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By: Sean Crose
There was a moment in the mid 80s that George Foreman was seen as a joke. People laughed at the preposterous notion that Foreman could actually come back to the boxing ring after almost a decade away from the sweet science. I even remember cutting out a picture of man smiling sweetly after his first comeback win. The truth is that my teenage self felt sorry for him. Now, decades later, the fight world, no the world in general, is feeling sorry that Foreman is no longer with us. Why? First and foremost is the fact that the fighter called “Big George” proved all of us wrong by actually winning back the world heavyweight title in 1994. There was more to it than that, though.
The truth is that Foreman not only won back the title – but won it while being an affable, nice guy. He was counterprogramming to the fearsome Mike Tyson. Where Tyson was menacing, Foreman was friendly. While Tyson was a veritable rollercoaster, ordained minister Foreman essentially stood as a pillar of stability in the fight game of the era. He may have gone heavy (no pun intended) with the cheeseburger jokes. The fact that he had numerous sons named George may have raised some eyebrows, too. Yet Foreman came across as a genuinely well meaning guy. That was and remains an oddity in boxing
Of course the man wasn’t afraid to use his considerable charm to earn a fortune. While he originally came back to support his Texas parish, Foreman went on to become arguably the wealthiest sports figure on earth. His George Foreman Grill apparently made him a better earner than sneaker and NBA icon Michael Jordan. Without doubt, Foreman had come a long way after losing to Muhammad Ali in Zaire back in the mid seventies.
Of course Foreman’s unexpectedly successful comeback wouldn’t have been all that successful if the man couldn’t box. The truth is that Foreman worked his way to once again be a championship level fighter. He became far less anxious than the earlier version of himself had been. He also, as former trainer Gil Clancy noted, took to actually employing a jab. In other words, Foreman’s ultimate success was far from a fluke. He had good reason to smile. Still, Foreman will be missed as much for his winning personality as he will be for his ring accomplishments.
Rest in Peace.
