Bobby Crabtree fought heavyweight legend George Foreman in September of 1987, in what was Foreman’s third comeback fight, the former king having shocked everyone by returning to the ring in March of that year, this at age 38. And Crabtree, known as “The Fighting Hillbilly,” gave George a tough time of things, to the point where Foreman stated that Bobby made him want to change his mind about coming back.
Foreman, though, stopped Crabtree in round six, and of course his great comeback continued.
Like all of us, Bobby was saddened and shocked when Foreman passed away on Saturday, and here the warrior from Arkansas who compiled a 56-35-1(51) pro record speaks about “Big George.”
Q: You of course fought George Foreman quite early in his comeback?
Bobby Crabtree: “Yeah, I knew him personally. I found out on the Friday night that he had passed away, it was very sad news. Yeah, he was like my buddy, but when we got in the ring he forgot who I was (laughs).”
Q: George did famously say that you gave him a hard fight and he was thinking about perhaps changing his mind as far as wanting to make a comeback!
B.C: “Yeah, there were a couple of shots that I hurt him with, if you see the film [of the fight]. But it didn’t do no good (laughs). I hit him with some good shots and his face kind of buckled a little bit. But that pissed him off! Unfortunately it wasn’t no TV fight. I didn’t get too much notice ahead of the fight, which was a shame. I was 28 at the time, and he was 38, and I was thinking, ‘oh, he’s old, I’ll whip his butt!’ But really, 38 ain’t that old. He stopped me in round six, I was taking too many punches. He never did put me on the floor. Is that a good thing? It all depends on which way you’re looking at it (laughs).”
Q: Where do you rank Foreman among the all-time heavyweight greats?
B.C: “I’d put him right at the top, because here’s a man who won the world heavyweight title at the age of 45. So many people have got so much respect for him.”
Q: What did you weigh for the Foreman fight, because he was a big guy as you know.
B.C: “I was 201 pounds, which was small for a heavyweight, even back then. I’d probably be a cruiserweight if I was fighting today.”
Q: Of all your fights, which ones to do look back on the most?
B.C: “Oh, I had a lot of fights, I had 92 of ’em. Oh, the knockout over [King] Ipitan was good. Tyson was in prison and he was Don King’s new heavyweight (Crabtree stopped the unbeaten inside a round in December of 1994). That fight was in Mexico. I hit him with an overhand right and his leg broke as he was going down. I said, ‘Thank you, Lord. Thank you, thank you.’ Quite a few of my fights are on YouTube, including that one. One fight I’ll never forget, I had with Michael Dokes. He hit me in the liver in the first round and I thought I was going to die! Oh, man, that was the first time I’d been hit there. And my fights with Kenny Keene (X3), we didn’t box, we just beat the heck out of each other. I had a good career and I went to a lot of places I wouldn’t have been able to go any other time.”
Q: You certainly went in with so many names during your career. You were fearless in as much as you’d fight anybody.
B.C: “Yeah, back in the day. I’ve forgotten how many former heavyweights champions I fought. The number of ex-champions I fought, it was way up there.”
Q: And you’re feeling good these days, physically?
B.C: “Yeah. I’ve had a problem with my neck, it’s a thing that pulls the neck back, to the right. There’s no cure for it but there’s treatment, and I’ve been [to the doctors] six times and they haven’t hit the sweet spot yet, so we’ve got to go back again. I still work out on the heavy bag. They tell me to just keep working, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Q: Thanks so much for your time, although it’s under sad circumstances that we are talking, what with George passing away.
B.C: “Yeah. I’m going to try and find out where the funeral is, and we might drive up to it. I’d like to may my respects, of course.”
