The death of George Foreman, who in my view is one of the top five heavyweights ever, leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of all of those connected with the sporting world.
His career was one of two halves in the most extreme sense. The first incarnation was probably the most brutal and destructive force the heavyweight division has ever seen. Foreman was a bully, and destroyed some of the most lauded names in the greatest era of heavyweight boxing.
Most notably, these included his bout against Joe Frazier for the World Title Fight in 1973 in Jamaica. Frazier had legendary durability, but the barrage Foreman dispatched onto him was otherworldly. Even boxing fans cannot help but wince at some of the punches which knocked Frazier down again and again.
His title reign ended at the hands of an aging Muhammad Ali in possibly the most famous fight of the 20th century: The Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire in 1974. Ali weathered the storm and waited for Foreman to tire before striking, and after this, Foreman gradually retreated into obscurity.
When he came out of retirement in 1987 at the age of 38, few saw it as any more than a gimmick in search of a quick buck. Any doubts were quickly put to bed, however, and Foreman coupled power with cunning to eventually become champion again in 1994. This is one of sport’s greatest comebacks, and it was completed whilst wearing the same trunks he had worn when he lost against Ali 20 years earlier.
Foreman was a gentleman away from the ring, and leaves behind a legacy of transformation. From a feared and intimidating bruiser to a kindly elder statesman, boxing could not have asked for a finer champion.
Image credits: “George Foreman” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.