George Foreman fought across four decades, producing 68 knockouts in 76 wins.
The thudding puncher from Marshall, Texas was known to put dents in heavy bags and opponents alike, throwing powerful hooks from the hip and slugging it out with the best in the world.
One of his most famous nights under the lights was a defeat at the hands of Muhammad Ali. 1974’s Rumble in the Jungle – which Ali won by eighth round stoppage after tiring Foreman out – is synonymous with the sport of boxing.
Speaking on the fight as part of a Guardian feature for its 50th anniversary, Foreman revealed just how tough the man known as ‘The Greatest’ was.
“Before the fight, I thought I’d knock him out easy. One round, two rounds. I was very confident. And what I remember most about the fight was, I went out and hit Muhammad with the hardest shot to the body I ever delivered to any opponent. Anybody else in the world would have crumbled. Muhammad cringed. I could see it hurt.
And then he looked at me. He had that look in his eyes, like he was saying, ‘I’m not gonna let you hurt me.’ And to be honest, that’s the main thing I remember about the fight. Everything else happened too quick. I got burned out. Muhammad started talking to me. I remember Angelo [Dundee] shouting from the corner, ‘Muhammad, don’t play with that sucker.’ But Muhammad just kept playing. The ‘rope-a-dope’ was what he called it later, and it worked.”
Ali defended the heavyweight titles he won that night on ten occasions before losing to Leon Spinks in ’78. He would win the immediate rematch before back-to-back losses against Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick – two contests many advised him against at his age and in his condition – saw him retire.
