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103-392: George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer , entrepreneur, minister , and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed " Big George ". Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time, he is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for
206-790: A Holiness Pentecostal church on Lone Oak Road in Houston , where he eventually became the pastor in 1980. Under his leadership, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ opened the George Foreman Youth and Community Center in order to minister to children and adolescents in the area. Foreman declared that "I’m always studying the Bible" and stated that "The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know." Foreman leads three church services per week, in which his sermons aim "to reveal something about
309-564: A "golden age" of popularity for professional boxing in the 1920s. They were also responsible for the first live radio broadcast of a title fight (Dempsey v. Georges Carpentier , in 1921). In the United Kingdom, Jack Solomons ' success as a fight promoter helped re-establish professional boxing after the Second World War and made the UK a popular place for title fights in the 1950s and 1960s. In
412-502: A clear advantage over the other, regardless of how minute the advantage. Modern boxing rules were initially derived from the Marquess of Queensberry rules which mainly outlined core aspects of the sport, such as the establishment of rounds and their duration, as well as the determination of proper attire in the ring such as gloves and wraps . These rules did not, however, provide unified guidelines for scoring fights and instead left this in
515-447: A close split decision (113–114, 115–112, and 118–110) in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC decided to match him against Shannon Briggs in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis . After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as
618-399: A day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatize. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young , who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by
721-659: A deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first retirement, although he found keeping his balance harder after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy single blows, however. The late-round fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man had improved and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension). By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman sold his name and face for
824-626: A draw with a score of 114–114, while the other two had the fight 115–113 in favor of Foreman. The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany; Foreman refused the terms and was stripped of his remaining title, yet continued to be recognized as the Lineal Heavyweight Champion . In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision, with scores of 116–112, 117–111, and 119–109. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese , winning
927-427: A fight against Ray Mancini . Studies following the fight have concluded that his brain had become more susceptible to damage after the 12th round. Exactly three months after the fatal fight, the WBC reduced the number of their championship fights to 12 three-minute rounds with 1 minute in between, making the total bout 47 minutes long. If the bout "goes the distance", meaning that the scheduled time has fully elapsed,
1030-447: A hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches, looking crude. Each man staggered
1133-431: A lightning two-punch flurry squared him up, Ali ended the bout with a combination of solid left hook and straight right flush to the jaw that sent Foreman windmilling hard to the canvas, the first time he had been down in his career. At the stoppage, Ali led on all three scorecards by 68–66, 70–67, and 69–66. Foreman later reflected, "it just wasn't my night". Foreman later also claimed he was drugged by his trainer prior to
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#17328841852641236-411: A minute into round two, buckling him into the ropes. Norton did not hit the canvas, but continued on wobbly legs, clearly not having recovered, and shortly he went down a further two times in quick succession, with the referee intervening and stopping the fight. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight", Foreman said when interviewed years later. This fight became known as
1339-487: A professional comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron Lyle , who had been defeated by Ali in 1975, via 11th-round TKO. Lyle was the number-five rated heavyweight in the world at the time per the March 1976 issue of The Ring . At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard right that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against
1442-551: A retired boxer, premiered in November 1993, and ran for 10 episodes, where nine aired. The show was co-produced by actor and former boxer Tony Danza . In 1994, Foreman again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles. Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. His relatively high profile, however, made
1545-742: A rival body, the World Boxing Council (WBC) was formed. In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was formed. In 1988, another world sanctioning body, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) was formed. In the 2010s a boxer had to be recognised by these four bodies to be the undisputed world champion; minor bodies like the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and World Boxing Union (WBU) are disregarded. Regional sanctioning bodies such as
1648-520: A subsequent year-long hiatus, the event was meant to re-spark interest in Foreman and showcase his strength and ability to knockout opponents. The first criticisms came as the opponents Foreman was fighting were revealed to be journeymen with sub-par or inexperienced records. This energy transferred over to the night of the event as Foreman was met with boos from the crowd as well as antagonistic chants of "Ali! Ali! Ali" as he made his appearance and walked out to
1751-537: A title shot against Moorer, 19 years his junior, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for the champion. Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas , Nevada , with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull
1854-460: A young prospect known for his punching power. Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes he turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off and he outboxed Foreman from long range. After 12 rounds, Morrison won a unanimous decision, with two scores of 117–110 and one score of 118–109. In this period, Foreman also starred briefly in the situation comedy George on ABC . The show, which featured Foreman as
1957-519: A youth center that bears his name. Foreman continues to speak about his experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club and the Trinity Broadcasting Network . In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography, he wrote that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created, which had required much of
2060-417: Is a boxing judgment call made by a referee during a bout in order to give an overwhelmed fighter an eight-second respite. When it is invoked, the referee stops the action and counts to eight while observing the boxer it is called against. When the count reaches eight, the referee often moves back two steps and instructs the boxer to walk towards him and hold his arms out. This helps the referee determine if
2163-605: Is death – I still believe there is a God!" After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian , dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting and became an ordained minister, initially preaching on street corners before becoming the minister of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston and devoting himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened
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#17328841852642266-421: Is declared if at least two judges score the bout in favour of the same boxer. The result is either a (win by) “unanimous decision”, by “majority decision” (if the third judge scores a draw), or by “split decision” (if the third judge scores the bout in favour of the other boxer). Otherwise, the result is a draw: a “unanimous draw” (if all three judges scored the bout a draw), a “majority draw” (if two judges scored
2369-443: Is not a "death sentence". The bout, against an unspecified opponent (rumored to be Trevor Berbick ), never materialized (Foreman's wife was widely thought to have been a major factor in the change of plans). George Foreman left the sport of boxing after leaving HBO to pursue other opportunities. In his youth, Foreman grew up largely without the presence of religion in his life. After a boxing match with heavyweight Jimmy Young, Foreman
2472-518: Is not permitted, and boxers are generally allowed to take substantial punishment before a fight is halted. Professional boxing has enjoyed a much higher profile than amateur boxing throughout the 20th century and beyond. In 1891, the National Sporting Club (N.S.C), a private club in London, began to promote professional glove fights at its own premises, and created nine of its own rules to augment
2575-565: The 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games . In the finals, Foreman defeated the Soviet Union's Jonas Čepulis ; the referee stopped the fight in the second round. Čepulis' face was already bleeding in the first round from Foreman's punches, and had to take a standing eight count early in the second round. Čepulis, fighting out of Lithuania , was a 29-year-old veteran with a 12-year-long amateur career, having over 220 fights in his record, quite experienced, and 10 years older than Foreman. After winning
2678-493: The Fifth Ward community of Houston, Texas , with six siblings. Although he was raised by J. D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. By his own admission in his autobiography, George was a troubled youth. He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and spent time as a mugger. At age 16, Foreman had a change of heart and convinced his mother to sign him up for
2781-482: The George Foreman Grill . After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics . Having turned professional the next year, he won the world heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973. He defended the belt twice before suffering his first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in
2884-554: The Job Corps after seeing an ad for the Corps on TV. As part of the Job Corps, Foreman earned his GED and trained to become a carpenter and bricklayer. After moving to Pleasanton, California , with the help of a supervisor, he began to train. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown , but gave it up for boxing. Foreman won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at
2987-619: The North American Boxing Federation (NABF), the North American Boxing Council (NABC) and the United States Boxing Association (USBA) also awarded championships. The Ring magazine also continued listing the world champion of each weight division, and its rankings continue to be appreciated by fans. Standing eight count A standing eight count , also known as a protection count,
3090-487: The Queensberry Rules . These rules specified more accurately, the role of the officials, and produced a system of scoring that enabled the referee to decide the result of a fight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) was first formed in 1919 with close links to the N.S.C., and was re-formed in 1929 after the N.S.C. closed. In 1909, the first of twenty-two belts were presented by the fifth Earl of Lonsdale to
3193-542: The "Caracas Caper". Foreman had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The win gave him a 40–0 record with 37 knockouts. Foreman's next title defense, on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire , against Muhammad Ali , was historic. The bout, promoted as the " Rumble in the Jungle ", exceeded even its wildest expectations. During training there in mid-September Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of
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3296-415: The "rope-a-dope" strategy entirely on his own. Ali had been known as a fighter of speed and movement, but the rope-a-dope technique worked exactly to plan, since Foreman had not had a fight that lasted past the fourth round since 1971. Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body in exchange for the opportunity to land a hard jolt to Foreman's head. Ali later said he was "out on his feet" twice during
3399-488: The Bantamweight title in 1892, Canada's George Dixon became the first ever black athlete to win a World Championship in any sport; he was also the first Canadian-born boxing champion. On May 12, 1902, lightweight Joe Gans became the first black American to be boxing champion. Despite the public's enthusiasm, this was an era of far-reaching regulation of the sport, often with the stated goal of outright prohibition. In 1900,
3502-417: The Bible that they [his congregation] didn’t know". Foreman opines that "It doesn't matter what you achieve, what you accomplish in this life...The most important thing is to keep your eye on the true prize, and that's serving God." Professional boxer Professional boxing , or prizefighting , is regulated, sanctioned boxing . Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between
3605-580: The State of New York enacted the Lewis Law, banned prizefights except for those held in private athletic clubs between members. Thus, when introducing the fighters, the announcer frequently added the phrase "Both members of this club", as George Wesley Bellows titled one of his paintings. The western region of the United States tended to be more tolerant of prizefights in this era, although the private club arrangement
3708-635: The United States became the centre for professional boxing. It was generally accepted that the "world champions" were those listed by the Police Gazette . After 1920, the National Boxing Association (NBA) began to sanction "title fights". Also during that time, The Ring was founded, and it listed champions and awarded championship belts. The NBA was renamed in 1962 and became the World Boxing Association (WBA). The following year,
3811-542: The WBA belt rather than face his mandatory title defense soon after, and following a single successful title defense against Axel Schulz , Foreman relinquished his IBF title as well on June 28, 1995. At 46 years and 169 days old, he was the oldest world heavyweight champion in history . Foreman is the oldest to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship of major honors and the second-oldest in any weight class after Bernard Hopkins (at light heavyweight ). He retired in 1997 at
3914-403: The WBA to strip him of that belt. On April 22, 1995, Foreman fought midlevel underdog prospect Axel Schulz , of Germany, in defense of his remaining IBF title. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and exhibited increasing confidence as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision, with one judge ruled the fight
4017-447: The Year" was not awarded in 1991, the seventh round, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, has been called a historic round of boxing and the remarkable high point of the fight. A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart , who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in
4120-435: The advertising of various products, most notably the successful George Foreman Grill . His public persona improved considerably, and the formerly aloof, intimidating Foreman was replaced by a cheerful, friendly man who engaged in self-deprecation on The Tonight Show . He also befriended Ali and as the latter had done, made himself a celebrity outside of boxing. Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights,
4223-464: The age of 48, with a final record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and 5 losses. Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame . The International Boxing Research Organization rates Foreman as the eighth-greatest heavyweight of all time. In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring . The Ring ranked him as
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4326-494: The bout a draw, regardless of the result reached by the third judge), or a “split draw” (if each boxer was the winner on one scorecard, and the third judge scored a draw). The 10-point system was first introduced in 1968 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a rational way of scoring fights. It was viewed as such because it allowed judges to reward knockdowns and distinguish between close rounds, as well as rounds where one fighter clearly dominated their opponent. Furthermore,
4429-472: The bout. As Foreman began to tire, his punches began to lose power and became increasingly wild. By mid-bout an increasingly confident Ali began to taunt the exhausted champion relentlessly, who had been reduced to mere pawing and landing harmless rubber-armed blows. Late in the eighth round Ali came off the ropes with a series of successively harder and more accurate right hooks to the side and back of Foreman's head, leaving him dazed and careening backwards. After
4532-604: The bout. Though he sought a rematch with Ali, he was unable to secure one. In some quarters it was suggested Ali was ducking him, while taking on low-risk opponents such as Chuck Wepner , Richard Dunn , Jean Pierre Coopman , and Alfredo Evangelista . However, Ali also fought formidable opponents, such as Ron Lyle , and accepted rematches with Frazier and Ken Norton , the only two men to have beaten him up until that time. Foreman announced an exhibition match in 1975, billed as Foreman vs Five, where he would fight five contenders in one night. Following his first loss to Muhammad Ali and
4635-479: The boxer is functioning and alert enough to continue. If the boxer is unsteady on his feet or seems unable to focus on the referee, the bout is ended by TKO . Typically, a boxer can be granted up to three standing eight counts in a round. The standing eight count was instituted in 1982 after the death of boxer Kim Duk-koo . However, the Association of Boxing Commissions eliminated it in 1998, believing it to favor
4738-501: The boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory authority to guarantee the fighters' safety. Most high-profile bouts obtain the endorsement of a sanctioning body, which awards championship belts, establishes rules, and assigns its own judges and referees. In contrast with amateur boxing , professional bouts are typically much longer and can last up to twelve rounds, though less significant fights can be as short as four rounds. Protective headgear
4841-555: The championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali , Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry . Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight. The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica , with Foreman dominating
4944-529: The clear winner. Like Foreman's fight with Schulz, the decision was highly controversial, but this time the decision went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a majority decision. One judge scored the bout 114–114, while the other two judges scored it 117–113 and 116–112 for Briggs. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48. A travelogue series of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts called The Walt Disney Magic Hour hosted by Foreman
5047-417: The contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points, with scores of 116–111, 115–112, and 117–110. Although The Ring magazine's "Round of
5150-564: The early twentieth century, most professional bouts took place in the United States and Britain, and champions were recognised by popular consensus as expressed in the newspapers of the day. Among the great champions of the era were the peerless heavyweight Jim Jeffries and Bob Fitzsimmons , who weighed more than 190 pounds (86 kilograms), but won world titles at middleweight (1892), light heavyweight (1903), and heavyweight (1897). Other famous champions included light heavyweight Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and middleweight Tommy Ryan . After winning
5253-436: The end of each round, judges must hand in their scores to the referee who then hands them to the clerk who records and totals the final scores. Judges are to award 10 points (less any point deductions) to the victor of the round and a lesser score (less any point deductions) to the loser. The losing contestant's score can vary depending on different factors. The "10-point must" system is the most widely used scoring system since
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#17328841852645356-413: The end of the year... I can't be bothered having trouble with Don King. Every contract has some complication." Tyson signed with King (and by 1998, was suing him for $ 100 million); the bout never materialized. The WBA demanded that Foreman fight their number-one challenger, who at the time was the competent, but aging, Tony Tucker . For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker and allowed
5459-407: The event the winner of a bout cannot be determined by a knockout , technical knockout , or disqualification , the final decision rests in the hands of three ringside judges approved by the commission. The three judges are usually seated along the edge of the boxing ring , separated from each other. The judges are forbidden from sharing their scores with each other or consulting with one another. At
5562-689: The extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout. Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. They said he sneered and was rarely available to the press. Foreman later said he was emulating former world champion and occasional sparring partner Sonny Liston . Foreman defended his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican Heavyweight Champion José Roman . Roman
5665-436: The fight to win the championship by TKO. In ABC's rebroadcast, Howard Cosell made the memorable call, "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight, Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds (the three-knockdown rule was not in effect for this bout). After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to
5768-401: The fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and stated he had a near-death experience . He spoke of being in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair, and felt that he was in the midst of death. Though not yet religious, he began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. When he said, "I don't care if this
5871-401: The fighter knocked down, resulting in a 10–8 score if there is one knockdown or a 10–7 score if there are two knockdowns. If the referee instructs the judges to deduct a point for a foul, this deduction is applied after the preliminary computation. So, if a fighter wins a round, but is penalised for a foul, the score changes from 10–9 to 9–9. If that same fighter scored a knockdown in the round,
5974-486: The fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships; and the age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was the largest of any heavyweight boxing championship fight. Shortly after the 1994 Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight with Mike Tyson, then the youngest heavyweight champion on record. In 1995, The New York Times quoted Foreman as stating, "If he doesn't sign with Don King , we'll fight before
6077-601: The gold-medal fight, Foreman walked around the ring carrying a small U.S. flag and bowing to the crowd. Foreman maintained that earning the Olympic gold medal was the achievement he was most proud of in his boxing career, more so than either of his world titles. Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York City . He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout). In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward
6180-403: The hands of individual sanctioning organizations. This meant that fights would be scored differently depending on the rules established by the governing body overseeing the fight. It is from this environment that the 10-point system evolved. The adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, established the foundation for greater judging consistency in professional boxing. In
6283-547: The highly regarded future hall-of-famer Ken Norton (who was 30–2), a boxer noted for his heavy punch and crossed-armed defense (a style Foreman emulated in his comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali in a points victory a year earlier. Norton had performed well against Ali in their two matches, winning the first on points and narrowly losing the second. (Norton developed a reputation for showing nerves against heavy hitters, largely beginning with this fight.) After an even first round, Foreman staggered Norton with an uppercut
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#17328841852646386-445: The iconic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974. Unable to secure another title opportunity, Foreman retired after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. Following what he referred to as a born again experience, Foreman became an ordained Christian minister. Ten years later he announced a comeback, and in 1994 at age 45 won the unified WBA , IBF , and lineal heavyweight championship titles by knocking out 26-year-old Michael Moorer . He dropped
6489-461: The initial victories, Foreman, now completely enraged and exhausted, was unable to beat his last two opponents, who were met with cheers and applause for lasting against the former champion. The event was initially meant to bolster support for Foreman's comeback, though the public was now even more unsure of his abilities. This state of affairs would last until the marvel that was Foreman's first professional comeback with Ron Lyle. In 1976, he announced
6592-439: The late teens into the early twenties. Championship level prizefighters in this period were the premier sports celebrities, TO IF WE, and a title bout generated intense public interest. Long before bars became popular venues in which to watch sporting events on television, enterprising saloon keepers were known to set up ticker machines and announce the progress of an important bout, blow by blow. Local kids often hung about outside
6695-493: The match for a month. The injury affected his training regimen, as it meant he could not spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being reopened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box." Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public, while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman
6798-430: The mid-20th century. It is so named because a judge "must" award 10 points to at least one fighter each round (before deductions for fouls). A scoring of 10–9 is commonly seen, with 10 points for the fighter who won the round, and 9 points for the fighter the judge believes lost the round. If a round is judged to be even, it is scored 10–10. For each knockdown in a round, the judge typically deducts an additional point from
6901-456: The money he had earned in the initial phase of his career. Another stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson . For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California , where he beat journeyman Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121 kg) for the fight and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age
7004-471: The most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper , who went on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield . In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in
7107-461: The ninth-greatest puncher of all time. He was a ringside analyst for HBO 's boxing coverage for 12 years until 2004. Outside boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill , which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $ 138 million. George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas . He grew up in
7210-507: The one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3, having lost only to Foreman and Ali twice, and Foreman was 41–1, with his sole defeat at the hands of Ali. However, their rematch began competitively, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier
7313-419: The other participant is awarded a technical knockout win. For this reason, fighters often employ cutmen , whose job is to treat cuts between rounds so that the boxer is able to continue despite the cut. Other scoring systems have also been used in various locations, including the five-point must system (in which the winning fighter is awarded five points, the loser four or fewer), the one-point system (in which
7416-448: The other, and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching, and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed to the canvas. Lyle remained down, giving Foreman a KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring as "The Fight of the Year". For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Frazier was then the world's number-three heavyweight per The Ring . Because of
7519-451: The outcome is determined by decision. In the early days of boxing, the referee decided the outcome by raising the winner's arm at the end of the bout, a practice that is still used for some professional bouts in the United Kingdom. In the early twentieth century, it became the practice for the referee or judge to score bouts by the number of rounds won by each boxer. To improve the reliability of scoring, two ringside judges were added besides
7622-425: The presence of a dying Christ. He felt his forehead bleed, punctured by a crown of thorns; his wrists, he believed, had been pierced by nails of the cross. “I knew that Jesus Christ was coming alive in me,” Foreman said. “I ran into the shower and turned on the water and — hallelujah! — I was born again. I kissed everybody in the dressing room and told them I loved them. That happened in March 1977, and I never have been
7725-411: The referee counted him out. In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: He became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win a world championship; 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for
7828-473: The referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round seven, but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and suffered a knockdown in round twelve before losing by unanimous decision. Referee Waldemar Schmidt had it 118–111, judge Cesar Ramos scored it 116–112, and judge Ismael Wiso Fernandez scored it 115–114, all to Young. Foreman became ill in his dressing room after
7931-409: The referee, and the winner was decided by majority decision. Since the late twentieth century, it has become common practice for the judges to be three ringside observers who award a score to each boxer for each round, with the referee having the authority to deduct points for certain violations. At the conclusion of the bout, each of the three judges tallies the points awarded to each boxer. A winner
8034-404: The result of an unintentional foul, the fight goes to the scorecards only if a specified number of rounds (usually three, sometimes four) have been completed. Whoever is ahead on the scorecards wins by a technical decision. If the required number of rounds has not been completed, the fight is declared a technical draw or a no contest. If a fight is stopped due to a cut resulting from a legal punch,
8137-457: The ring. While in the ring, Foreman began to verbally spar with Ali, who was commentating ring-side with Howard Cosell . After knocking-out opponents, Foreman would walk over to his corner and begin to taunt Ali, to which Ali responded by yelling advice to Foreman's opponents mid-fight. Foreman was met with jeers all throughout the night as the crowd grew increasingly displeased at Foreman's defeats of his first three opponents, all by knockout. After
8240-410: The ropes and might have scored a KO, but the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished, he retaliated with
8343-420: The saloon doors, hoping for news of the fight. Harpo Marx , then fifteen, recounted vicariously experiencing the 1904 Jeffries-Munroe championship fight in this way. Professional bouts are limited to a maximum of twelve rounds, where each round last 3 minutes for men, 2 minutes for women. Most are fought over four to ten rounds depending upon the experience of the boxers. Through the early twentieth century, it
8446-407: The same again.” George Foreman stated that in this crisis experience, he became born again Christian. Following this, HBO boxing commentator Larry Merchant commented that "There was a transformation from a young, hard character who felt a heavyweight champion should carry himself with menace to a very affectionate personality." Foreman was welcomed by members of The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ,
8549-425: The score would change from 10–8 in his favour to 9–8. While uncommon, if a fighter completely dominates a round but does not score a knockdown, a judge can still score that round 10–8. Judges do not have the ability to disregard an official knockdown; if the referee declares a fighter going down to be a knockdown, the judges must score it as such. If a fight is stopped due to an injury that the referee has ruled to be
8652-415: The second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He was subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win, with scores of 94–94 and 94–93 twice. In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO title. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison ,
8755-406: The second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), he was ranked as the number-one challenger by the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council . In 1972, still undefeated and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier . Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from
8858-422: The second round. Cooney was knocked down twice and Foreman finished with a KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year. The following year, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield for the world title in a pay-per-view boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began
8961-455: The sport, as did boxers' managers. The best promoters and managers have been instrumental in bringing boxing to new audiences and provoking media and public interest. The most famous of all three-way partnership (fighter-manager-promoter) was that of Jack Dempsey (heavyweight champion 1919–1926), his manager Jack Kearns , and the promoter Tex Rickard . Together they grossed US$ 8.4 million in only five fights between 1921 and 1927 and ushered in
9064-408: The subsequent adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, allowed for greater judging consistency, which was something that was sorely needed at the time. There are many factors that inform the judge's decision but the most important of these are: clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. Judges use these metrics as a means of discerning which fighter has
9167-403: The trigger" on his punches. Entering the 10th round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards, with two judges had it 88–83 and one had it 86–85, all to Moorer. However, he launched a comeback in the 10th round and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then, a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on the canvas as
9270-542: The undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta , whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden , although Peralta showed that Foreman was vulnerable to fast counter-punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. Foreman then defeated George Chuvalo by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three. Peralta and Chuvalo were Foreman's first world-level wins. Peralta
9373-469: The winner of a British title fight held at the N.S.C. In 1929, the BBBofC continued to award Lonsdale Belts to any British boxer who won three title fights in the same weight division. The "title fight" has always been the focal point in professional boxing. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, there were title fights at each weight. Promoters who could stage profitable title fights became influential in
9476-407: The winning fighter is awarded one or more points, and the losing fighter is awarded zero), and the rounds system which simply awards the round to the winning fighter. In the rounds system, the bout is won by the fighter determined to have won more rounds. This system often used a supplemental points system (generally the 10-point must) in the case of even rounds. In the first part of the 20th century,
9579-399: Was common for fights to have unlimited rounds, ending only when one fighter quit or the fight was stopped by police. In the 1910s and 1920s, a fifteen-round limit gradually became the norm, benefiting high-energy fighters like Jack Dempsey . For decades, boxing matches went on for 15 rounds, but that was all changed on November 13, 1982, following the death of Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo in
9682-474: Was favored, having crushed undefeated heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and toppled formidable challenger Ken Norton both within two rounds. When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, Foreman
9785-436: Was in the locker room and suddenly felt that he was dying. Wanting to survive, he prayerfully offered "to devote his boxing prize money to charity" when he heard a voice saying "I don’t want your money...I want you." The New York Times reported: Then a “giant hand” plucked him into consciousness. Foreman found himself on a locker room table, surrounded by friends and staff members. He felt as if he were physically filled with
9888-422: Was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he said later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times, including a seventh-round knockout of former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi when referee Carlos Padilla stopped the fight. Having always been
9991-534: Was not regarded as a top contender, but had managed to beat a few decent fighters such as EBU champion Spain Jose Manuel Urtain, and was ranked the number-seven heavyweight in the March 1973 issue of The Ring . Foreman ended the fight in two minutes, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout. Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas , Venezuela , he faced
10094-458: Was set to make $ 10 million and Holmes was to make $ 4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO. Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40,
10197-560: Was standard practice here as well, the San Francisco Athletic Club being a prominent example. On December 26, 1908, heavyweight Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion and a highly controversial figure in that racially charged era. Prizefights often had unlimited rounds, and could easily become endurance tests, favouring patient tacticians like Johnson. At lighter weights, ten round fights were common, and lightweight Benny Leonard dominated his division from
10300-504: Was supposed to debut as part of PAX 's debut lineup in 1998, but never made it to air. Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterwards. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay-per-view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman
10403-498: Was the number-10 ranked heavyweight in the world in January 1970 per The Ring , while Chuvalo was number seven in the world per their March 1971 issue. In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the 10th and final round in Oakland, California , and a win over Leroy Caldwell, whom he knocked out in
10506-402: Was unable to land many big punches to Ali's head. The ring ropes were unusually loose, and Foreman later charged that Angelo Dundee (Ali's longtime trainer) had loosened them as part of Ali's tactic to lean back and away from the wild swings before clinching Foreman behind the head; Dundee stated that not only did he tighten the ropes because they were so loose due to the heat, Ali came up with
10609-475: Was wearing a contact lens for his vision, which was knocked loose during the bout. Unable to mount a significant offense, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott LeDoux in three rounds and prospect John Dino Denis in four to finish the year. Foreman had a life-changing year in 1977. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida , Foreman flew to Puerto Rico
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