It’s sad to learn about the death, on March 21, of George Foreman, one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions of all time. Before Muhammad Ali beat him in Zaire (DRC) in 1974, I didn’t believe anyone could match him in the heavyweight division. He looked strong, imposing, well-built, confident and ferocious in his prime. Big George, as he was fondly called, was a colossus in the ring. He won most of his fights by knockout—the vast majority didn’t go beyond the fourth round. 

Big George’s deadly punches: Frazier goes down six times in one round

Three bouts stood out for me when I think of Big George. The first was the way he spectacularly disposed of the powerful and seemingly indomitable Joe Frazier in 1973. Frazier had beaten Mohammed Ali via unanimous decision in 15 rounds in 1971 in what was described then as ‘The Fight of the Century’. 

I watched that fight on the big screen at the Roxy Cinema at Walpole Street in Freetown. Everyone in the hall wanted Ali to win. Apart from his stylish boxing style and showmanship, Ali was an icon of the youth—loved for his poetic use of words and standing up to the oppressive power of the US state. He enjoyed much sympathy among the youth when he was stripped of the heavyweight title in 1967 because of his refusal to be drafted into the US military and opposition to the Vietnam war. We were stunned when the judges gave the fight to Frazier. 

In light of that victory, no one gave Big George a chance against Frazier in 1973. However, before that fight, Big George had won all his 37 fights, knocking out his opponents 34 times. He repeated that incredible feat in Kingston, Jamaica, where his showdown with Frazier took place. 

He knocked down Frazier six times in the second round. Frazier didn’t believe that Big George was a superior boxer in those two rounds. Even though he lost his balance and could hardly move, he stood up bravely and tried to continue the fight for all the six knockdowns. He wasn’t willing to give up his title so easily after just two rounds. 

I think the referee should have stopped the fight after the third knockdown because it was clearly a one-sided contest and there was a real danger that Fraser would be badly hurt. 

I was an undergraduate student in London when that fight took place. I still have images of the knockdowns and the imposing movements of Big George as he stood over Frazier and landed his deadly punches. 

That fight reminds me of another demolition job by Big George when he took on Ken Norton in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1974. Big George and Norton were equally matched in height, body build and punches. Prior to that fight, Norton had beaten and lost to Muhammad Ali on points in 1973. So, he was no pushover. I recall one of Ali’s famous lines about Norton in their return match: ‘Norton was nothing until I made him something. Now I’m going to make him nothing again’. 

Just like in his fight against Joe Frazier, Big George demolished Norton in the second round by knocking him down three times. Norton could hardly stand up unsupported after the third knockdown. He had to hold on to the ropes. The referee stopped the fight.

The Rumble in the Jungle

The second bout that stood out for me in Big George’s career was the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’—when Big George fought Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (DRC) in October 1974. I had just started my graduate programme a month earlier. At the university, we were all diehard Ali fans but scared that Big George would destroy him in the ring with his powerful punches.

However, Ali went to that fight with a great plan. He employed what came to be called the ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic to dismantle Big George and make him look ordinary. Ali was known to be fast with his legs and arms. After all, he described himself as being able ‘to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee’. However, he couldn’t match Big George on punches. 

Almost all of Big George’s fights did not go beyond the fourth round. Ali’s plan was to stretch the fight, avoid Big George’s blows in the early rounds, and hope that Big George would be tired as the fight progressed. 

So, Ali repeatedly leaned on the ropes as if he was cornered and about to surrender, skillfully covered his face with his gloves, and absorbed Big George’s big punches on his body rather than on his head. 

As Big George’s punches got weaker and erratic, Ali came off the ropes in the eighth round and landed counterattacking killer blows on Big George. The Rumble in the Jungle is arguably the greatest heavyweight fight of all time. 

Becoming world champion at 45

The third thing I remember about Big George is that he’s the oldest boxer to be crowned world heavyweight champion. He achieved that feat in 1994 in Las Vegas, when, at 45 years, he defeated Michael Moorer in the 10th round with a devastatingly powerful knockout punch. Big George trailed Moorer on points in the first nine rounds and was clearly about to lose the fight. But a combination of punches caught Moorer on the chin in the 10th round and he collapsed on the canvass. 

That victory was a miracle. Big George had retired from boxing after his defeat by Jimmy Young in 1977, but he made a remarkable comeback in 1987 at the age of 38. Most pundits thought he had lost his mojo and bite after his 10-year absence from the ring. There were even calls that his fight against Moorer at the advanced age of 45 should be stopped. I didn’t think that the fight should have been allowed to proceed, especially as Moorer was 19 years younger than Big George.

I had also at the time lost interest in boxing. The sport had become less stylish and too commercial. But the fight went ahead and Big George proved to everyone that age didn’t matter for a legend like him. 

Big George has been reconnected in the hereafter with some of the people that made him a great champion: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton. All four of them made boxing an entertaining sport and pastime for us when we were students. May they all rest in eternal peace. 

 

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