The story of George Foreman is unusual, which requires reflection when the boxing world confronts yesterday’s unexpected announcement about the death of the two -time world champion at the Houston hospital in Houston, Houston, 76 years aged. Fans, bachelor and other boxers are today offered tributes and words of praise, as they should, for the great fjazd, which come from humble beginnings to climb polnie. Once, but twice and in two different generations. Suffice it to say that George Foreman’s career is unusual, if not wonderful, and his achievements can be said certainly, will never be reproduced.

George Edward Foreman was born in Texas in 1949 and grew up in the Houston community called “Nickel”. He was extremely sturdy and hurt as youthful people, but at the age of fifteen he was going to grave trouble, giving up school and devoting himself to lumps and minor crime. Fortunately, he realized that it was not a way to a good future, and the government’s work program allowed him to return to the right path and get a high school diploma. At the same time, his family moved to California and it was there that Foreman began to develop his natural sports talents. His main interest at the beginning was football, but soon he discovered that he had a gift to hit things with his fists. In 1968 he developed a 18-5 record in amateurs before competitions in American Olympic boxing tests. This year he won the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City.

Incapable than the preproof amateur record required a certain spices and careful preparation when he joined the punch-for Pay ranks the following year, but until 1971 he was founded as the best contender to the heavyweight division with victories over Gregorio Pealta, George “Scrap Iron” Johnson, George Chuvalo and Boone Kirkman. Despite this, when he signed up to challenge Smokin ‘Joe Frazier for the title of World Champion, he most often considered him solid tender, lacking talent to overcome the intensive aggression of the phrazier and weakened left hook. But Foreman went to Kingston, Jamaica and broke three to one against him, smashing the phrase in the spectacular two round explosions, six times raising “Smokin ‘Joe”, when Howard Cosell was still shouting “Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes!”

There was more violent knockout, including the second round of Ken Norton’s detention, bringing twelve candidates for the early round. As a result, the former Master Muhammad Ali was a solid insignificant four-one, when he challenged Foreman in the historical “Rumble in the Jungle” in 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire. Some were impressed by the strength of Foreman’s impact and a series of incorrect knockout, which they were afraid of the safety of “the greatest”. But it was the turn to oppose the abrasive when he threw away and gushed the younger, stronger man to get the stunning eighth round of Nokaut.

This was Foreman’s position and the image that he stated that the loss for Ali was almost impossible to accept. He proposed a series of excuses, claiming that he was a victim of a swift count and, strangely that he was intoxicated before the fight. These dubious excitements meant that the defeated champion became a pathetic figure, and soon became nothing but a laugh, when he took five fighters on national television, one after the other, in the other, in Strange spectacle at the Leaf Gardens maple in Toronto.

Foreman regrouped and stopped five wins in space, including a knockout over Ron Lyle and Frazier, before he went to San Juan in Puerto Rico to face his friend with the best contender Jimmy Adolescent. And here the story of George Foreman becomes even more unusual. Adolescent, a qualified and volatile pugilist, who is one of the best weighty weight of the seventies, surprised the whole performance when he put aside the foreman in the final round and won a unanimous decision. However, it was not the fight itself, but its consequences, which would have the greatest consequences. Foreman later claimed that he had experience in his wardrobe about a close death after a fight, during which he was confronted by God. Regardless of the nature of this revelation, it was significant enough to inspire Foreman to turn away from boxing, he became an ordained minister and founded a church in Houston, Texas.

Until then, Foreman’s position as a boxer would have to be considered worthy of a gallery of celebrities, but not at the same level as the great from the past. But then, in 1987, after a full decade from the ring, George Foreman announced to the world that he decided to raise gloves again. The message was welcomed with widespread contempt and disbelief. It was certainly a practical joke; The boxers do not return after ten years of retirement. But the photos soon appeared from the Foreman line in the ring against the journeyman named Steve Zouski, a massive master, protruding above the band of his trunks, and therefore began one of the greatest returns in the history of sport.

However, no one saw it at the beginning. Dr. Ferdie Paczeco, NBC boxing commentator, repeated at that time he thinks: “This is pathetic,” he said. “This should not be allowed. There is a surplus, inept. The whole thing is a false second career to build a gigantic fight with Mike Tyson.”

But, surprising, the foreman persevered, fought and won, while transforming his public image. The younger George Foreman was a grim, intimidating bang, but the fresh, older and smarter George Foreman was something completely different: a elated, smiling, self -proclaimed man who wanted to be a friend of everyone and sell them a grill. Until 1990, George achieved nineteen plain victories, all except one, but a point where the return of the former master became something other than curiosity and a joke when he entered the ring against the former best pretender Gerry Cooney. After blowing Cooney in the second round, Suddenly Foreman was no longer the ass of someone’s laughter, and even the most cynical fight fans had to take him seriously.

The following year, Foreman commanded a huge payment of twelve million dollars when he challenged Evander Holyfield for the title of world champion. Evander defeated George by a unanimous decision, but even in defeat Foreman lifted the expectations of everyone except his most die -hard fans, when he remained competitive during the battle, taking the best shots of Holyfield and responding to his own. Many assumed that this was the end of the unusual second chapter of the 42-year-old in boxing, but they were wrong: Brygton persevered, fighting, and at the same time becoming a popular commentator Ringside for HBO.

George Foreman will always be an inspiration for what happened next. After losing to Tommy “Duke” Morrison in 1993, everyone assumed that finally the unbelievable journey ended. In the end he was 44 years aged, and months of inactivity took place after the fourth failure of his career. But there, the foreman signed contracts and jokeing at a press conference, announcing the championship with Michael Moorerer. The man just didn’t give up. And the wonderful victory was his when in an unusual performance he put Moorer to the count in Las Vegas with one gigantic right hand.

It would be an ideal end for the amazing travel of Foreman if he retired then and there, but of course no one could resist the great payments that waited for him in recent matches with such as Crawford Grimsley and Lou Savarese. Strangely enough, at almost 49 years aged Foreman more than he was his own against Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs during his last career in 1997, the crowd ridiculed most of the decisions for Briggs. Finally, Foreman retired, leaving this sport richer in his extraordinary career and departing with the booking of 76 wins compared to only five paralysis, with amazing 68 wins.

In addition to sturdy recognition of one of the most arduous and most hazardous punchers in the whole history of boxing, George Foreman’s legacy is an amazing determination that proves the inspirational truth that it is never too overdue to change the direction of life and look for a second chance. Who could ever think that a teenage bandit can reverse his life and become a golden Olympic medalist and world champion? And after defeating Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, who gave Foreman a grave chance to regain this championship? But, as Jim Lampley said, “It happened.” Like the amazing life of George Foreman. He will never be forgotten. –Neil crane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA4RM7VWC3A

“If a man can fill the gap between life and death, if he can live after death, maybe he was a great man.” – James Dean

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the tragic death of James Shuler, the best pretender in the mediumweight division, a two -time amateur champion and a member of the American Olympic team. More years have passed since the Night of the Shulera Motorcycle Wreck in 1986, than he was given to him to influence the sport he loved; He was only 26 when he died, and for more than three decades of his death, boxing felt his absence.

“James’ death was destructive,” says Shulera’s cousin, Percy “Burster” Custus. “James was just a good man. He lived such a brief life. It was almost as if he did the good things he did and came out before anyone remembered bad things. “

Custus is the owner and trainer at the James Shuler Memorial gym in Philadelphia, about three miles from the former place of the Joe Frazier gym in northern Philly, where Shuler began boxing. Shuler escaped from the reality of the North Philly housing project, in which he grew up and stood out in sport, but was drawn into the cruel world of boxing, simply passing by the Frazier gym a day after the meeting. Fate was playing at the early stage of Shuler and never really stopped.

Shuler fell into the crotch in the middle of a huge American boxing wave. Before the American success at the 1976 Games in Montreal, about $ 16,000 received an American amateur boxing program a year. Three years later, the program was flooded almost USD 800,000 for money, and the amount was to exceed $ 1 million a year by the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980. At that time, Shuler developed a reported amateur record of 178 wins compared to six failures.

At the age of 19, Shuler won both gold gloves in Pennsylvania and domestic gold gloves, and then won the silver medal at the Mr. AM matches in 1979. But he didn’t finish. “We went to Novel York, and James went through [1979] World Championships, as if it were nothing, said Custus. Actually The Novel York Times Called Shuler “the most gone boxer” of the tournament. He chased greatness and pinched her heels, but 1980 was a year that threw many amateur boxing dreams.

In January, President Jimmy Carter called the US to boycott the upcoming Moscow Olympic Games, if the Soviet army did not withdraw from Afghanistan. Because the soldiers still in place two months later the boycott became official, ending the Olympic dream for hundreds of elite athletes. But even more tragic was what took place a few days before this announcement, when 22 members of the American boxing team, on the way to Warsaw to the amateur tournament, died in an air accident in Poland. Shuler was supposed to be in this flight, but he hurt his nose in a car accident and decided not to go.

Amateur boxing moved on, like the Olympic Games. For some reason, also Olympic rehearsals, and Shuler won his place in a non -existent team in June. It was unfair, but he was well in Shulera’s narrative because he has already defeated Armando Martinez, eventually the winner of the Golden Medal in Moscow. Even the nickname Shulera, “Black Gold”, reflected the fact that he was preferred to win the Olympic tournament.

With his dreams of being an Olympian in the past, Shuler returned to Philadelphia and the gym, where it all began. When Joe Frazier decided to start managing fighters later in the same year, he initially signed two teenage perspectives: his son Marvis and James Shuler. A few days later, Shuler had his first professional match under the banner “Smokin” Joe Inc. ” And it didn’t take much time before Shuler won a special reputation.

Custus said: “There was a time when we were somewhere in Novel York and James boxed in the series. James fights with this guy, hits him and knock him out of the ring. Then he helped him back to the ring like a gentleman. Everyone thought it was so special, but he was such a guy James. “

Being this life is wicked and corresponds to the kindness with the frigid, slowly leisurely madness towards its destiny began.

Fighting became Shulera’s life, but when he signed a contract with the promoter butch Lewis in his career, because he constrained himself to competing for backlighting with Michael Spinks duels, and Spinks was relatively inactive. So Shuler turned his family car into a taxi. “I had to support my daughters,” he said later. Nevertheless, Shuler found himself in the top ten races of the average ring of the ring in 1982 and remained there, looking for a shot at the world champion, the wonderful Marvin Hagler.

Within almost five years, in the ranks of Pro, the Top of Shulera withdrew the fringes of the NABF belt from “Sugar” Ray Seales, the age of the golden Olympic medalist from 1972, which was already chewed by the medium weight scene. She followed the quality of victory over Norberto Sabater and Clint Jackson, but he was disturbed by the fact that the stars of the 1984 Olympic boxing team signing Lucrative Pro contracts, while he remained relatively anonymous. What pushed him to claim the title of the world was James Kinchen’s squeak in early 1985, just two months before “The Fight”, this is a legendary clash between the wonderful Marvin and “The Motor City Cobra”.

After the brutal stop of Hagler “Hit Man” Hearns, the latter wanted a rematch as soon as possible. But they both lost a little tonight, and the injuries remained. In addition, Bob Arum from Top Rank claimed that he could not sell the idea that the rematch would end differently, that the return required a certain construction. This led to the fact that Hagler faced John Mugabie, while Hearns was to face Shuleer on the card. Until then, James had 22-0 with 16 knockouts and won with one of Hagler’s sparring partners, Jerry Holly. The card was still postponed because of Hagler’s injury and the recent manager of Shuler, Joe Hand, he was worried that his charge could occur to vine. But Shuler’s coach, Eddie Futch, remained confident, calling him “one of the best guarded secrets of boxing.” Shulera’s great chance to leave the shadows was finally established on March 10, 1986.

It is worth noting that in a subtle gesture, which would unfortunately become prophetic, Shuler gave the enthusiast of Hearns motorcycles a racing helmet during one of their press conferences from 1985.

Already a favorite from 5 to 2, Hearns received from Arum a bonus $ 500,000, if he stopped Shulera in less than six rounds. And Hagler’s band seemed to think that it was likely. “If Hearns has a head straight and if his right hand healed, he should throw Shulera into two parts,” said Pat Petronelli, co-chairman of Hagler. “Shuler eats his right hands.”

It just doesn’t make sense to have one life, and even shortened, crowded in 73 seconds, but that’s what James Shulera remembers.

Hearns, who often started at a leisurely pace when he sensed danger, threw full strength at Shuler moments in battle. Expecting a more technical boxing match of Tommy, Shuler was to chase, which led him to Hearns’s strength. The same right hand, which Petronelli predicted, broke straight by the guardian Shulera and folded him back after just a minute of action.

“I left myself open,” Shuler told reporters. “I just caught me. There is no excuse. When he hit me first, I thought, “I shoot, I can take him from him.” And then he hit me again. I think I was wrong. “

In addition to the sting, which he first lost, Shuler was in a good mood and talked about a robust return. But it wasn’t.

Exactly a week after the fight, Shuler bought a red Kawasaki motorcycle and was on his way home when he collided with a trailer. Shuler was lying under a larger vehicle, and the observers began to shout: “Champ! Yo, Champ! “There was no answer. Shuler died at the scene.

Three days before the fight, Philadelphia Inquirer The writer Sarajane Freligigh wrote an article entitled “Philly Kid, whose time has come.” Exactly three weeks later, on March 28, Fraper’s article was the header: “Boxer’s Requiem: Shuler’s Corner is now empty.”

Hearns flew to Philadelphia for Shuler’s funeral and suggested that he would place the NABF belt, which he won from him in the shuler casket. Shulera’s family rejected the offer. “Hearns, deserved this belt,” said James Darryl’s brother. “This belt belongs to him. I am sure that James would like him to keep this belt and defend him well. “

Bob Arum said: “[James] He approached my room in the hotel day after [Hearns] Fight and thanked me personally. He is the only warrior who did it. “

It was a brief career, but Shuler still waves in boxing, and today the waves are moved further than his life. Gym Joe Frazier was once called a “temple, a university saving children, saving adults”, and since 1993 James Shuler Memorial Gym is seeking the same work.

“Joe [Frazier’s] The gym is the only gym I’ve ever went to, unless they took us for sparring, “said Custus. “I went to the gym in North Philly, so the children would have no trouble in West Philly.” And now Philly has a recent pugilistic unthreatening haven, James Shuler Memorial Gymwhich would not be there if it wasn’t for Shuler’s death.

A knowledgeable boy to move away
From the fields where the glory does not remain,
And early, although the laurel is growing
Put faster than a rose.

– “He is an athlete dying teenage”, AE Housman, 1896 – Patrick Connor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URZSBLMNZUE

Everyone who knows American popular culture has heard the name Wyatt Earp and film fans Tombstone He may believe that they know everything about a man. But there is one part of the Earp biography that has disappeared from public awareness, which is his role of a controversial boxing judge. Even people familiar with Earp probably do not know that he was sleeping with professional fights, because he is now best known as a shooter and lawyer of the Senior West, and countless stories have been written, and the films produced the role of Earp in the infamous “Shooting in OK Corral. “But when he died in 1929 at the age of eighty, Earp was perhaps the most remembered not for being a quick draw, but for being a judge who helped to repair a stern heavyweight fight.

The year was in 1896. Then 48, Earp gave up the fight against weapons, although he realized his infamy, writing several articles for Hearst’s publications about his senior Western confessions. He also had a reputation as a kind of little boxing official, having a box as a teenager and fights in America and Mexico, mainly fighting at Railroad or Buffalo Hunting. But out of nowhere, he had the opportunity to supervise a stern battle with high rates between the two best in the game.

Fight Legends Bob Fitzsimmons i Tom Sharkey They were to drop the Mechanics pavilion in San Francisco. It was a considerable romance, without a fight with buffaloes, but the great league, which drew the main attention to it, just like the premiere fights today. Former Master James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett recently retired (although he would return soon) and a fresh best bulky weight was needed to fill the void. Boxing was illegal in San Francisco, but it didn’t matter. About ten thousand fans filled the arena of all who paid a high ticket price in the amount of ten bucks to see this historic scrap live and personally. And the man responsible for the action was to be Wyatt Earp.

The National Sports Club, the strength of the event, asked Earp for judges, and Wyatt apparently refused initially. The fight was promoted as championships in the heavyweight of the world (controversial proclamation, because the box was politicized at the time, as it is today), and the former lawyer was afraid that he might not be challenged because of his restricted experience. But such a shiny offer was challenging to refuse, so Earp entered the ring on December 2, 1896 to referee loudly. But not everyone was satisfied with it.

Controversy broke out before the opening bell with more than one individual warning Fitzsimmons and his camp, which Earp agreed to quit Sharkey. This prompted the “Ruby” manager, Martin Julian, to enter the ring before the start of the competition and citing the whole reputation, demand that someone replace Earp as a judge. At this point, Wyatt offered to withdraw, but Sharkey’s band insisted that he be a man to work and not withdraw.

But this was not the only significant development before the fight. Police captain George Whitman did not mind the illegal fight in San Francisco, but he he did Watch out for the fact that Earp entered the ring with a bully of the revolver from the inside of his coat. Wyatt calmly passed his weapon before starting the match.

Apparently, the struggle itself, as many expected, with a clever strategy and thunderous strength of Fitzsimmons, also known as “The Fighting Blacksmith”, and better than the aggressiveness of Sharkey and brutal strength. A clever tactic and a destructive blow that knocked out the valued Peter Maher in one round this year, “Ruby” took Sharkey to school. But in the eighth round he made a shot from the body that Sharkey sent to the floor. There, “Sailor Tom” was blowing and held his groin. Sharkey’s band immediately argued that their warrior was a victim of a low blow, while Fitzsimmons found the whole affair comical. That is, until Earp announced that Sharkey is a winner, through disqualification.

The statement that the crowd has faded seems to be an understatement. But thousands of mechanics pavilions tonight were shocked not only by a fight, but also by the judge’s decision, Wyatt Earp. Needless to say, it was not an incident that could be easily forgotten. The media was over it, and Earp was blurred as a correction that assured Sharkey won. AND Novel York Herald The artist even pulled out the resemblance of Earp, which was beyond the Dużchlebka, with a cartoon cowboy wearing excessively sombrero, indicating the pistol in Fitzsimmons, serving Sharkey’s cash bag. Certainly not a movie from a Hollywood film.

No one can rightly say whether Earp repaired the fight, made the right phone, or was simply an unconscious participant in a world -class fraud. The fact that Sharkey would not be observable by the doctor only the day after the fight makes everything more suspicious. Despite this, it was not necessary to pay off Earp to utilize its services. Again, the man certainly did not have qualifications to cancel the fight at such a high level. What’s more, there is an uncomfortable fact that Earp offered his duties to someone else before starting the fight.

For his part, Earp defended his actions as completely legal. “I felt that I did what was right … and feeling that I didn’t care about the opinion of anyone,” he said Examiner. “I saw Foul hit as clearly as I see you and that’s all that is in it.”

Unfortunately, for Earp, the controversy and smudges lasted until his death. The decades took me a cluttered evening to leave public awareness and a picture of a high western character, which we know today, a breeze of a scandal ring. – Let Crose