The late, great George Foreman will go down in history as being one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
After capturing an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City, ‘Big George’ would embark on a storied professional career that spanned across thirty years.
Foreman’s crowning moment came in January of 1973 when he defeating Joe Frazier to win the world heavyweight championship for the first time, flooring the heavyweight icon six times before the fight was called to a halt in the 2nd round.
He would later go on to become the oldest world heavyweight champion of all time when he sensationally defeated WBA and IBF champion Michael Moorer, stopping ‘Double M’ during their 1994 showdown to write his name into boxing history.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Foreman reflected on his storied career, paying homage to fighters such as Ron Lyle and a number of other fearsome opponents that he faced during the seventies, before claiming former rival Evander Holyfield had what it took to compete in ‘any era’.
“Ron Lyle. He was the strongest man I ever faced in any fight. The likes of Shannon Briggs, and men like that, didn’t affect me because they were just ordinary fighters. They didn’t make an impression and I just chased them around. The men I faced in the seventies were more fearsome than the ones I faced in the eighties and the nineties, with the exception of Evander Holyfield. Evander could have competed in any era.”
Holyfield locked horns with Foreman back in 1991, defeating the then 42-year-old via unanimous decision to successfully defend his undisputed heavyweight championship.
‘The Real Deal’ was, until recently, the only fighter to win the undisputed championship at cruiserweight and heavyweight, a record that was not matched until last May when Ukrainian icon Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury.
