UNFORGETABLE ICON IN BOXING PART 1

He packs into one bag: gloves and the Holy Bible, he is a marketer of extraordinary quality, he runs boxing commentaries and he is a father of ten Children.

Any ardent follower of the sweet science will quickly know who I am talking about. He is the oldest man to have won the heavyweight title, a feat Evander Holyfield may not easily achieve. Did I hear you say, yes I know him? Of course you should, he is none other than the “Big one” George Edward Foreman. He is fondly called “Big George” by his fans around the globe. He and the great Mohammed Ali made rumble in the jungle thick and up till this time I don’t think any boxing fight has equaled that display of the sweet science.

Today I decided to: first go back in time and secondly come back to the immediate past present. George Foreman is one boxer that exhibits many good sides. He is one boxer that brought credibility to the heavyweight and also proved that as a boxer you can stay healthy even after the age of 40, when critics think that any one involved in the fistic sports should retire. Further more he is one man who has demonstrated that as a boxer you can utilize your fame and popularity for other money making ventures. I figure that if the great one, Mohammed Ali was to be healthy, he may have become a renowned writer, a poet, a motivational speaker and probably a politician.

As I said earlier, I will go back in time to catch a vivid glimpse of his exploit then make a swift come back to the immediate past present in this order;

The First Half of Foreman’s Career: Born on January 10th, 1949 in Marshall, Texas, he started fighting on the street, constantly getting into trouble because he always beats up other kids and was involved in other social vices; this ensured he was on the run from the police. He was later discovered to possess raw boxing skill and was eventually introduced to the sport. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1968 summer Olympics held in Mexico City at the age of 19. As is typical of most boxers, he turned professional in 1969 and gathered a whopping eleven knockout out of 13 fights, some of his victims includes Gregorio Perelta and George Chuvalo. Who is remembered as one of the toughest fighters in Heavyweight history and was never knocked down after engaging in more than 90 bouts, Foreman only managed a technical knockout win over him but the fight was recklessly brutal with Foreman unleashing the punishment.

On January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica Foreman knocked down the then Champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier a record six times before the referee finally stopped the fight in the second round apparently to save Frazier from some lethal punishment. The fight is most remembered for the manner Foreman’s punch took Frazier down for the sixth and final time. The power packed upper cut took Frazier off the ground before he finally landed on the canvas, after the fight, Frazier barely managed to stand on his feet. Another memorable event, in what was HBO’s first Broadcast was the call made by Howard Cosell “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier.

He went on to defend his title, first against a Puertorican heavyweight Champion named Jose Roman, he recklessly dismissed him in 55 seconds of the first and the only round, the fastest knock out for a heavyweight bout. His next title defense pitched him against Ken Norton, a boxer noted for his awkward boxing style, who in the previous year had broken the jaw of The Great Mohammed Ali, while defeating Ali on points. The pair produced an astonishing display of aggression and punching power. Foreman demolished and flattened Norton in just two rounds. Foreman later stated in his autobiography that he was attempting to kill Norton in the ring. Considered to be the most physically empowered boxer and the hardest hitter in the history of the sport and in other occasion, he is touted to be the greatest heavyweight ever, he seemed invincible. Then came his defense against the Great one, Mohammed Ali.

Rumble in the Jungle: The next title defense was against Mohammed Ali. In what was christened “Rumble in the Jungle”. The fight was nothing short of historic. The venue was the former Zaire now Congo Democratic Republic. The whole country was set ablaze as the eye of the world was focused on the country. It is an event that would surpass generation to come. Meanwhile before the fight proper, Big George suffered an injury which led to the postponement of the fight for one month, Mohammed Ali, (as was typical of him) used the period to tour the country and endeared himself to the populace which made him the toast of the fans before the fight. When they finally met in the ring, Ali began on his toes, dancing almost through out the duration f the bout, he adopted a technique he called “Rope-a-dope” tactics that allows him lean on the ropes thereby warding off punches from Foreman. The intensity in Foreman’s attack made him lose lots of energy, Ali would hold him while leaning on the rope and released those psychological words that angered Foreman and further weighed him down. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout, by the eight round was on the driver seat. Late in that round Ali sprang off the ropes with solid combinations of blows to Foreman’s head and he was able to land a hard flush on his jaw, the champion staggered, lurched and collapsed, by the time he managed to regain his feet, it was goodnight. It was Foreman’s first defeat and Mohammed remains the only boxer to have defeated him by a knock out in his two phased career, although Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young did manage to floor him. After losing his title, he was inactive for a whole year but made a come back in 1976, against Ron Lyle in a battle that was voted “The fight of the year” by Ring Magazine. It was one of the most brutal fist game ever performed by any pair of fighters. Both men knocked each other down but it got to a point where Ron Lyle became exhausted and Foreman delivered a dozen of Punches until Lyle collapsed, the fight was stopped and Foreman was declared the winner.

His next come back fixtures was against “Smokin” Joe Frazier. It was dubbed Foreman-Frazier II. The fight was not expected to produce any solid entertainment given that Frazier had been comprehensively dealt with by the great one, Mohammed Ali the previous year. However the fight lived up to its billing as long as the fight lasted but in the fifth round Foreman caught Frazier, he was floored two times before the fight was stopped. He went on to beat Scott Ledoux and Dino Dennis by knock out to end that year.

The year 1977, would prove to be a life changing year for Big George, he surprisingly lost to less fancied Jimmy Young by a unanimous decision but was knocked down in the last round of that encounter. He later became born-again Christian after he encountered God in his dressing room. He went on to become an ordained minister of the gospel, devoting his life to his family, the Church and the youth center that was named after