40 years ago today: Jimmy Young-George Foreman – “He beat the devil out of me!”

03/18/201703/17/2017 James Slater

Upon entering the ring in the Coliseo Roberto Clemente stadium in Puerto Rico 40 years ago today, former heavyweight king George Foreman had Muhammad Ali on his mind; in particular a rematch with the man who had shocked, stunned and beaten him three years earlier.

But at the conclusion of his frustrating fight with Jimmy Young, Foreman would soon have nothing but God and a new life on his mind. It was “Big George’s” fight with Young – won by Young via 12 round unanimous decision – that forever changed the Texan giant’s life; or rather it was the fight’s aftermath that did the changing.

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What If: George Foreman never made his “impossible” comeback

12/22/2016 James Slater

Thirty years ago, to the attention of practically no-one, former heavyweight king George Foreman began training for a comeback that was mostly, if not exclusively inspired by a need for money. “Big George,” aged 37 and having been largely forgotten by the sports world, had not boxed, or even clenched his fist in anger (as he would say himself later) for a decade.

It was a dangerous decision to attempt a ring return, and if George had listened to the “experts,” he would not have donned the gloves again and tried, quite ludicrously the critics would say, to lure reigning heavyweight champ Mike Tyson into defending against him. We all saw this past Saturday how perilous it can be for a once great fighter to try and do it again when at an advanced age. And even if Foreman was far, far younger in his first comeback fight than Bernard Hopkins was in his (hopefully) final one, the age of 37 was seen as too advanced to be returning to action after ten years out – certainly in 1987 it was.

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“Big” George Foreman rates the greatest heavyweights; doesn’t place himself very high!

10/25/2016 James Slater

There is no doubt two-time heavyweight king George Foreman has a lofty place amongst the greatest heavyweights, indeed all fighters, regardless of weight class, in boxing history. Yet today, the ever-modest 67 year-old says he does not feel he deserves to go in his OWN list of the greatest big men in history.

Speaking with Yahoo! Sports ahead of a meet-and-greet evening in London this Saturday, “Big” George was asked to break down his choices for the best heavyweights in history.

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Don King has great plans: to bring us “Rumble in The Jungle II” in honour of Muhammad Ali

08/10/2016 James Slater

It was a truly landmark event not only in boxing, but in the careers of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, in black music and in the career of the man behind it all, Don King. It was “The Rumble in The Jungle” of 1974 and, in honour of The Greatest, who as we all know passed away in June of this year, promoter extraordinaire King is planning a sequel, a “Rumble in The Jungle II” as it were.

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George Foreman on what would have happened had he fought Mike Tyson

08/05/2016 James Slater

“What f*****g excitement!” a well known boxing promoter speaking in 1990 on the possibility of a Mike Tyson-George Foreman super-fight

It remains one of the most talked about “dream fights,” or super-fights that never took place. It is the biggest of all heavyweight collisions: George Foreman Vs. Mike Tyson. The fight came close to happening in the early 1990s, but, as living legend Foreman recently explained when speaking on the CBS Sports radio show Brown and Scoop, for some reason the fight didn’t happen: “I couldn’t get him, I just don’t know why,” Foreman said. “I tried.”

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Antonio Tarver: “I get up in the morning wanting to surpass the great George Foreman”

07/06/201607/05/2016 James Slater

Antonio Tarver, who recently called out British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte, wants a lot of things: a fight with Whyte, which he feels will lead to a shot at IBF heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, which he feels would lead to a win that would see him surpass the legendary George Foreman as the oldest-ever heavyweight champ. It might be a long road, but Tarver feels the Whyte fight will see him achieve his latest dream.

Whyte, who boxes in Leeds on July 30, responded to Tarver’s calling him out on Twitter, and Tarver responded to Whyte’s claims that he would “smash him to pieces.” Tarver made it clear, when speaking with Sky Sports, how he wants Joshua and a shot at history, and that a win over Whyte would get him there.

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The greatest living former heavyweight kings

07/05/201607/05/2016 James Slater

With the recent sad passing of the great Joe Frazier, and the even more recent – in fact still numbing – passing of The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, the world was robbed of two of the finest heavyweight world champions in history. Indeed, Ali and Frazier, who of course gave us THE most fierce and most celebrated rivalry in all of sports, were the king of kings. Ali and Frazier may no longer be with us on this physical plane, but they will live forever.

This distinction, or honour, is one only truly special fighters receive – Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis included. But who are the finest, the greatest, the most special former world heavyweight kings who are still with us? In short, who are the greatest living former heavyweight rulers?

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Ali to Foreman: Please come back and beat Ken Norton for me

06/17/201606/16/2016 James Slater

Big George Foreman, with the passing of the great (or greatest) Muhammad Ali, has become the oldest living former world heavyweight champion, and the 67-year-old legend sure has a number of tales to tell. Foreman has literally seen it all, done it all, and lived to tell the story of it all. George has had some quite amazing life, no doubt. But despite all he has witnessed, the incomparable Ali still leaves George somewhat mystified and in awe.

These past two weeks have seen Foreman share with us all his memories of Ali, and George has paid great tributes to the former three-time king. One of the more interesting things Foreman had to say about his one-time archenemy came on the latest episode of Jim Lampley’s The Fight Game. Foreman spoke of an unexpected phone-call from Ali, “in the late ’70’s.”

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The Lost Fights of Mike Tyson Part 1: George Foreman

06/03/2016 Joey Mills

When discussing “Iron” Mike Tyson, and his Icarus-like ascent and descent from the summit of heavyweight boxing in the 80s and 90s, the debate always turns to the dream fights. How would the version of Tyson who crushed Trevor Berbick have dealt with the Muhammad Ali who carved up Cleveland Williams? How would the Catskills man have stacked up against “The Brown Bomber” Joe Louis? Could he have matched leather with Marciano, Frazier or Dempsey? While we will never have definitive answers to these questions, there are three intriguing fights that were at the negotiation stage during Tyson’s terrifying and controversial rule over the sport of kings. These three bouts, had they come off, could have irrevocably changed the history of the sport’s banner division for years to come. Here we take a look at the first of these match-ups: Mike Tyson vs George Foreman.

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George Foreman Says No To Pro Boxing In The Olympics

05/24/2016 WBC

“This is my opinion of bringing Professional boxing to the Olympics.

Myself having been a past member of the USA Team, I dislike the idea and see nothing good coming of it. It will only put the dream of the `Ordinary boy and girl,` farther out of reach. As we can see with Pro basketball there is no Rags to Riches anymore, just the pick of the litter. The Amateur boxer is the life line of the Olympics.

Thank you. George Foreman

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