managed to knock out his opponent.
In the summer of 1976, “Big George” again met with Joe Frazier and again beat him by knockout, the only difference being that this time the fight lasted until the fifth round.
In the spring of 1977, Foreman suffered another defeat in his career. This time he could not defeat Jimmy Young. The fight lasted all 12 rounds, in the last of which the boxer was knocked down. This defeat was the impetus for the end of our hero’s career.
Life outside the ring
In 1977, Foreman George, whose knockouts were so loved by the public, left professional sports. In his own words, he no longer wanted to engage in boxing, which did not bring anything good to people. Former boxer radically changed my life. He became a preacher, opened a center for youth and began teaching troubled teenagers the ability to extinguish anger and aggression, urging them to renounce violence. The athlete also used his own money to build a church in his native Houston and traveled a lot around the country.
And again into battle!
In March 1987, viewers again saw what George Foreman's punch was worth. His return to the ring was successful: he managed to knock out Steve Zosuki. After this fight, a series of successful fights followed, which quite logically brought him back to the top, giving him the right to meet the champion.
In the spring of 1991, at the age of 42, Foreman entered the ring against Evander Holyfield to challenge the title absolute champion peace. Almost no one gave George any chance to win. The fight itself turned out to be quite spectacular. Foreman went forward and punched, and Holyfield successfully counterattacked and eventually won on points. Many experts and boxing fans were surprised that George managed to go the entire distance.
Last chance
In 1994, Foreman had another opportunity to win the title: he met with WBA and IBF world champion Michael Moorer. Champion at the expense high speed movements and strikes won the fight before the start last round, and Foreman managed to win only the fourth. However, in the tenth, George managed to hit his opponent’s jaw with a “deuce”, and Moorer was knocked out. This victory allowed George to become the oldest boxer to win the championship belt.
Somewhat later, George Foreman - a boxer with an outstanding track record- was stripped of his title due to his refusal to meet mandatory challenger Tony Tucker.
After this, in the spring of 1995, the American met in the ring with the German representative Axel Schulz. In that fight, the insignificant WBU title was played out. The fight ended with a judge's decision in favor of Foreman, which many considered very controversial. The IBF obliged the American to provide revenge to the German, but he refused and was stripped of his belt.
Mine last Stand George played on 22 November 1997 against compatriot Shannon Briggs. Once again, the judge's decision caused fierce debate, with the only difference being that this time the victory was taken away from Foreman. After this fight, George finally retired from the sport and again devoted himself to religion and helping poor teenagers. In 1999, he tried to return to the ring again by signing a contract to fight Larry Holmes, but in the end the fight never took place.
Marital status
George is married and has ten children: five daughters and five sons. This deserves no less respect. According to rumors, it was the wife of the legendary champion who opposed his return to the ring in 2004 to fight Trevor Brebik.
21.09.2016
George Foreman
George Foreman's career was the brightest and most eventful of all in the world history of boxing. No one had achieved this before or since "Big George" made his phenomenal comeback.
Foreman spent 10 years out of the ring and began his career for the second time, and ended his career as the oldest heavyweight in history, 20 years after losing his title.
In his classic interview, George Foreman revealed his reasons for returning to the sport and what he expected from it. Foreman talked about fighting Mike Tyson and fighting for the title. “Big George” recalled how he made history after his fight with Michael Moorer and how it felt to achieve his goal. Foreman expressed his thoughts about the fight with Shannon Briggs, about his desire to leave. He gave advice to young boxers.
One of the most incredible events of your career was your return to the ring and what was behind that decision. How did you come to the decision to return to boxing, and what were you expecting when you entered the gym for the first time after a break?
When I stopped boxing, I was a pretty wealthy athlete, but I didn't know that many people were taking advantage of people like me. Accountants found ways to steal money from my bank accounts. People told me: George, invest in gas, in oil wells, but it was as if they didn’t exist. I had heard of athletes becoming broke before, but I never thought this would happen to me.
After 8 years I was broke. I had almost no money, and the only thing I could do was box. I tried to open children's center to make a place where children could spend time. This was the only alternative, I spoke with representatives of the church, and they asked me to help me with the center. They said, “Help George and his boys,” and I was ashamed. Everyone was looking at me. I was once a wealthy man, and now they were asking for money from those who didn’t have it either. And then I said, “You know what? I won't ask anyone for anything. I will be the heavyweight champion of the world again. This is how I will support my children's center. Then I weighed 145 kg and spent 10 years outside the ring. My shorts didn't fit me, but I said I was going to be the heavyweight champion of the world. Again. And then everything seemed to clear up for me. I should have become world champion. I started fighting, one fight after another. At first I was offered $2,500, $5,000, and once I even received a fee of $12,500. But I knew that I was coming back.
George Foreman
When you returned, many did not take you seriously. How did you deal with this?
When, at my age, I told everyone that I was returning to boxing and my weight, everyone laughed at me: “He’s too fat, too old.” I heard this all the time, but every time I looked in the mirror, I said to myself: “Listen, people say all this, but it doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not. You must take care of your family. You must find money for a children's center." I traveled around the country and entered the ring. I was very big, but I continued to work and train.
I've heard enough jokes directed at me. I even started laughing along with everyone. People didn't understand that I wasn't crazy. I laughed because for 10 years I had been telling my loved ones to believe. You can do anything, anything is possible. For the first time in my life, I used what I preached to others - faith. I had enough faith to do anything.
Mike Tyson - George Foreman
When you returned, everyone started talking about a fight with “Iron” Mike Tyson, who was then the champion. Were there any serious negotiations to make the fight happen? Do you think this fight would have gone well?
We tried several times to negotiate a fight with Mike Tyson. Tyson just didn't want to fight me. It's not that he couldn't beat me, he was a great puncher. But the larger the cabinet, the louder it falls. And I think his coach and manager Cus D'Amato told him about George Foreman's punching power when he thought I wasn't coming back. Sometimes when you come back and the boxer remembers all these stories, he says to himself, “I’ll leave this guy alone.”
I don't think I would have any problems with him. I had a good left jab and always worked better when attacked, but Tyson was smart, had great footwork, had good speed. It might not be easy for me.
Evander Holyfield – George Foreman
When you came back you were 24-0 and had a chance to win the title. You originally planned this, this is why you came back. You entered the ring against Evander Holyfield, whose record was 25-0. What did you expect going into this fight, and what did you think about the fight itself?
Oh, Holyfield was a great boxer, elusive, well trained. He was a real boxer. The few times I hit him, I thought, “Well, you’ve got it,” and he dodged the blow, took a stance and counter-punched. He wasn't a very strong puncher, but he had exceptional toughness. I expected to win this fight, but I did too much promotion, did too many interviews and other things that a boxer should not do. And when the fight started, I tried to put on a show, not just win.
However, Holyfield did his part. He is exceptionally evasive. I went all 12 rounds with him. In the 11th round he started to clinch and the referee shouted stop, but he didn't put me down. But I declared myself, I showed that 40 and 50 years are not a death sentence for an athlete, and this fight gave more to the sport than my victory would have given if I had simply knocked him out in the early rounds. This fight showed that age doesn't matter and it was great for the sport.
Michael Moorer – George Foreman
Speaking of age, you won three more after that fight and then lost to Tommy Morrison. Then you took a long break - a year and a half, and then somehow arranged a fight with Michael Moorer, who beat Evander Holyfield for the lineal title and two belts. How did it feel to step into the ring with Michael Moorer, who was 35-0?
It was a great experience for me because after the Morrison fight I was essentially on television. They made a television series about me, I started working on television. I thought that I would become an actor, but acting, as I later realized, was much more difficult and required more work than boxing. The only luxury in this sport is a huge bed at noon and the game itself. So I went back and started negotiations about title fight. Michael Moorer, of course, took the title from Holyfield, and it just fell into my hands. Michael Moorer was due for a big payday and thought this would be the easiest fight of his career, against old George Foreman. I already knew I could punch and someone convinced him that he was a better puncher than me. For some reason, the fight still took place, and he did not run away.
What was it like when you stepped into the ring? He boxed better than you for most of the fight, and then in the 10th round you calmed him down with that amazing punch. What were you thinking then?
I always thought that in a boxing match, if I knocked him down in the first round, he would start running and I wouldn't catch him. This happened to Tommy Morrison. He literally ran around the ring from me, and they gave him the decision. So I know that if he decides to run from me, there is nothing I can do, but if I can somehow get him to come to me, then I could get him. And, of course, I jabbed him, hit him from the side in the early rounds. His manager told him, “Get him, get him,” and he did. I seem to have thrown a right hand, hook, hook, and instead of jumping to the side, he began to dodge the blows. I thought, “Great! Bird in a cage." I was able to warm up with one-two, left-right combinations and knocked him down. I hit him high at first, and then I decided to lower my hand a little, and the second right hand landed him on the canvas. A lot of people said it was just a lucky shot, but I’ve been like that since I was 17, hitting just like that. This is what I have done all my life.
And now you have regained the title after 20 years. How did you feel when you achieved what you wanted - the title that you lost to Ali? And you were wearing the same shorts that you were wearing during that fight with Ali. How did it feel when you regained the title after so long?
Yes, I was thinking about 20 years, about 20 years. I told people that I was no longer the same person I was in Africa. I could be a world champion. I had a lot of excuses and people laughed at me. And 20 years later I'm in the ring, I got my chance, and this is my reward. And now I could relax and say, “I told you so.” But it was time for me to return to preaching, to become a father again. Nothing special. It's just a point in your life where you can say, “I did it, thank God for it,” and the next day you go back to church and preach and do your job.
When you regained the title, you were recognized as the champion, and then you did something that surprised everyone - you left the WBA title instead of facing Tony Tucker?
You know, I worked hard, did a lot. I needed to fight a large number lawsuits, even to make sure that after Michael Moorer signed a fight contract, he would still fight me. I did it, took care of it, and after the fight I abandoned all these games. We need to pay this guy to do this. I said, “I don’t need this anymore. I have a title. You can take it back because I have it and I can safely give it to them. This is not what I need. Some young people may pay all the payments, but I don't want to do that.
George Foreman – Shannon Briggs
You surprised a lot of people late in your career because your last fight was against a young guy, Shannon Briggs. He was 29-1 and was only 25 years old. And you were almost 49 years old. In the eyes of most people, you have won, and many believe that your victory was simply taken away from you. This is one of the most controversial fights in boxing history, and people are still talking about it to this day. What do you think about this fight now and what can you say about your decision to leave after this?
It’s quite funny, because I go into battle and every time, in every round, I try to knock out my opponents. If my opponent managed to outrun me for 12 rounds, he deserved to win. I'm never looking to win by decision, ever, and some guys think they'll go out and last 12 rounds against George Foreman and that's a win. But I always wanted to knock out. I always wanted to knockout. If I went all 12 rounds and the decision wasn't given to me, I never complained because that's not the result I was looking for, I wasn't looking to win by decision. I wanted to knock out. So I didn't mind. I didn't win, but I came home.
They asked me later, after the fight, and said: “George, you were just robbed.” And I said that where I come from, Houston, Texas, you don't scream that you got robbed when you still have $4 or $5 left. Boxing, and I always remember this, is about fighting for a title, and that title was part of what helped me prove my worth, but I also came back for a million dollars. And in the end I got a million, and I won another $100,000, and now I have nothing because I have 10 children. And they all went to college. Do you think I'm rich? I educate and raise 10 children. The children say: “Dad, I got a diploma,” and you say: “I have nothing, not even clothes.”
George Foreman with children
They say that just one fight is enough to pay for all their diplomas. Did you ever think about coming back after the Briggs fight?
Yes, I was going to return, at the age of 55. I was going to take a break and then come back at 55. I was in good shape, but my wife told me that if I returned to boxing, I would have to live in a mobile home. I showed her what I could do and she said, “George, isn’t that how you wanted to quit boxing? Feeling that you can still do something?” But I never thought about it. I said, “I could still do that.” And she said: “So you should leave too.” And I never came back. I just forgot about it because waking up every morning knowing that you can still do it is great, but if someone blows your brains out, you won't be able to do it. I don't think I would ever want to wake up and realize this.
So after Shannon Briggs won the heavyweight title in 2007, you weren't like, "Hey, I was better than him 10 years ago, maybe I should try again?"
You know, I never paid much attention to this. Like I said, for a long time I wasn't interested in the heavyweight division because the guys weren't that dedicated to boxing. I still want us to have a good American champion, and if one appears, I will buy tickets in the front rows, buy popcorn and enjoy. That's what I'm interested in now. Not to return to the ring, but to eat popcorn and hot dogs and enjoy life.
Larry Holmes – George Foreman
There was another guy who wanted to meet the matchmaker and wanted it very badly - It was Larry Holmes. In 1999, you were almost able to reach an agreement. It was called the "Birthday Battle." Were you disappointed when you didn't get to meet Larry?
Yes, Larry was a great boxer and I think it would have been a great fight because both Larry and I were talented. But that didn't happen, and he kept saying that he wanted to meet me. I tell my friends, “Every year Larry Holmes escapes from his nursing home and challenges me, and I have to leave my nursing home and refuse him.”
Well, George, there are only two questions left. If you were giving advice to a young aspiring boxer who wanted to achieve great things in the sport, what would you advise them?
Start little by little, learn the business, and no matter how much you achieve, you have to enjoy the fame, because it doesn't matter how good you are. If people don't know about you, then your successes are worth little.
George Foreman
And finally, for all the boxing fans, your personal fans and listeners of our program, what do you have to say to them?
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- Full name : George Edward Foreman
- Date of birth: January 10, 1949
- Place of birth: Marshall, Texas, USA
- Resides: Houston (Texas, USA)
- Height: 192 cm
- Weight: 118 kg
- Speaker: in severe weight category(over 90.892 kg)
- Stand: right-hand
Biography
Looking at the photograph of the current Foreman, it is difficult to imagine that this now good-natured face of a 67-year-old man looked a little different some 30-40 years ago, instilling horror in those who came out to fight him in the ring. However, Big George (the only nickname of the retired champion) did not win his trophies with terrible grimaces, but with powerful and accurate blows, which allowed the American professional boxer to win gold at the 1968 Olympics and become the best heavyweight according to the WBC in 1973-1974; WBA champion (1973-1974 and 1994); winner of the championship belt under the auspices of the IBF in 1994-1995, and, in addition, received the title of “Boxer of the Year” according to Ring magazine (1973, 1976). As a child, George grew up without a father. When he was expelled from school, he, who had never been distinguished by exemplary behavior, could easily receive a significant prison sentence. Only chance saved the boy, who stole and robbed passers-by just like adult criminals. Looking back on those years, Big George was amazed at how he remained alive at all after what he experienced in his youth. Once, while fleeing from the police, I remembered my sister’s hopeless words that the family was doomed and nothing good would come of it. That’s when George, as if struck by an electric shock, decided to radically change his life. In the United States, they tested the “Work Corps” program, which fought against the poor and criminal elements among youth. And young Foreman took full advantage of the chance that came purely by chance. Instead of street fights, at any moment fraught with disability, or even death, Joe became an athlete.
The correction happened so quickly that the former “Gopnik” himself did not notice how he won the Golden Glove amateur championship in 1967.
And in the next one I tried it on gold medal on olympic games in Mexico, heavily painting the face of USSR finalist Jonas Cepulis. This success gave him so much strength and confidence that a year later Foreman signed a contract as a professional boxer.
Fights
40 fights Big George did not know the bitterness of defeat, winning two titles over the years: Pan American in a fight with Argentinean Miguel Angel Paez (May 11, 1972) and the world heavyweight champion belt according to the WBC and WBA versions. It would not be out of place to say that in that fight, on January 22, 1973, Foreman literally destroyed the current champion, Joe Frazier, who was knocked down three times in the first two rounds. It was a resounding success. It was not for nothing that Ring magazine called that championship confrontation “the fight of the year.” Having successfully defended the title, Big George met his real opponent a year later. He was the well-known then, and now legendary, Mohammed Ali. Foreman understood that only victory would stake him the title of the best of the best. However, neither experience nor fighting spirit saved Foreman: the technical Ali outplayed his competitor in all respects, sending him to sniff the canvas in the eighth round. Another defeat on March 17, 1977 from compatriot Jimmy Young became decisive for Foreman’s future fate. He left professional boxing, taking, as it later turned out, a ten-year break, which he filled with prayers, worship and building a church in Houston, where he was a “gangster” in his youth.
Return
And it had to happen, but at the beginning of 1987, 39-year-old George Foreman returned to professional boxing, plunging both fans and rivals into a state of shock. He was possessed by only one thought: to become a world champion again. Getting into the ring turned out to be difficult, and only after a lawsuit was the problem resolved. A new comeback gave birth to a new Foreman, who fought 24 fights in a row, ending in a knockout! Here comes the final, where Big George faced Evander Holyfield on April 19, 1991. The confrontation lasted all twelve rounds and was so stubborn that it was almost impossible to determine the winner. The judge saved everyone, preferring Holyfield. And yet, Foreman ended his career (81-76-5) on a positive note, knocking out American Michael Moorer on November 5, 1994 in the WBA champion fight. In subsequent years, the champion repeatedly entered the ring, successfully defending his championship titles, but the pastor’s mission turned out to be more important.
“It’s clear that you can’t keep track of everyone, and I had freedom. I started hanging around on the street with just about anyone, stealing, and even robbing on the corner. My whole goal in life was to keep an eye out so that the police wouldn’t catch me. I left school. More precisely, I was kicked out because I stopped going to classes. At the age of 16, I was essentially simple. street punks", Forman recalled. At the same time, the American said that he very often fought on the streets: “I’m amazed that I survived.”
Foreman's transformation from a street hooligan to a law-abiding citizen occurred at the age of 16. While running away from the police after the robbery, as the boxer himself said, he remembered his sister’s words that none of their family had ever been or would become anyone, and “Big George” decided to dramatically change his life. It was then that the US government established a program to combat poverty - “Work Corps”, where Forman entered. At the same time, Foreman, a fan of swinging his fists, naturally took a liking to boxing a long time ago, and in the “Workers’ Corps” there was an opportunity to take it up professionally. At the same time, Foreman himself often made a reservation: “To say that a turbulent childhood made me a boxer is not entirely true.”
At the age of 18, Foreman achieved his first success, becoming the winner of the amateur Golden Glove championship. And the next year he received a ticket to the 1968 Olympic Games, winning the national championship. These Games in Mexico City brought the young boxer world fame - in the final, Foreman knocked out boxer from the USSR Jonas Cepulis.
Already in 1969, Foreman made his debut on professional ring, and within six months scored 13 victories, gaining a reputation as a boxer with a very hard punch. “Amateur experience is good, but if you don’t have it, then there is no point in looking back, because professional boxing is radically different,” said the American.
Four years later, the first title fight took place. Foreman's opponent was the hitherto undefeated Joe Frazier, who was considered the favorite of the fight. The fight lasted just over four minutes. Foreman knocked down Frazier three times in the first round, then the same number in the second, and on the seventh time the judge awarded victory by technical knockout to Foreman, who became the newly-minted WBA and WBC champion.
Defeat from Ali, then the life of a righteous man
During the year, Foreman entered the ring twice more, knocking out his opponents in the first (Jose Roman) and second (Ken Norton) rounds. And already in October 1974, one of the best fights in the entire history of boxing took place. His fight with Muhammad Ali was called "Rumble in the Jungle". At the beginning of the fight, the initiative was entirely on Foreman’s side, but by the middle of the fight, “Big George” was exhausted. And in the 8th round, Ali went on a counterattack, knocking out Foreman, who suffered his first failure and, accordingly, lost his titles. By the way, it was after the fight with Foreman that Ali acquired the nickname that he awarded himself - The Greatest.
“Ali had never been knocked out in his life. And then I understood why. My strongest blows, from which 99 percent of other boxers would have fallen into the ring, only had an exciting effect on him. He looked at me as if he wanted to say: “I’m going nowhere.” I'm not leaving, George. You will not get rid of me." I have never seen such brave people. Neither in the ring, nor in life. Words cannot describe the courage of this man. I remember in one episode I had an excellent episode. There were several good shots on the body and head, and the final one - on the liver. Well, just a very good series. I was sure that he was mine. He swayed, he leaned towards me... and suddenly said: “Is that all, George?” I will never forget these words. What kind of devil is this, I think? That was really all - everything I could give him, I gave him in this series. According to all boxing canons, this was a victory. According to everyone, except Ali’s canons,” Foreman shared his memories of the fight.
In January 1976, Foreman entered the ring against Ron Lyle; this fight was a real showdown: both boxers were knocked down more than once, but “Big George” still won in the fifth round. In June of the same year, Foreman's second fight with Frazier took place. The result was the same, but now Fraser’s presence in the ring lasted not until the second, but until the fifth round. In March 1977, Foreman, after an unexpected defeat on points from Jimmy Young, decided to leave boxing and abruptly changed his activity - he became a preacher.
“I felt Christ awaken in me,” the athlete explained. “I got into the shower and came out born again. I glorified the name of God. Hallelujah, hallelujah!” Foreman built a church in Houston, created a youth center and traveled around the country to collect donations. According to the stories of those around him, Forman changed a lot while mowing lawns and thinking about God.
In January 1987, when Foreman was a year shy of his fortieth birthday, the American shyly announced his return to the ring and his desire to become a world champion again. Naturally, people are still interested in the reasons for this decision. However, Foreman’s answer is quite honest and logical: “Money. I’ve run out of it. People ask me this question all the time. Apparently, they are waiting for a pretentious answer. I don’t have such an answer, everything is banal: I’m impoverished. I, of course, would prefer to be, say, a golfer, because returning to golf at forty is much easier. But I’m a boxer, I don’t know how to do anything else.”
New championship belt at 45 years old
For some time, boxing associations did not give Foreman permission to enter the ring. The problem was resolved only after a legal complaint filed by Foreman's manager Bob Arum. As a result, after training for a year and losing a fair amount of weight, the athlete returned to professional boxing. He won 24 fights in a row, all by knockout, and in April 1991 he met the undisputed world champion Evander Holyfield, for whom this was his first title defense. The fight turned out to be equal, but the judges gave the victory by unanimous decision to the current belt holder. After the fight, Foreman told reporters that he had fulfilled half of his dream, showing people that even at 40 years old you can achieve your goals. Although he lost, many praised his resilience and dedication.
Foreman then scored two victories, and in June 1993 he met Tommy Morrison for the vacant WBO title. “Big George” was noticeably inferior to his opponent in speed, and the judges naturally gave the victory to Morrison. However, in November 1994, fate gave Foreman another championship fight. The opponent was WBA and IBF title holder Michael Moorer. The lighter and more agile Moorer won in all respects due to his speed, however, in the middle of the 10th round, Foreman accurately hit the jaw several times, and Moorer collapsed to the canvas. Foreman won by knockout, despite the fact that Moorer had a confident advantage on points.
George Foreman (born George Foreman; January 10, 1949, Marshall, Texas, USA) is an American professional boxer who competed in the heavy weight category. Olympic champion 1968. World champion of the heavy (version, 1973-1974; version, 1973-1974 and 1994; version, 1994-1995) weight category.
Big George's professional career lasted a total of 28 years - from 1969 to 1997. In total, Foreman spent his career 81 fights, losing in five, and three times - when he was already over forty. He has an 89.4% win rate by knockout, and this figure was even higher in his “first life” in the sport before a ten-year break - 93.33%.
In amateurs George Foreman performed only in the heavyweight category, unlike and. In February 1967 at age 18, George won the amateur Golden Glove championship, and in 1968 he won the national championship, earning the right to participate in the Olympic Games. When Foreman arrived in Mexico City, he had 21 fights, 18 wins and 3 losses. October 27, 1968 In the final of the Olympic boxing tournament, George knocked out Soviet boxer Jonas Cepulis in the second round. A year after this victory, Foreman signed professional contract . The career development of Klitschko Jr. is very similar to Foreman. Like George, Vladimir made his professional debut as an Olympic champion at the age of 20, in the early years he fought too many “bag” fights, and as a fighter he truly matured after his 30th birthday. Like the young Foreman, Klitschko is a “fallible” boxer.
A very remarkable fact: Foreman began his professional career in the year of absence of his main “enemy in life,” who at that moment remained invincible and was perceived by his contemporaries as the god of the ring. In the 70s George was considered a boxer of enormous size and fantastic strength. His coach, Dick Sandler, said: “I raised a real monster. Not a single person on earth can handle him.” However, young Foreman looked like such a monster against the background of the average heavyweight of those times, which was then Gregorio Peralto (183 cm, up to 90 kg). The young Foreman had almost the dimensions that Davaril Williamson has today, who compared to modern heavyweights resembles the fugitive from Buchenwald. This paradoxical impression is enhanced by the fact that Foreman, unlike Williamson, had an athletic body type, so on his very wide bones even a small amount of “meat” looked very intimidating. Excellence in muscle mass over opponents, which often reached 10 kilograms or more, from the first fights in the professional ring left a strong imprint on Foreman’s style. He had a good jab, thanks to which he would be able to perform successfully until he was 48 years old, but due to his youth he often forgot about it. The description of the young Foreman’s fighting style can be reduced to the following words: “Pushed him to the ropes and scored with uppercuts.” At the same time, George cared little about defense. He almost always moved headlong towards his opponent, like a tank, almost continuously throwing blows, regardless of retaliatory attacks. Foreman struggled through the middle rounds, which is why he didn't have many round knockout wins and suffered losses when he was exhausted.
Foreman was a limited boxer, but had some outstanding athletic abilities that allowed him to defeat certain fighters, mostly those who were as big as him, preferably in size. Almost all of his rivals were inferior to him in endurance, despite the fact that Foreman, neither young nor old, had outstanding endurance. George can be called both a lucky man and a skillful strategist of his career. He had great luck with such rivals as Norton and. Firstly, both of them did not take the blow well, and secondly, both of them managed to inflict his first defeats. Without these outstanding boxers of the 70s, Foreman would not have been able to express himself in any way and, most likely, would have ended his career as a “bag fighter” like Shannon Briggs.
January 22, 1973 Foreman, at the age of 24, became the undisputed champion, knocking out an unbeaten man in the second round, knocking him down six times. George carried out his second absolute defense against Ken Norton, whom he dealt with in just over one round, knocking him over to the ring floor three times. It would seem that Ali had the same chances, because in fights with Norton he won only on points and lost to both. Sports commentators claimed that Ali's "famous circling" and his speed and agility were now far inferior to what Cassius Clay had once possessed. However, the experts did not take into account two obvious things: Foreman, if he was allowed to wave his fists as much as he could, would “die” after the fifth round and lose the ability to win by knockout. , although he repeatedly wiped the canvas as a light heavyweight, having matured and weighed up to 96 kg, he became unfallable (not counting the flash knockdown from Wepner). The Foreman-Ali fight took place in unusual conditions: early in the morning in an open stadium in one of the African capitals. Both fighters looked lethargic and sick. forced the inert George to work a lot on himself like a bag, and in the 8th round, after waiting for the right moment to attack, he knocked him out.
There is an opinion that after this defeat Foreman has changed dramatically and became different, that is, worse. By “worse” we mean that Foreman became more indecisive and abandoned long series of accented blows. This is not true. There are simply two young Foremans: one looked brilliant against static or small heavyweights, the other looked ridiculous against the rest, especially those with a combination of training, technique and size. As soon as the opponent began a longitudinal or transverse movement, clinching, the fight immediately changed the pattern and dragged on. A striking example of this is Foreman's second fight with, which lasted three times longer due to the greater caution and mobility of the Fuming One. However, Joe scored five extra pounds and ran out of steam before George. Losing concentration in a fight with Foreman is usually tantamount to getting knocked out. If we discard the “lightly salted” boxers, then in the 70s Foreman was knocked down by almost all opponents who could provide at least some competition to modern heavyweights. After a knockout loss to , Foreman was knocked down twice by veteran Ron Lyle and another time by his peer Jimmy Young, who was as hitless as Chris Byrd.
The defeat by Jimmy Young was fatal in the career of the young Foreman, since it was one of the stages of selection for the right to meet with world champion Muhammad Ali. If he wins, given Ali's refusal to give up one of his belts, Foreman could get Ken Norton, a passer-by, and become the champion for the second time. However, while Foreman was experiencing his failure, things changed dramatically. Ali’s “clone” came to the fore, and besides, he was even younger than George. , as soon as he appeared in the big ring, he began to challenge Foreman. Like one of the Roman senators who ends each of his speeches with the words: “Carthage must be destroyed,” Formana ended each of his speeches.
George had a rare quality: he was afraid of defeat, therefore, on the one hand, he always prepared for fights, starting from selecting an opponent (where possible) and ending with training, and on the other, in case of defeat, he took long breaks. It was the fear (or reluctance) to lose that pushed him to endure, to stand the fight to the end, and the knockout from Ali helped him strengthen in this. George was a narcissistic man with excellent qualities, which manifested itself both in his future activities as a priest and in his promotion. Foreman stood idle for longer, the more unexpected the defeat was for him. Afterwards there was the smallest downtime, because before the match the expectations of his defeat by a quick knockout were heard everywhere. Other champions have similar long downtimes, but they are caused by a combination of the bitterness of defeat, injuries and family problems, as well as problems with the law, and have happened to them a couple of times. Foreman almost always took a long pause. This allowed him to still approach new battles and thereby avoid another failure.
This time the pause lasted for ten years. Foreman patiently waited for his departure, having suffered two defeats in a row and announced the end of his career. March 9, 1987 After a ten-year absence, George Foreman returned to big boxing, making his main goal a fight with Mike Tyson, whose reign then seemed eternal. Foreman has changed a lot in appearance. He not only gained 15 kg in weight, but also increased his linear size by a couple of centimeters. A year later, having spent seven warm-up fights mainly with former rivals of Iron Mike, Foreman met with the first “boxer similar to Tyson,” that is, Dwight Qawi. Foreman scored the most perfect shape throughout the second part of his career, however, he was saved from embarrassment only by Kavi’s reluctance to continue the fight in the seventh round. Small and almost as old as himself, Kavi failed George throughout the entire fight, who looked scary and sometimes funny. A year later, another scalp of a “boxer similar to Tyson” was added to George’s locker, that is, Bert Cooper. In the next fight, Foreman defeats another such fighter, thereby preparing himself as much as possible for face-to-face meeting with Tyson.
A fight with the absolute champion was ripe by the time Foreman approached the top ten. To speed up the process, 41-year-old George decided on a serious fight for the first time since his second coming - he threw down the gauntlet to Gerry Cooney. A sensational victory over Cooney paved the way for Foreman to take on Tyson, but he lost his crown a month later. The fight with Tyson was scheduled for June 16, 1990, but on that day they fought in the same ring against different opponents V. Closer to the summer, the obstacles to the Douglas-Holyfield fight were resolved, and Foreman was made an offer to meet with this pair, while Holyfield's name was openly mentioned. Even before the Douglas-Holyfield fight, an agreement was signed for the Foreman fight. In case of defeat by anyone, including Tyson, Foreman lost this right, and with it the expected fee of 10 million. Foreman would call Tyson before his career, and another time they could meet. In 1995, Foreman the champion offered Tyson cosmic money. But perhaps Mike himself did not want this meeting. According to one journalist, during lunch back in 1990, Tyson said irritably: “I will not fight this animal.”
The defeat from the absolute champion opened up a new stage in Foreman’s career. From that time on, Big George met, as a rule, only with elite heavyweights, and the age difference was constantly growing not in his favor. After losing the match for the vacant title
