George Foreman ‘did the impossible’ when he returned to the sport after a ten-year hiatus and, at the age of 45, won the world heavyweight title. At the other end of the record books is Mike Tyson, who remains the youngest ever champion in the division.
Following a loss to Muhammad Ali in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle‘ in 1974, Foreman fought six more times before hanging up the gloves. He would become an ordained Christian minister and not lace up for a decade before making an unprecedented return in ’87. After unsuccessful title attempts against Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, ‘Big’ George achieved his goal against Michael Moorer.
Famed trainer turned analyst Teddy Atlas witnessed the greatness up close having trained Moorer for the defence. In an interview with Vlad TV he admitted to being scared of what would happen even despite the successful camp.
“He did the impossible, but it was possible. He won by tenth round knockout. We won every minute of every round, but you know what scared the c**p outta me? I was scared for the whole camp. I trained him him so serious, I have no excuses. And Michael trained as good as he could train, he was ready to keep his title.
[George] wasn’t trying to win a fight, he was trying to win a life back. Do you understand? And when he came in the ring with the same trunks that he wore in Zaire. Oh my god – I would never show it to my fighter – my heart dropped.”
It was Foreman’s tenth round knockout win that night in Las Vegas, the high point of his sensational return to the sport, that Atlas believes made him standout from Mike Tyson.
“He’s facing everything he had to face. He’s ready for redemption. And that’s the one difference with him and Mike Tyson. Yeah I’ll say it. Call me a hater again, come on. That’s the one thing. That’s why he’s greater than Mike Tyson for me – and Tyson’s great – but Foreman’s greater, because he could face that. Tyson could never face those shortcomings and George faced it, he got in that ring, and he exercised the ghost of Zaire.”
Foreman and Tyson came relatively close to crossing paths when the bigger man starting his comeback, but ‘Iron’ Mike loss to Buster Douglas in 1990 put paid to that as ‘Big’ George only had eyes for the titles at that stage of his campaign.
Tyson would later say that Foreman is the one heavyweight he regrets not fighting.
