RIP George Foreman

[Optimus Prime]

RIP to Big George! If y'all haven't seen When We Were Kings (the documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle), it's on Netflix at the moment. If you would've told someone at the time that mean old George Foreman would one day be everybody's lovable grandfather, I'm sure they wouldn't have believed you. The documentary spends a lot of time w/ Ali's camp/tells the story from Ali's perspective, but is sympathetic towards Foreman. If you like documentaries/boxing/Ali/Foreman or any combination, maybe give it a watch.

One of my favorite docs

Just rewatched it recently

 

[faceman]

RIP to Big George! If y'all haven't seen When We Were Kings (the documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle), it's on Netflix at the moment. If you would've told someone at the time that mean old George Foreman would one day be everybody's lovable grandfather, I'm sure they wouldn't have believed you. The documentary spends a lot of time w/ Ali's camp/tells the story from Ali's perspective, but is sympathetic towards Foreman. If you like documentaries/boxing/Ali/Foreman or any combination, maybe give it a watch.

yes. If you believe in biblical history he was the modern version of Saul becoming Paul.

 

[Paul]

His heart was as big as his fist.

RIP, good sir.

 

[Geldo]

No other fighter could have taken ten years off….not even working out in a gym….and then staged a comeback that would see him win the greatest prize in sports in his mid 40s. A true legend who deserves consideration as the greatest of all time.

Yeah Ali beat him but Ali was beaten by Frazier and Norton and George smashed them both in 2 rds each.

 

[Madmarsha]

No other fighter could have taken ten years off….not even working out in a gym….and then staged a comeback that would see him win the greatest prize in sports in his mid 40s. A true legend who deserves consideration as the greatest of all time.

Yeah Ali beat him but Ali was beaten by Frazier and Norton and George smashed them both in 2 rds each.

Seeing George Foreman in his early 50s didn't make me as sad as seeing Ali in his early 50s. The 1996 Olympics are memorable for a lot of wrong reasons.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Yeah Ali beat him but Ali was beaten by Frazier and Norton and George smashed them both in 2 rds each.

And that’s exactly why everyone thought foreman would destroy Ali

 

[Geldo]

And that’s exactly why everyone thought foreman would destroy Ali

Yeah styles make fights! Joe was able to crowd Ali and nullify the effectiveness of his jab and right cross combos. It meant Ali had to change strategy and fire short hooks from the hips where his superior speed allowed him to land shots but where Frazier’s power did more damage.

Joe had to the same against big George because he was shorter and had far less reach but that just meant he walked onto Foreman’s bombs which no man could withstand.

George could always crush Philly shell style fighters but his slow footwork and less than stellar hand speed meant he in turn could be picked off by Jab and move boxer punchers as long as they could withstand his shots.

 

[BigSlick]

yes. If you believe in biblical history he was the modern version of Saul becoming Paul.

George Foreman had a radical sort of conversion experience himself; he claims to have died in the dressing room after a prizefight and to have had an encounter with God. You can find his testimonies on YouTube.

In addition St. Paul, I also think of St. Moses the Black, a powerful, physically imposing figure who violently lead a band of brigands. After his conversion he became renowned for his physical austerities and self-effacing modesty. ([SIDEBAR]: I have a hang-up/pet peeve about people using tools for the wrong purpose: hammering with pliers or wrenches, or using the wrong size screwdriver and chewing up both the tool and the fastener. One morning, my thoughts kept wandering from my reading (of Scripture), and going back to some ratchet or pliers or something I was obsessing over at the time. I sort of asked God for some assistance, and I feel like I understood a little bit about a) how we are made in the image and likeness of God, and b) why it bothered me when people used tools incorrectly. If I felt such turmoil over somebody using hand tools badly, then how much more sorrow must God feel, to see people use their cunning, or strength, or charisma not to help people, or protect people, or to try to spread the Gospel, but instead to dominate, or injure, or deceive, etc.)

Yeah styles make fights! Joe was able to crowd Ali and nullify the effectiveness of his jab and right cross combos. It meant Ali had to change strategy and fire short hooks from the hips where his superior speed allowed him to land shots but where Frazier’s power did more damage.

Joe had to the same against big George because he was shorter and had far less reach but that just meant he walked onto Foreman’s bombs which no man could withstand.

George could always crush Philly shell style fighters but his slow footwork and less than stellar hand speed meant he in turn could be picked off by Jab and move boxer punchers as long as they could withstand his shots.

Styles make fights indeed! Ken Norton seemed like he could beat Ali a hundred times, forget the scorecards.

 

[St.Dan]

RIP indeed. Lost a wonderful human being who matured over time as a person and contributed so much more than just great fights.

One obscure fight lost to history that doesn't get mentioned as much as his earlier bouts is the one against Ron Lyle in 1976. Both men had lost recently to Ali and were trying to sustain their careers. It's one haymaker after another in this one.....Both men hit the deck at least once, if memory serves. Play it on regular YT and enjoy the call of How-uhd Cosell....