Boxer Foreman turns 75: the evil man who mutated into a priest and barbecue magnate

Boxer Foreman turns 75
The evil man who mutated into a priest and barbecue magnate

By Martin Armbruster
January 10, 2024, 6:03 a.m

In the 1970s, George Foreman was considered an unbeatable knockout machine – until he met Muhammad Ali. After an “enlightenment” he becomes a priest before celebrating a brilliant comeback and raking in millions as a salesman. Now the boxing icon is celebrating his 75th birthday.

When George Foreman hit a sandbag in front of an astonished crowd of journalists and photographers in 1974, the world feared for Muhammad Ali’s life. With his powerful hooks, the grim-looking American had made a real dent in the huge “heavy bag” in just a few minutes. One wondered what these fists would do to the beautiful face of Ali, for whom grandfathers in Germany at that time woke up their grandchildren at night to keep their fingers crossed for “The Greatest.”

The George Foreman of that time was a fearsome figure. Growing up in Texas, he dropped out of school at 15 and got on the wrong path. Violence was part of his everyday life. When he became a prizefighter, the impression that Foreman enjoyed inflicting pain on his opponents emerged.

Joe Frazier felt this in Jamaica in 1973. The 1.93 meter box knocked down the reigning heavyweight champion six times in two rounds. Against Foreman’s force, “Smokin Joe” seemed like a steam locomotive without coal. Foreman was now the “Baddest Man On The Planet” – the most evil person on the planet. A year later, the world champion pulverized Ali’s conqueror Ken Norton. This show of force only lasted two rounds. After all: Frazier and Norton had the mercy of an early knockout. Most experts were sure that Ali faced a much worse fate at the “Rumble of the Jungle”.

Legendary “Rumble of the Jungle”

As is well known, things turned out differently: On October 30, 1974 in Kinshasa, Foreman sometimes beat Ali, who was hanging on the ropes, as if he were actually a defenseless punching bag. But: This was part of Ali’s clever “rope-a-dope” strategy. The knockout monster should exhaust itself. “I caught him full on and he just whispered in my ear, ‘Is that all you’ve got, George?’ “That’s when I knew: I was in real trouble,” Foreman revealed years later, when he and Ali had long since become friends.

He swung his hooks eight rounds in the humid Congo heat – until his powerful arms became heavy and the air became thin. Then the “biggest” exploded and sent his compatriot onto the boards with a combination of left hook and right straight. Foreman didn’t get to his feet in time. His world title was gone, as was his reputation as an invincible knockout machine.

Houston, we have a pastor

After his humiliation in Africa, Foreman fell into a deep hole of depression and self-doubt. In 1976 he had an epic five-round brawl with Ron Lyle, which he won. A year later, however, he collapsed in the dressing room with heat stroke after an unexpected defeat against Jimmy Young. He was close to death and the collapse was a “divine awakening,” Foreman said. At the age of 27, “Big George” hung up his boxing gloves, studied the Bible and began working as a pastor at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in his native Houston. The dark thug of old became a nice, laughing, well-loved shepherd.

For ten years the pulpit was Foreman’s ring and the word “Holy Scripture” was his weapon. Gradually, however, Foreman ran out of money for himself and his herd. In order to replenish his coffers, the reverend decided to make a comeback as a pugilist. Although he easily knocked out his first opponents, hardly anyone took Foreman for granted. He was too happy to publicly show off his craving for hamburgers; he appeared too unathletic with his 120 kilos on his ribs. It wasn’t until Foreman knocked out former World Cup challenger Gerry Cooeny in 1990 with a hook straight out of the 70s that the oldie was back in business.

Trump organized fight against Holyfield

A fight against Mike Tyson fell through because “Iron Mike” had to go to jail. For this, the then 42-year-old Foreman got into the ring against world champion Evander Holyfield in April 1991 in Atlantic City. The “Battle of the Ages” was organized by a certain Donald J. Trump. The generational duel turned into a real wrestling match. Foreman lost on points, but showed a performance against his opponent, who was 14 years his junior, that the experts had not expected of him.

Time and time again, the boxing grandfather shook Holyfield like a vodka martini. No one had ever hit him as hard as Foreman, Holyfield reported years later: “George hit me once and my feet froze. I went back to my corner and asked if he had knocked out all my teeth. They said: ‘ No, no, you’re okay,’ but I think they just didn’t want me to give up. I just held on the next round.”

Historic knockout victory in Las Vegas

Although he didn’t really impress after the spectacle in Atlantic City, Foreman got another chance at the title three years later. Against Michael Moorer – who had sensationally dethroned Holyfield – hardly anyone gave a damn about the “old man”. HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant described Foreman’s chances as “a gazillion to one.”

Anyone who watches the fight in Las Vegas today is still amazed: for nine rounds, the young southpaw dances around his elderly challenger, covering Foreman with left straights and right uppercuts almost at will. “Big George” endures the beating stoically – until in round ten he hits Moorer in the chin with a powerful right hand that cuts his brain-leg connection. “It happened, it happened!” (“It happened, it happened”), HBO commentator Jim Lampley ecstatically shouted the miracle to the whole world. At 45, Foreman was crowned the oldest heavyweight world champion in history – 20 years after his ignominy against Ali.

Point wins against Axel Schulz and Stefan Raabs Mett

The veteran held up for a few more years, sometimes better, sometimes worse. Foreman only defended the title against Germany’s boxing favorite Axel Schulz in 1995 with an extremely controversial points victory. Two years later he finally climbed out of the ring after the judges this time gave him the crown against a certain Shannon Briggs. Outside the rope area things went (even) better for Foreman anyway. The passionate steak and burger eater entered the grilling business and raked in around $150 million with the sale of his “Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine.”

The entrepreneur was also on everyone’s lips in Germany. To praise the wonders of his product, he stuffed a good lump of Cologne Mett into the folding grill of butcher’s son Stefan Raab. The “TV-Total” viewers cheered as the fat dripped out of the mince. Foreman can and could put the grill millions to good use. The boxing legend has eleven children. His five sons all have the same first name: George. But “Big George” only exists once.

This text appeared in a slightly modified form for the first time on RTL.de on January 10, 2019