At the height of his tenure, ‘Big’ George Foreman was one of the most formidable heavyweight’s on the planet.
Foreman’s glittering professional career spanned 30-years, beginning in the 60’s and ending in the late 90’s when the 75-year-old was a couple of years away from his 50th birthday.
‘Big’ George defeated a number of legendary heavyweights throughout his career, with his most impressive victories coming against the likes of Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and Michael Moorer. His 1994 victory over Moorer saw him become the oldest world heavyweight champion in history, a record that still stands to this day.
Despite Foreman’s unquestionable dominance, the 75-year-old from Texas once revealed there was one fighter that he would not have been able to defeat at any point of his career.
‘Big’ George spoke fondly of the late-great Muhammad Ali, who beat him in their historic showdown back in 1974, claiming that one bout with ‘The Greatest’ was more than enough for him.
“Once in the ring with the great Ali was enough for me. If I’d changed my approach back then he’d [have] another plan. Nothing beats some fighters but time.”
After beating Foreman and capturing the world heavyweight championship in the iconic ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ battle, Ali went on one of the most impressive title reigns in the sport’s history, beating the likes of Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and Ron Lyle along the way before he was dethroned by Leon Spinks in February 1978.
‘The Greatest’ was successful in his rematch again Spinks seven months later, but ended up suffering defeats to Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick in the final two outings of his incredible career, which came to an end after Ali’s health began to deteriorate rapidly.
