George Foreman played a pivotal role in two of the greatest eras in heavyweight boxing history.
‘Big George’ burst onto the scene just a short while after he captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.
His crowning moment came in 1973 when he defeated Joe Frazier to capture the world heavyweight championship, going on to make two successful defences of his crown before he was dethroned by Muhammad Ali.
After suffering a shock defeat to Jimmy Young, Foreman took a 10-year hiatus from the sport before finally returning in 1987. After two unsuccessful world title challenges against Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, ‘Big George’ wrote his name into the boxing history books against all odds.
Just shy of his 46th birthday, Foreman defeated the previously unbeaten Michael Moorer to capture the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion of all time in the process, an incredible record that remains unbroken to this very day.
In a feature with The American Legion, Foreman made no mistake in revealing that the greatest era in heavyweight boxing history came during the 1970s, which saw fighters such as himself, Ali, Ken Norton and Frazier rise to prominence.
“Was there ever a better age in boxing than the early 1970s? I followed the history of boxing a long time – the great Joe Louis, the great Jack Dempsey, and all of their boxing matches, but during the 70s – about the middle 70s into the late 70s – was an era that will never be duplicated.”
By the time he had announced his retirement from boxing in 1997, Foreman’s tenure had stretched across four decades, where he proved himself to be one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever laced up the gloves.