Boxing’s Heavyweights of the 1970s: George Foreman

It is difficult to say that any heavyweight of the 1970s made as much of an impact as a young man out of Texas who represented the United States at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Few will ever forget the iconic image of George Foreman holding the American flag after the gold medal match, showing stoic countenance in the definitive act of his becoming known as the strong, silent type early in his career.

However, Foreman was much more than a menacing bruiser. People who have seen his highlight reel tend to get the impression that he merely stood in front of opponents and winged haymakers to random parts of their bodies. That would suggest that Foreman’s ring IQ was limited, which could not be further from the truth. He was surrounded by great boxing minds from the time he was indoctrinated into the sport by the famed Charles “Doc” Broadus. Under Broadus, Foreman became a fixture as a sparring partner for Sonny Liston inside the renowned Johnny Tocco’s Ringside Gym in Las Vegas. Some accounts indicate that those sparring matches were something to behold, despite Foreman being an amateur at the time. It remains noteworthy that Foreman scored the majority of his amateur wins by stoppage, particularly those in the Golden Gloves, AAU competition and the Olympics.

Foreman turned professional with a bang in 1969, as he fought 13 times and delivered 11 knockouts. He repeated the pattern in 1970, fighting 12 times with 11 knockouts. Foreman trained under cousins Dick Sadler and Danny Saddler, as well as Archie Moore. When viewing the young Foreman’s style, his beginning position was almost identical to Saddler’s stance, albeit a bit more upright. Many forget that Foreman was not always a plodder. He was quite mobile as an amateur and young pro, so it seems likely the upright posture was used to facilitate better leg movement. Before he seemed to fall in love with his power, Foreman was a skilled boxer-puncher. Moments of boxing brilliance would come to define him as much as the brute force that captured the imagination of fans.

As a pro, Foreman started to raise eyebrows in August 1970, when he dispatched George Chuvalo in three rounds. Despite an inability to floor Chuvalo, Foreman appeared to render him incapable of retaliating against his attacks. Still, the boxing world remained somewhat skeptical, even as he pieced together a 32-0 record with 29 knockouts.

On Jan. 22, 1973, Foreman challenged Joe Frazier for the heavyweight championship, and people were shocked by what they saw. A fearsome champion who some regarded as unstoppable, Frazier was close to a 4-to-1 betting favorite entering the bout. Foreman not only stopped him but did so with almost comical ease, as he disposed of Frazier inside two rounds and scored multiple dramatic knockdowns in the process. Foreman, who later in his career became known for the graciousness he showed towards his opponents, still speaks of being wary of Frazier’s punches.

The strategy Foreman employed to gain control of the first round proved effective. Frazier was known to lower his elevation and barrel forward, oftentimes without a jab. Foreman simply stretched out his arms and, using the palms of his gloves, shoved Frazier away from him again and again. After repeated failed attempts to get close, Frazier began to attack desperately from too far away, which gave Foreman -- he always had a keen eye for distance -- just the right amount of space to land extremely effective punches. Despite Foreman’s destruction of Frazier, many remained cynical when it came to the Marshall, Texas, native’s prowess going into his bout on March 26, 1974. It was against a man many felt would pose a much more difficult challenge, a man of equal size, perceived strength and punching power: Ken Norton. Some saw Norton as the superior boxer, too.

The first round was even -- and scintillating. However, in round two, Foreman landed a devastating uppercut from which Norton could not recover. He did not see the end of the round. Foreman demonstrated a particularly intriguing form of punching that involved sharp circular motions. Those who saw Moore fight recognize it immediately. Foreman blended the styles of Saddler and Moore, all while strategically guided by Sadler. After wrecking Norton, Foreman was the reigning heavyweight champion. His record stood at 40-0 with 37 knockouts -- figures we see today only in fighters who are deemed “protected.” The public did not feel that way about Foreman, not after he proved himself against Frazier and Norton.

Instead, Foreman entered his highly anticipated showdown with Muhammad Ali as the betting favorite on Oct. 30, 1974. The fight forever altered the heavyweight boxing landscape, both in terms of business and in the overriding feeling that the younger, bigger, stronger man would always come out on top. Foreman could not conquer Ali in Zaire. In fact, Ali used every aspect of his fighting persona against him, starting with the verbal exploitation of the dysfunction in his training camp. Foreman suffered a cut, which altered his training, delayed the fight and essentially forced him to prepare without much sparring. Ali consistently degraded Foreman, implying the delay was a farce. He also adopted an ideal game plan to exploit an overconfident Foreman, who figured if he hit Ali the former champion would simply wither. Instead, Ali employed a tactic of covering up and allowing Foreman to expend himself, all while verbally taunting the Texan. By the time Ali exploited this tactic and dropped Foreman, “Big George” had all but capitulated. Some believed Foreman was mentally weak and insecure, seeing these traits as the holes upon which Ali truly capitalized. Sadler was also accused of spiking Foreman’s water, an accusation the trainer denied until his dying day, claiming Foreman was beaten because of himself and no one else.

Foreman never did lose his love of the sport. He rebounded to beat Ron Lyle in one of the most memorable fights in boxing. However, observers felt Foreman’s best days were behind him. He may have felt so himself, as this period in his life was marred by inconsistency and drug use. After losing to a skilled Jimmy Young on March 17, 1977, Foreman retired from boxing for more than a decade to become a minister.

At 38, he staged a comeback in 1987, initially to raise money for his youth organization. After receiving negative feedback about his being too old and too fat, he found new motivation. Foreman set out to prove that “40 is not a death sentence” and forever altered his image. Gone were the days of a young, brooding, unavailable, temperamental champion who intimidated members of the press and modeled his character after Liston. Foreman became more fan-friendly, advertising himself as everyone’s grandfather, even though he could still knock out the youngsters. He was more attentive to the media, appeared in countless commercials and was far more jovial and outspoken at press conferences. It seems certain that he learned something from his old nemesis Ali. Foreman hired Angelo Dundee and Gil Clancy, who helped shape his comeback, guide his training and improve his fitness as the situation progressed.

On Nov. 5, 1994, Foreman challenged Michael Moorer for the heavyweight championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Moorer, who entered the ring with a 35-0 record, won the first nine rounds, but in the 10th, Foreman knocked down the champion with a punch heard ’round the world -- a right hand from which Moorer would not recover. With that, the 45-year-old Foreman regained the heavyweight championship and overtook Moore, one of his mentors, as the oldest boxer to win the heavyweight crown.

Luis Monda is currently a full-time boxing trainer at Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas, which is the oldest gym in Sin City. Luis has a deep knowledge of combat sports history, and has spent significant time researching lineages in boxing, specifically. He has been involved in the local-fight scene for nearly a decade: first as a potential competitor, then as the manager of Tocco’s, and now as an instructor to boxers, kickboxers and mixed martial arts fighters.