As the many tributes continue to pour in for the great George Foreman, who as we all know, passed away on Friday at age 76, one man who both fought him and called him a friend was kind enough to share with this website his memories of “Big George.”
Bobby Hitz fought Foreman in September of 1988. Interestingly, Hitz was initially going to be Foreman’s first comeback foe, but instead the two met in what was the 12th fight in for Foreman in his unlikely comeback. Later, having tasted the full power of Foreman, Bobby became a boxing promoter, and to this day he is putting on good shows.
Hitz fought Foreman in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and after the one-round loss, he would get, as he calls it today “a Harvard education in boxing.”
Q: It’s great to be able to speak with you, Bobby, albeit under sad circumstances with the passing of George Foreman. You of course fought him….
Bobby Hitz: “Yes, I fought him September 10th, 1988. I took the fight on four days’ notice, I was supposed to fight him three other times; I was actually supposed to be the very first fight of his comeback. That fight was supposed to be in the south of France. But the fight got moved to the States and by the time that transpired six months had gone by and I was in really good shape, so they pushed me out and put Steve Zouski in. That happened to me three other times. So, on the fourth time, it was very short notice and I just went and did it. You know, I was in one bad situation but a lot of good things happened, so I can’t look back and say, well I had the opportunity to say no, I didn’t want to do it. I literally walked off the street and tried to fight him (laughs).”
Q: You look to be in good shape in the fight, it’s up on YouTube.
B.H: “Well, there’s looking in shape and being in fighting shape. The difference between myself and guys like Gerry Cooney and Michael Moorer is, they had time to prepare. And they both didn’t get up, at least I got up in the fight when I fought George (laughs). They definitely stopped the fight prematurely, but I gotta tell you, the experience, the trajectory that it helped in my life, off of that one situation….. I ended up staying in Detroit where the fight was, Jackie Kallen signed me, James Toney comes in our stable, I got to work with Emanuel Steward, Tommy Hearns, so I got to have a Harvard education in boxing.
“And everybody’s life went in a great direction off of that one thing. So if I’d never taken that fight I never would have met Jackie, none of that would have happened. It all happened for a reason and I think that’s the blessing of George Foreman, that he put on us. I became a promoter and never looked back. We went for dinner after the fight, myself and George, Archie Moore; Archie told me I have nothing to be ashamed about because George is one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history. It was just the greatest experience of my life and I’ve been blessed to have been around him, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton – the greats of the heavyweights from when I grew up. But George was just a sweet guy, I would see him periodically, when I would have a couple of guys fight for world titles, he was calling for HBO. It was always so pleasant to see him. He epitomised was a champion should be. In his second career, he really did wonders and he gave a lot of hope to a lot of people. When I got word of his passing, it hit me hard. I was like, wow, I shared a ring with this guy, and that helped my life so much. He meant a lot to a lot of people.”
Q: George’s passing was so sudden.
B.H: “Yeah, I saw some footage of him hitting the heavy bag about a month ago. I thought, maybe I’ll get my shot again (laughs). But I must say, I had a fighter fighting and George was calling the fight and he was sat there and he saw me, and he called me over, he was with his boys. He was just a good soul, you had a good feeling when you were around him. He was someone these young kids should look up to, he was a man of class, he was a man of respect, he stood for something, he had morals. The champions of yesteryear no longer exist: Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, George Foreman, who carried the championship and meant something, and people gravitated to that, they’re all gone. Everybody loved George, no matter where he went. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing, the texts haven’t stopped coming in [since George’s death]. It’s like he and I will forever be attached together, and I couldn’t have picked a better guy to be attached to.”
Q: You worked with some greats as a promoter?
B.H: “When Jackie signed James Toney, I was involved in that and in his career, and when he knocked out Michael Nunn, as a 20-1 underdog, that was one of the greatest nights of my life, being involved in that. He was just a throwback champion and that all spawned off of the George Foreman fight. None of that would ever have happened, but the stars and the moon and everything all lined up; her learning how to become a manager, and I got to be really close with Emanuel Steward. Like I say, it was my Harvard education in boxing. And George gave me lots of sage advice, like he would say, you have to plan your work and work your plan. And when I first met Joe Frazier….those guys were just different, they were cut from a different cloth. When they walked in a room, Ali, Foreman, Frazier, the aura that had was just so compelling. Champions are born they’re not created.”
Q: For my final question, which George Foreman fight sticks most prominently in your mind?
B.H: “Oh, there’s so many. I would say the Ron Lyle fight. That was spectacular. The Michael Moorer fight, he had so many great fights. Even when he lost, George was very humble about it and he never quit. The Gerry Cooney fight, and I just had Gerry at my restaurant about a month ago, and I joked with him. I said, Gerry, we both fought George, but you know what the difference is? I got up, you didn’t (laughs). He said to me, don’t be funny! But what a powerful, powerful guy George was.
“Gerry, he’s one of the nicest guys ever, a guy who should have been champion but never was. George even said that Gerry hit super, super-hard. The passing of George is the passing of an era. To me, that hit home. Larry Holmes is also a favourite fighter of mine, and Larry’s now a guy who takes the mantle as the oldest living former heavyweight champion. So when you see a part of your era go by the wayside it’s very telling and you have reflecting to do, you’re like, wow, those great fighters don’t exist any more. But their memories and the fights they had will carry on in the annals of boxing. My God, the Lyle fight, I challenge anyone to show me a more action-packed fight. It’s just unbelievable.”
A fine tribute indeed from Bobby Hitz.
