In the eyes of many, George Foreman is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
‘Big’ George captured Olympic Gold in 1968 before beginning a professional career that saw him win the world heavyweight championship on two separate occasions, losing just a handful of times in an 81-fight campaign.
He broke the record of becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion in the sport’s history in 1994, when he knocked out Michael Moorer in brutal fashion to capture the WBA and IBF titles at 45-years old,
His memorable showdown with Muhammad Ali in 1974, which was dubbed as ‘The Rumble In The Jungle’, is one of the sport’s most iconic events. Foreman fell victim to Ali’s vintage ‘Rope-a-dope’ style as he suffered an eighth round knockout at the hands of ‘The Greatest’.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, ‘Big’ George looked back on an exchange he had with Ali many years ago, where his former opponent warned him about a potential clash with Mike Tyson.
“Mike Tyson could hit man, even Muhammad Ali who had not faced him, when I told him I was coming back he said ‘George, that Mike Tyson can hit.’ That’s punching power there.
He said ‘George, Mike Tyson hits so hard.’ He said it with a little more action with his words than just hard. It was like a warning ‘don’t do that George.’”
Foreman himseff later admitted to MMA READ that he wanted no part of Tyson.
“Mike Tyson was a monster. He was a monster. Those are the kind of guys you see in a nightmare and think ‘wake up, wake up, wake up,’ and you wake up and say, phew, I’m so glad that was in a dream. I didn’t want any part of Mike Tyson, no way.”
Foreman seemed to take Ali’s advice on board, after a potential showdown with ‘Iron’ Mike ended up fizzling out. ‘Big’ George retired from boxing at 48-years-old, shortly after suffering a decision defeat to Shannon Briggs.
