George Foreman and the Men Who Made Him Great

It’s a good time to take a breather from politics, national and global affairs, and socioeconomic issues (which have left me punchy, I swear) and take a reverent look at the passing of the last of what I consider boxing's Holy Trinity.

On March 21, we lost “Big George” Foreman, the 1.9 meter (6’3”) heavyweight with an almost two meter (78 inch) reach and an immeasurable heart. Over a four-decade professional career (which came after winning Olympic gold), he boasted a record of 76-5, including 68 KOs. The only five men ever to defeat him were Muhammad Ali, Jimmy Young, Evander Holyfield, Tommy Morrison, and Shannon Briggs. Most people who engage in competitive fighting are done by 35, Foreman’s last three losses came only after he was 40.

What was most important is that ten years after losing to Young, leaving the ring, and becoming a preacher, he decided to step back in and fight his way back to the top. Nobody gave him a chance and everybody thought it was foolish, but he proved not only that age is just a state of mind, but that with it comes experience.

The 1991 bout with Holyfield was one for the ages and in my opinion, Foreman beat the hell out of him, but judges had Foreman behind on points, so he wasn’t victorious. Still, most boxing aficionados score the seventh round as one of the best in boxing history.

Nothing Holyfield threw would knock Foreman down. He was made of iron that night. It was some truly beautiful pugilism and a lesson for all who practice combat sports of any kind: stay with your opponent, measure the space between you, return each strike with equal or greater force, and never, never take your eyes off him. It’s a life lesson that our greatest fighters teach us.

We all know that the best weapon in his arsenal was his left jab; just as with Ali, his right uppercut; and Frazier his left hook. I call these fighters the Holy Trinity because they represent the best in boxing strategy, in competitive spirit, and passion for your craft.

Rope-a-dope, a Philosophy

Watching Ali fight was like watching Chavalier conducting a symphony, Banneker laying out a city, or Jackson reinventing stardom. He used far more than the “rope-a-dope” style of movement, making himself nearly impossible to strike. But he also made clear that he was a Muslim, objected to being drafted into the U.S. military to serve in Vietnam, and was willing to go to prison standing up for what he believed in. Today, we have to ask how many people are willing to live the courage of their convictions the way he did. Many times before his 2016 death he said, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

Then in 1970, he begins training for a stint that saw him not only win back, but successfully defend his heavyweight title 19 times. He called himself the "Greatest of All Time." Of all the athletes we honor in any sport, Ali is the first to actually be brought up in the GOAT conversation, even if he bought himself into it. There is pretty much no argument to this.

The reason for this is his famous fights with Frazier and Foreman. They were more than international spectacle. They were the stuff of legend, and those fights are still brought up in comparison to modern boxing.

You Don’t Want This Smoke

Finally, “Smokin’” Joe Frazier, who emerged as Ali’s career was postponed due to the stand he took. He laid claim to the World Championship when he bested Buster Mathis in 1967, in a match between two undefeated fighters. But his resilience, steel fists, and speed proved much too much for the likes of Manuel Ramos and Oscar Bonavena (both in 1968), and Jerry Quarry (1969).

He went heads up against a reemerged Ali in 1971’s  “Fight of the Century” and it turned out to live up to its name, going the 15-round distance with Fraier handing Ali his first professional defeat. Many didn’t want to see Ali return to the ring because of his refusal to serve, and he had been out for three years in the middle of his prime. The fight turned out to be a ballet of combinations, with Ali effectively employing his right hook until Frazier got wise and understood how to dodge them. The whole fight was a testament to the level of fighting greatness that perhaps only Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Jack Johnson had embraced years prior.

(Probably) Impossible

There are sports journalists who regard this first of three meetings as the single greatest sporting event in history. I’d be reluctant to argue with them and honestly, it would be great to host a roundtable one day to have the discussion.

Foreman would later defeat Frazier in 1973. Ali and Frazier would meet twice more in 1974 and 1975 with Ali winning both times in grueling bouts. Frazier would fight Foreman once more in 1976 before retiring. He attempted a 1981 comeback, but a 10-rounder against Floyd Cummings ended in a draw.

All of this history leads up to Foreman stepping into the ring in 1994 against Michael Moorer at age 45. Nobody thought he’d get to the point where he would fight again for the heavyweight championship. As we discussed earlier, he lost a thriller to Holyfield and many said that he had nothing else to prove. But he had something else to prove.

After 10 rounds, Foreman dropped Moorer with a straight shot from his right, laying him on his back, dazed. This feat was impossible…until it wasn’t. He won three of his next four fights, losing his final bout in 1997, at age 48, to Briggs.

Therapy and Catharsis

So why am I in my feelings about these three fighters when there are so many other things to talk about these days? Well, it’s not just a diversion. I’ve studied martial arts myself for years and it has always been a way to give myself the confidence to continue despite whatever I was struggling with. We all need that sometimes.

Some people go to therapy, but the discipline serves that exact purpose for me. The ring is a place where nobody feels sorry for you and in fact, as one of my instructors tells me, your opponent wants the same thing you do – to win. It helps me to see life in a very binary way: either you succeed or you don’t. When I see these three heroes fight, that becomes very obvious. But it’s the spirit that brings them into the ring, willing to face another man whose intention is to knock him into next Tuesday, that tells me in the end, I can’t win anything if I’m not willing to fight for it. 

“Big George” Foreman and his biggest competitors, the men who in a way helped him to achieve his greatness, embodied this philosophy for me. I’m too young to have seen them in their prime, and can only listen to the stories from OGs who remember. But I’m grateful to be able to watch their example and have them inspire my own resilience, spirit, and grit.

Rest in Peace, gentlemen.

Madison Gray is a New York City-based writer and editor whose work has appeared in multiple publications globally. Reach out to him at madison@starkravingmadison.com.