George Foreman feared just one man during his illustrious career.
Foreman joined the professional ranks after winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics, and would go on to become a two-time world heavyweight champion.
The second of those world title wins came in 1994, over 20 years after his first triumph, with Foreman holding the record for the oldest world heavyweight champion in history at 46 years and 169 days.
‘Big George’ shared the ring with a number of boxing icons, including Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and he has revealed who he was afraid of when stepping through the ropes.
“It’s strange. I wasn’t afraid of Muhammad even though I lost the title to Muhammad. I remember Joe Frazier, he was the toughest guy I ever seen. My mother watched him fight on television and he hit a guy so hard the guy turned his back.
“I kept thinking I want to be champion of the world but I sure hope Joe Frazier die. When it was time to fight Joe Frazier and I knew if you hit him he liked it, and if you miss him he’d just get upset. I’m thinking what am I gonna do?
“I had this habit of staring guys down, I look them in the eye to psych them out. If they drop their head I knew I had an advantage. But I was hoping Joe Frazier wouldn’t drop his head because my knees were shaking. At that time I wish I hadn’t even started that.”
Foreman sensationally beat Frazier by second round knockout to become world champion in January 1973. It was one of many great wins for ‘Big George’ in his career, but he has named the one fighter he avoided.
