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Foreman beat time, moving from humiliation to debt collection

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1 year ago

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When he entered public consciousness – a great man waving a small American flag, as if it was a conductor’s club – George Foreman was definitely that moment. It was 1968 at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. Chilly children, not to mention the right – American sprinter Tommie Smith and John Carlos – they took a medal with raised fists, their way to recognize America’s many years of difficulty with racial justice.

If Smith and Carlos were princes of protests – in fact, regardless of your policy, it’s demanding not to admire what they did that day – then Foreman was a completely different archetype. In the continual of boxing, the criminal from the fifth unit Houston was a “terrible guy”, the successor of Sonna Liston. Goliats is not to be loved, just feared.

And Foreman made it easier for his reputation of the crushing soul Behemoth crystallized on January 22, 1973 at the National Stadium in Kingston in Jamaica, when he fought Joe Frazier. The phrase, though massive massive, as always, was not only invincible (when there is actually something undefeated massive), he was still basking in the glow of his epic 15-Rund defeat Muhammad Ali. Despite this, Foreman put him down six times tonight-by means of an impossible call for Howard Cosell-“Down Goes Frazhuh!” – BEFORE ARTHUR MERCANTE SR. He called the merciful end to fight. It is also worth noting that with every knocking out the Don King promoter – who went to the stadium in the Frazier limousine – he physically approached the brigadier camp. Needless to say, he returned to his hotel in a limousional limousine. “I came with the champion”, King liked to say – and left with the master.

More importantly, this theatrically soulless sense of trade of the king created his characteristic promotion, almost two years in Zaire. “The Rumble in the Jungle”, as baptized, contained apparently reduced Ali (until now his jaw was broken by Ken Norton) against seemingly indestructible foreman (who sent the same Norton even faster than the phrase). What’s more, Foreman retained the same sense of tone stupidity he had at the Olympic Games in 1968: walks with his valued German Shepherd, Dago, unaware that such dogs were used as a tools of pressure by Belgian security forces, when Zaire was a colony known as Congo.

What Ali did in Zaire did is not just the most crucial example of his improvisation and strategic splendor, but his courage. Ali’s Rope-A-Dope, as you know, required Ali to absorb the best Bully arrows, in this case, most of the seven rounds before Foreman tired and removed it. Foreman fell face to face from a series of cruel right hands.

It was not the end of anyone – maybe outside Ali – he imagined. The wise man of the former Champ Archie Moore, who worked on the corner of the Brigadzist tonight, remembered in “The Fight” Norman Miler: “I prayed and, in great honesty that George would not do Ali. I really felt that it was possible.” As it turned out, the only mortality that night was the feeling of invincibility of Foreman. But a bang that he is no longer afraid is a bang. Zaire seemed to leave a psychiatric foreman distorted.

He did not fight for the next 15 months. Then, in 1977, after a unanimous defeat of the decision with a cunning, though airy striking Jimmy Teenage, he felt something as if he was dying. It was an exhausting fight on a scorching night in Puerto Rico. Maybe it was a heat stroke? No, said Foreman, it was God’s voice. He told him to retire and become a preacher in Houston, what he did.

Ten years later, his church needed money, Foreman began another return. Boxing is full of guys who fought tragically next to their first, but it was something completely different. From Don King to Jay Gatsby, this is a unique American feature, the ability to discover again. Despite this, restarting Foreman is restless remains unprecedented. Surly Bully returned fat, ecstatic and religious to start. So fat and ecstatic that he would actually set records as a seller of his title grill. Despite this, his talent for trade obstructed his historical sports achievement.

I was there on the night of November 5, 1994 at MGM Grand, when Foreman – whose “Return” has long been considered a kind of news – he fought with the heavyweight champion, Michael Moorer.

Moorer was a talented master in his physical splendor and Southpaw to run. He had a perfect stab of the corkscrew and was very well trained by Teddy Atlas, who still reminded his warrior (and all others who listened to) that Mr. Fat and Cheerful were a “cheater”.

It came to my mind that every champion worth the damn is partly Artist. But Foreman’s real ability to trick was not really observable until that night. He was two months in relation to his 46th birthday and he has not fought for 17 months, and not since the unanimous loss of decision to Tommy Morrison. For comparison, the oldest man who won the heavyweight title, Jersey Joe Walcott, was 37 when he knocked Ezzzard Charles in 1951.

No wonder that Moorer won eight of the first nine rounds, working for this complex stab of the corkscrew. Until now, Foreman’s face was uneven and marked. Still, he knew exactly what he was doing. If it were artistry, it was even Ali-Eque, his own answer, two decades, and therefore on the rope. First of all, it was a strategy that required courage and special self -confidence. So Foreman ate these stabs and hooks. If a terrible price occurred, it was one of the foreman who was ready to pay for his chance – his only chance. It started with a striking left hook, which seemed to stun Moorerera, and then an impossibly low right hand that landed on the chin of the teenage master. Moorer was counted at 2:03 10 rounds.

The renowned blow, with his right hand, he only drove. But the same whole traveled time and space, for decades and continents, from Zaire to Las Vegas, humiliation to debt collection. The teenage guy beats an ancient guy – this is the story of boxing … Anyway one of them. But Foreman was not just an ancient guy, or even the oldest (in any division, remember). Athletes are artists whose craftsmanship dies with youth. This is worse for fighters, because teenage people are literally beaten from them. But George Foreman – once a rash, a seller of barbecue gadgets and silencers – did the greatest thing that every athlete can do. He beat time.

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Boxing

Roach vs. Zepeda for the vacant WBC lightweight title on August 1

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57 minutes ago

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June 4, 2026

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Lamont “The Reaper” Roach Jr. and William “El Camarón” Zepeda will fight for the vacant WBC lightweight world title on Saturday, August 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, announced promoter Golden Boy. The 12-round fight will headline “The Fight,” a fresh monthly series from TNT Sports and DAZN that will air in the United States on TNT and truTV and stream globally on DAZN. Golden Boy promotes itself in cooperation with TGB Promotions and ProBox Promotions.

Roach Jr. (25-1-3, 10 KO) of Washington, D.C., and Zepeda (33-1, 27 KO) of San Mateo Atenco, Mexico, arrived after back-to-back title fights without a win. Last year, Roach Jr. he has fought two majority draws: against Gervonta Davis for the WBA lightweight title in March 2025 and against Isaac Cruz at super lightweight in December 2025. Zepeda has not fought since taking a unanimous decision to Shakur Stevenson for the WBC lightweight title in July 2025, the only loss of his career.

How the title became empty

The WBC lightweight championship opened after Stevenson moved up to 140 pounds. He collected the WBO junior welterweight title from Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden on January 31becoming a four-division champion, after which the WBC declared his 135-pound title vacant. The sanctioning body later ordered Roach Jr. and Zepeda meet for the belt.

“We have been working demanding since my last fight,” Zepeda said in a press release. “We are at the top of the lightweight division and we know that any opponent at this level is a sedate challenge. Once again we have been given the opportunity to fight for the world championship and we are ready to show the world who exactly “El Camarón” Zepeda is. “

Roach Jr., who won the WBA super featherweight title with a split decision victory over Héctor García in November 2023, billed the fight as the next step in his class. “This is my fourth consecutive world title fight in a different weight class,” he said. “Without a doubt, I am bringing boxing back and fighting for the top spot.”

“William Zepeda has fully deserved this opportunity,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president and CEO of Golden Boy. “Over the years, he has taken on every challenge put before him and has established himself as one of the most thrilling fighters in boxing with his relentless pressure, incredible work rate and fan-friendly style.”

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. PT on AXS.com and GoldenBoy.com for $300, $200, $150, $75, $50 and $30 plus applicable fees. Pre-sale will start on Thursday, June 4. Details about the card and credentials will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Boxing

Looking at the longest winning streaks in boxing

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3 hours ago

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June 4, 2026

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Image: Looking At Boxing's Longest Winning Streaks

The fight was memorable for several reasons. Chavez was knocked down for the first time in his career and had points deducted twice for low blows. Randall won by split decision, ending a winning streak that lasted nearly 14 years. Chavez later gained revenge in the rematch, winning a technical decision after the fight was stopped due to a clash of heads.

Before Chavez, Sugar Ray Robinson set a standard that few players ever approached. Robinson won his first 40 professional fights before losing to Jake LaMotta in February 1942. The defeat turned out to be only a ephemeral setback.

Three weeks later, Robinson defeated LaMotta in a rematch and began another remarkable streak. Between 1943 and 1951, Robinson won 91 consecutive fights, which remains one of the most impressive achievements in boxing history.

Several other champions ended their careers undefeated or came close to doing so. Mayweather finished his career with a record of 50-0 after winning world titles in five weight classes. Marciano left the sport undefeated with a 49-0 record as heavyweight champion.

Larry Holmes appeared on track to equal Marciano’s heavyweight record before he met Michael Spinks in September 1985. Holmes entered the fight with a 48-0 record, but lost by compact decision, one win shy of matching Marciano.

Joe Calzaghe also finished his career undefeated. The Welsh southpaw retired with a 46-0 record after unifying a share of the super middleweight championship and later defeating Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins.

History books also contain the names of players whose long winning streaks have largely faded from public memory. According to Harry Mullan’s The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, Britain’s Hal Bagwell had a winning streak of 183 fights between 1938 and 1948. Packey McFarland recorded 97 consecutive victories between 1905 and 1915, while Spaniard Pedro Carrasco recorded a streak of 93 victories between 1964 and 1971.

Figures from boxing’s first decades can be hard to verify due to incomplete record-keeping and differences between official figures and newspaper decisions. Still, they’re a reminder that winning streaks existed long before the era of television.

Whether measured by the number of victories, longevity or the level of adversity he faced, Robinson’s 91-fight streak and Chavez’s undefeated march through the 1980s remain one of the greatest streaks in history. These are achievements that still stand alongside the perfect records of Mayweather, Marciano and Calzaghe whenever boxing’s longest winning streaks are discussed.

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Peter Fury claims Tyson Fury made one huge mistake against Usyk: ‘I saw it after the first bell’

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5 hours ago

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June 4, 2026

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Peter Fury says Tyson Fury made one big mistake against Usyk: “I saw it from the opening bell”

Tyson Fury failed when he twice tried to hand Oleksandr Usyk his first professional defeat in 2024. Now his uncle and former coach, Peter Fury, has highlighted a key reason why he believes the ‘Gypsy King’ was unable to beat the Ukrainian.

Peter Fury trained his nephew before famously winning the world heavyweight title against Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, which was arguably the most impressive victory of his career. However, after a three-year break from the sport, Fury returned with Ben Davison in his corner.

Davison teamed with Fury for five fights until SugarHill Steward was named for the rematch with Deontay Wilder; a move that proved successful because “Kronk’s” style helped the Fury to two legendary triumphs over the “Brown Bomber”.

However, fighting for the undisputed throne, Fury and Steward were unable to defeat Usyk, and the Briton suffered the first defeat of his career before losing again in the rematch.

I’m talking to talkSPORT BoxingPeter Fury, who trained Rico Verhoeven in his controversial clash with Usyk last month, explained that his nephew was not forward enough in his fights with Usyk, believing he did not exploit his height to his advantage.

“As soon as the opening bell rings [went] and I saw how he was doing, I thought, “He’s doing it wrong.” You’re the bigger man, you step on 20 stone and do all the wrong things; instead of moving forward [you’re] standing back.

“He has his team there and I’m not criticizing anyone, but both tactics were not good in both fights. Something went wrong because when you look at Usyk’s structure and what he does, if you distance yourself and try to box an elite boxer who is lighter than you, who is giving away pounds, he will harass you all over the shop.”

Verhoeven’s efforts and Peter Fury’s tactics against Usyk have been praised over the past two weeks and described by some as hosting Usyk’s “toughest professional fight”, and the Dutchman has now climbed into the world rankings despite losing the fight.

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