40 years ago, almost no one knew such a promoter yet. boxing matches like legendary Don king... The iconic ring anouncer, which now makes millions for just one appearance on stage, Michael Buffer, was a little-known guy babbling before a fight. Muhammad Ali was considered an elderly punching bag, and George Foreman- the future of world boxing, a champion for years to come, who will possibly become the greatest boxer of all time ...

Bloody dictator's money

And so it might have been, if not for Don King. This young enthusiast decided to make his first fight as a promoter a memorable one. His dream was to organize a championship fight for Muhammad Ali, who returned to the ring after four years of disqualification, pitting his foreheads against the young boxing genius George Foreman, who did not lose any of his 40 fights, 37 of which ended in knockouts.

But in order to bring these two boxing values ​​together in the ring, one had to have an ingenious gift of persuasion. King didn't have it. But there was an understanding that the gift of persuasion could best be replaced by green banknotes - the question was quantity. As a result, Ali agreed to go out against Foreman for 5.5 million euros. The young world champion was ready to overthrow another authority for 5 million.

And then another problem arose - neither Don King nor any of his acquaintances had that kind of money. To roughly understand what it was for the money at that moment, it is enough to simply say that the three greatest champions before Muhammad Ali all together throughout their career did not earn the fee that Ali should have received in one fight.

I had to look for resources. And they were found - in Africa. In Zaire, which now bears the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But then it was Zaire. And at the head of the state was a bloody dictator Sese Seko Mobutu, who became the head of state in 1965 as a result of the revolution. He was greedy for fame, but he could not figure out how to become famous all over the world. And Don King was able to convince him that the greatest fight in the history of boxing, which will also be the first championship fight held on the African continent, will forever imprint his name in world history. And Mobutu, pushing his beloved cheetah beret on his forehead, agreed to allocate $ 12 million to organize the fight. All this happened at a record low standard of living in a country with the 11th largest territory in the world and 19th in terms of population. Zaire was recognized by many ratings as the poorest country on the planet. Which, in principle, is still relevant today.

In Africa, big, evil ...

The fight, which was dubbed "Rumble in the Jungle" (Rumble in the Jungle), was to be simultaneously the first championship fight in Africa, the greatest fight of all time and the triumph of the black population of the earth. “A big day for a black man,” said Ali, rejoicing at the return of his ancestors to the land.

Arriving in Zaire, he began to flirt with the public from the gangplank, setting it up not so much in his own favor as against Foreman. "Who don't they like here?" Ali asked the local representative. “Mosquitoes,” he replied. “But I can't call Foreman a mosquito. I need them to dislike him too, ”explained Ali. “They also do not like the Belgians,” Ali's companion recalled the history of the Zairian people, which had existed for a long time under the yoke of colonialists from Belgium.

"George Foreman is a purebred Belgian!" - this was one of the first phrases of Ali, who flew to Kinshasa to prepare for the battle. The crowd meeting former champion at the airport, took it with glee. Ali instantly became a popular favorite. And Foreman, who arrived a little later, even had to lock himself up in the hotel on the territory of which he was training - everything so as not to be attacked by the locals. Ali, on the other hand, jogged on fresh air with local boys, arranged a huge number of open workouts and constantly tried to unbalance Foreman.

So the whole summer of 1974 passed. Autumn has come. The fighters are used to the hot and incredibly humid climate of Kinshasa. The fight was scheduled for September. And then Foreman began to get nervous. He saw no fear of himself, the invincible, on the part of Muhammad Ali. And that confused him. Whether or not the dissection he received in training is still not known for certain. But due to injury, the fight was postponed for a month and was supposed to take place on October 30. All this extra month Ali continued to destroy Foreman morally. From the camp of the champion, who was too peaceful outside the ring, practically nothing was heard. He trained systematically, played table tennis and enjoyed life, confident that he would defeat Ali. Well, they do not become champions at the age of Muhammad, especially after four years inaction following Ali's refusal to go to Vietnam for the war.

The battle

Yes, both the bookmakers and the opinion of the sane public were on the side of the reigning champion. Foreman was too strong. Too confidently, he crushed everyone in his path, and not the most powerful rivals, and those who were stronger, and even boxers who could boast that they defeated Muhammad Ali himself. Yes, before the fight with Ali Foreman did not leave a living space for Joe Frazier... The bets were 3 to 1 not in favor of 32-year-old Muhammad Ali.

And then the young ring-anounser Michael Buffer entered the ring. He uttered his favorite phrase, which, by the way, was inspired by Muhammad Ali: “Let’s get ready to rumble! Rumble in the jungle! ”Buffer shouted into the microphone. It can be translated into Russian as: “Let's make some noise! Let's rumble in the jungle! " It is only later that Buffer will patent the first part of the phrase and will mercilessly fine those who use the phrase officially belonging to him. Much later, he will become more recognizable than many boxers, and will receive up to a million dollars for just one appearance in the ring. In Kinshasa, he was only a decoration for the main event - for the battle.

Michael Buffer, 2014 Photo: RIA Novosti / Said Tsarnaev

The main characters were already in the ring. Muhammad Ali came out first to the wild roar of the 60-thousandth crowd that adored him. For the first time, he had to wake up so early for a fight - the fight was scheduled for 8 a.m. - all to please American television. The champion, as it should be, appeared later - 10 minutes later, to the whistle and hooting. And it rushed ...

The first rounds were for Foreman. A couple of times he kissed Ali's face so hard that, according to his own recollections, he began to hallucinate. But Ali resisted and began to defend himself in all possible ways. Due to the fact that the fighters often pressed against the ropes, they sagged, which gave Ali more opportunity to elude Foreman's punches, even when he pinched an opponent in the corner. George demanded to stop the fight in order to tighten the ropes, but the judges did not pay attention to this.

To the surprise of the audience, closer to the seventh round, the champion's strength began to leave. He began to move slower, miss more punches, lose concentration. In the eighth round, the young fighter could hardly move his legs, and old Ali continued to flutter and sting. And at the end of the round, one of his blows turned out to be decisive. Foreman fell. But he got up when the referee said: "Nine!"

According to the rules, the fight could be continued, but the judge had already spread his arms to the sides. Michael Buffer flew onto the stage shouting: "The winner of the fight and again the world heavyweight champion - Muhammad Ali!"

Ali became the oldest athlete at that time to win the championship belt in a fight with reigning champion... Foreman, on the other hand, had only to look for those to blame for his defeat. He also suspected the referee, who, in his opinion, was counting down the knockdown too quickly. And even his own coach, who gave him a glass of water before the fight - then George was embarrassed by the strange taste of medications. He is still sure that drugs were planted on him then. But even so, Muhammad Ali became the champion and greatest boxer of all time in the greatest fight in the history of boxing. By the way, after this fight, he called himself “The Greatest”.

After the fight, Ali defended his title ten times. Then he lost it, but immediately returned it. And in 1981 he was forced to retire. At that time, Foreman had already stopped entering the ring for four years, becoming a preacher. But Ali's departure opened the door for him. In 1987, ten years after his last fight, Foreman returned to the ring and began to win. So he paved his way to the 1991 fight for the title of undisputed world champion with Evander Hollyfield... The 39-year-old Foreman surprised everyone with the fact that he made it to the end of the fight and lost to the champion only on points. But Foreman did not give up and continued to box. In 1994, he again fought for the title - this time against Michael Moorer, who was knocked out in the 10th round, at 42, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion in boxing history.

World boxing legend, former three-time world champion in heavyweight Mohammed Ali passed away at the age of 74. For the past 30 years, he has been battling Parkinson's disease. "Lenta.ru" recalls the most interesting and significant fights in the career of the "People's Champion".

Mohammed Ali - Sonny Liston. February 25, 1964

After defeating Henry Cooper in a duel at Wembley Stadium in London, then Cassius Clay finally got what he had been striving for for so long - the opportunity to face the world champion. Title fight with the owner of the heavyweight belt was held on February 25, 1964. Sonny Liston and his team had no doubts about the success. It was profitable for them to conduct the fight from a marketing point of view, Clay is a great bait for the audience. By the way, he acted in his usual manner and began psychological pressure on the champion immediately after the sides shook hands. He humiliated Liston in every interview, did not miss a single opportunity to pry on his opponent.

For inappropriate behavior at the weigh-in, Clay was fined. He shouted threats against the opponent, and, as it turned out, well-founded. In the ring, Clay circled the champion in signature style, dodging one attack after another. The initiative was in the hands of Liston until the third round, then the challenger launched a counterattack. One of the blows cut an eyebrow over the opponent's left eye, a hematoma formed under the right one. In the fourth round, Cassius felt severe pain in his eyes. He asked coach Angelo Dundee to stop the fight, but he showed composure, releasing his fighter for the next round with the task of surviving. It succeeded, and in the fifth round the vision was fully restored. Clay made a great cut, hitting Liston with a lot of precise punches. As a result, in the interval between the fifth and sixth rounds, he refused to continue the fight. So at 22, Clay won his first champion title.

Ring magazine recognized the fight as the fight of the decade.

Mohammed Ali - Sonny Liston. May 25, 1965

Having recovered from defeat, Liston wanted to fight a rematch. Now he was opposed not by Cassius Clay, but by Mohammed Ali, an American who converted to Islam and changed his name. The fight was supposed to take place in Boston in November 1964, but three days before the scheduled date, Ali's intestinal hernia worsened and he had to undergo surgery. The fight was postponed to May 25, 1965, but the Massachusetts Boxing Commission refused to organize the fight due to a difficult crime situation. The enterprising Mayor of Lewiston in Maine invited boxers to compete in his city.

There were just over four thousand spectators in the small hall. Liston was again the favorite. But Ali had a different opinion. Less than two minutes after the start of the fight, Liston collapsed to the floor after a short blow from the right. Ali refused to go to the neutral corner, he was eager to continue the fight, offering his opponent to rise. After a little confusion, the referee stopped the fight, and Ali defended the title for the first time in his career.

Mohammed Ali - George Foreman. October 30, 1974

In the 70s, Foreman was the reigning heavyweight champion. The track record spoke for itself: 40 wins (37 by KO) and not a single defeat. Therefore, once again, few believed in Ali's success.

This fight went down in the history of boxing with the name "Rumble in the Jungle". It took place in Zaire, funded by the local dictator Mobuta. Young promoter Don King persuaded him to pay each of the boxers five million dollars.

Ali was predicted to be defeated quickly and painlessly. But it was not for nothing that he said: “The impossible is not a sentence. It's a challenge. The impossible is a chance to prove yourself. Impossible is not forever. The impossible is possible. " And not to be unfounded, the Greatest knocked out Foreman in the eighth round. The fight took place in a hot, high humidity, so the speeds almost immediately dropped to a minimum, but this did not prevent Ali from “exploding” at the right moment.

Mohammed Ali - Joe Fraser. October 1, 1975

Mohammed Ali and Joe Fraser had met twice in the ring before this fight. Both times, the fights were intense and exciting. Frazier won the first by decision, inflicting Ali's first defeat in professional career... In the second, Mohammed returned the favor to him. In general, Joe can be called Ali's main rival.

Like the fight with Foreman, it was decided to hold this fight abroad. The battlefield was the Philippine capital Manila, the money was allocated from the local budget. President Ferdinand Marcos generously paid for the visit of American guests: Ali got nine million dollars, his rival - five million.

Like Liston, Ali tried to throw Fraser out of his psychological balance. He called him a gorilla and carried a toy monkey everywhere, beating it at every opportunity with the words: "Well, gorilla, let's do a thriller in Manila." After this fight, Fraser stopped communicating with Ali.

The fight became one of the most intense in the careers of both athletes. Throughout most of the confrontation, the advantage shifted from one to the other. After the end of the 14th round, Fraser's team decided to stop the fight: a strong bruise was growing under Joe's eye. Realizing that he had the upper hand, an exhausted Ali passed out in his corner of the ring.

In 1996, Ring magazine recognized this fight as the best in the history of boxing.

Mohammed Ali - Leon Spinks. September 15, 1978

On February 15, 1978, Leon Spinks defeated Ali by split decision and took away his championship belt. Mohammed demanded a rematch, which took place on September 15 of the same year. Ali carefully prepared for the fight and, in the presence of 65,000 spectators, taught the offender a good lesson.

In the fifth round, Ali's series of accurate punches shocked Spinks, but he stayed on his feet and held out until the end of the 15-round fight. The judges unanimously gave the victory to the Greatest, and he won the world title for the third time, repeating the record of the legendary Joe Louis. After the fight, Ali announced his retirement.

Battle "Rumble in the Jungle", October 30, 1974

Characters

Don King, boxing promoter who is called godfather American boxing

Muhammad Ali, boxer. To date, won 56 fights out of 61, victories by knockout - 37 times, defeats - five

George Foreman, boxer. To date, won 76 fights out of 81, victories by knockout - 68, defeats - five

This fight was the first for boxing promoter Don King, an absolutely mythical figure in the entire world of boxing. It was he who proposed to hold a duel in the very center of Africa - Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), having persuaded the Zairian dictator Mobutu to allocate twelve million dollars for this (the compensation of both boxers amounted to five million dollars). Upon learning that the fight would take place on the "Black Continent", Mohammed Ali said that this fight was a fight for "a big dirty deed", to which Foreman objected that he was "twice as black as Ali".

George Foreman with James Brown and female promoters before the fight
Mohammed Ali at a press conference before the fight

Due to the harsh climatic conditions, the boxers arrived in Zaire three months in advance to better prepare for the upcoming fight. In training, Ali spent a lot of time working at the ropes - later experts will call this tactic "rope-a-dope" - to pull back while protecting the head as far as possible behind the ring. Largely thanks to this manner of fighting, Ali won the fight and many subsequent fights, including the legendary fight against Joe Fraser, who, by the way, acted as a commentator for this fight.

Due to the fact that the fight was scheduled for eight in the morning for the convenience of a huge TV audience - mostly American - the boxers were already physically addicted to the third round. The more powerful and aggressive Foreman constantly attacked, but all the punches were on defense, moreover, he was not such a technical and thinking boxer like Ali and mainly hoped for the crushing power of his blow. Experts then said that Foreman had only two advantages: left and right. Ali, defending himself competently, regularly counterattacked, focusing on the cross to the head. At the end of the eighth round, Ali struck a decisive right side on the exhausted Foreman and sent him to the floor. The judge, not counting to ten, decided to stop the fight.

Sports Illustrated edition celebrating Muhammad Ali's victory. The headline reads: “Returning the title. How Ali fooled them all.

The decisive blow at the end of the eighth round
George Foreman on the floor
Rope dope performed by AliMohammed Ali's explosive counterattack

After the fight, Ali will declare himself the greatest boxer of all time and say that no one will beat him until he is fifty. Despite the verbal diving in the press between the fighters before and after the match, the relationship between them is not hostile - at the Oscars during the ceremony of receiving the award for the film "When We Were Kings" dedicated to this fight, Foreman will even hold Ali's hand.

The theory of styles does not work - the history of boxing is created by individuals. Big personalities. And when they converge in the ring, then it becomes clear who is the Greatest, and who is simply Big. The blog "They Don't Make It Anymore" recalls the confrontation between Mohammed Ali and George Foreman.

The rumble in the jungle was called perhaps the most famous and significant confrontation in world boxing - the fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. The fight really took place in the jungle - in the capital of the former Belgian colony of Congo, which began to bear the proud aboriginal name of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Kinshasa.

It was this fight that became the first for Don King as a promoter. No, of course, he was not in the last roles before, but it was the Rumble in the Jungle that was completely organized by him. It was King who suggested that the duel be held in Africa. It was he who came to an agreement with the Zairian dictator Mobutu, and persuaded him to allocate $ 12 million, unprecedented at that time, for the fight (each boxer got $ 5 million). Don also actively spoke about the battle in the heart of Africa - as if it was the craving for the roots that determined the place of the battle. Ali still did not calm down. He announced that the fight was a fight for a "big dirty deed". Foreman only objected to this: "Yes, I'm twice as black as him."

In general, this situation looked pretty funny. Metis (Ali also had Irish blood) from a wealthy Midwestern family is a black radical. And a truly black negro from the most southern state (George was from Texas) from an incomplete large family and, moreover, with a hooligan past - a patriot of the American dream.

Due to the harsh tropical climate, the boxers arrived in Zaire well in advance and spent the entire summer of 1974 there. Both were very actively preparing for the fight. But Ali, even in open training, stood more and more at the ropes and courageously defended himself. Then few people paid attention to this, but this is how he will behave during the battle. “George Foreman never thinks - he just doesn't know how to do it. Instead, he stupidly thrashes that there are strengths, ”Ali will say before the fight. He was clearly not afraid that Foreman would calculate it. Big George really had only two virtues - left and right. But he could not think in the ring or play all sorts of games there. This is what Mohammed took advantage of. He gave George his fill, and then he said his weighty word.

The tactics that Ali used in this fight would later be called rope-a-dope - literally, rope dope. Mohammed was actually hanging on the ropes, pulling himself as far out of the ring as possible with blows to the head. At the same time, when the opponent got tired, Ali carried out sharp counter-attacks. He will use the same tactics in the third battle against Fraser - Thriller in Manila. And it was this tactic, according to some, that caused the development of Parkinson's syndrome in Mohammed. True, doctors say that this syndrome is hereditary, and that Ali's father, Cassius Marcellus Clay, who had never boxed, also suffered from this serious illness after 35 years. Be that as it may, Ali was forced to resort to rope doping primarily due to the drop in the speed of his legs. All the same, the years and the forced downtime affected.

Even before the fight, Ali said: “In a couple of years, when George retires, he will bite his elbows, bang on his forehead and repeat:“ Well, I'm a fool! Why did I contact this guy? " It seems that here, too, Mohammed miscalculated George - defeat, indeed, broke him. After 3 years, Foreman will really retire. True, temporary.

Due to the cut received by Foreman in sparring, the fight had to be postponed from September to October 30. And in tropical conditions, this means a period of rains and high humidity. In addition, for the convenience of the American viewer, the fight took place at 8 o'clock in the morning. Therefore, both boxers began to give up quite strongly from the first rounds.

Already from the second round, Ali hangs on the ropes, and numerous attempts by the judge to hold the ropes together with him have not been crowned with success. At the same time, Mohammed carries out very powerful counterattacks, especially focusing on the right cross to the head. After the fifth round, Foreman's corner asks to pull the ropes. For some reason, Angelo Dundee does not like this idea, and he begins to protest violently. The battle continues on. Foreman was exhausted after five rounds. Ali, on the other hand, begins to attack more and more often. After the sixth round, Joe Fraser, commenting on this fight, states that Foreman is fighting stupidly and Ali is smart. But this is already clear without him.

By the eighth round, George was completely blown out, and, taking a break in the seventh round, Ali squeezes the last juice out of him. Foreman, like a car without a gearbox, is not able to slow down or back up. Apparently he was not taught this. Ali at the end of the round strikes the weakened Foreman with a series of punches, the final of which was the most powerful right cross. George is on the floor. He manages to score 9, but the referee decides to stop the fight.

Later, Foreman will say that he did not get up earlier, because from the corner he was told that there was still time to come to his senses. And boxing observers will pay attention to the fact that the referee managed to count 10 in 9 seconds. Be that as it may, George is thoroughly shocked and Ali's victory is beyond doubt. This is confirmed by Foreman's staggering gait, with which he goes to his corner.

After the fight, Ali declared himself the Greatest and said that no one could beat him until he was 50. And Foreman said that he lost to the greatest chatterbox in the world and began to make excuses in every possible way for this defeat. The ropes, he said, were deliberately weakened by Ali's seconds before the battle, so that it would be easier for Mohammed to hang on them. And in his memoirs, George agreed that he mixed his own corner with something in the water - it supposedly had some kind of medicinal aftertaste. However, the aged Foreman admitted in a moment of frankness: "He just whipped me." Well, you have to be able to lose, and Foreman studied this art for a long time.

But at the same time, their relationship with Ali, oddly enough, improved. And Foreman even supported Ali's hand in winning the Oscar. And Oscar was for documentary“When We Were Kings” is about that very fight. Why are there only "were"? There are no former kings.

George Foreman

"Big" George Foreman – former boxer, who today is better known for what he does outside the ring than for his legendary boxing career. He turned boxing into popular view sports, but many do not even know all his achievements in the ring. During his boxing career George Foreman reached 76-5 (68 KOs) and fought the most famous boxers of all time - Muhammad Ali, Joe Fraser and Ken Norton... He won the heavyweight world title twice - the first time when he was still very young, and the second time in 1994, at 45 years old, winning Michael Moorer and becoming the oldest boxer ever to win this title.

Big George talks about how he got into boxing and shares his memories of winning the gold medal Olympic medal... Foreman talks about trying to win Joe Fraser in the fight for the title, how in 2 rounds he figured out Ken Norton and shares his thoughts on Showdown in the Jungle with Muhammad Ali... Foreman tells how he survived the defeat, how he fought with Ron Lyle... He reveals the moments that changed his life forever. Here's what he said:

George Foreman

Let's talk a little about your career. How did you get into boxing?
I just came to the gym to lose some weight. Then I had problems with the Employment Center, and they said that if I was interested, I could stay in this employment center. This helped me solve the problems. I figured I could be a good street fighter within a year of boxing, go back to Houston and beat everyone up. I had no idea that this road would lead me to the gold medal and title fights, and that I would learn to throw left jabs and right punches and learn a lot of other things, and generally forget about the desire to be a street fighter.

As a result, you won gold medal Olympic Games and became America's best heavyweight. What were the feelings?
When did you win the gold medal? I can say that even just being on the Olympic team was amazing. I had many friends who served in the military and they all returned home in their uniforms and were all proud of them. I didn’t manage to serve. At 19, I was already in the Olympic team and wore the colors of the national team, sport suit, costumes ...

George Foreman

I told my mother how proud I was that I was in shape, even if I won’t win a single fight. Therefore, winning one fight after another, and then a gold medal - wow, an indescribable feeling! When I won the gold medal, I wanted the whole world to know where I came from, so I found a small American flag and waved it in the ring for everyone to know. This was my chance to represent my country. It was better than winning boxing matches.

After that, you decided to go pro. How was it, what were your expectations when you decided to become a professional boxer?
I wanted to go to work at the Employment Center, finish my college education and all that, but everyone said that I could make a lot of money and become a champion. And then someone said that I could make a million. Therefore, when I went to the professional, I expected that I would earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then a million. These were my expectations, but on the way I found out that I could hit, for real strong blows... One knockout after another, and in just 3.5 years I became the first contender for the world title. This surprised me.

Joe Fraser - George Foreman

Having achieved this position in the ranking, you got the opportunity to compete for the title in a duel with Joe Fraser. You were an outsider. Did the fact that he was considered the favorite motivate you in any way?
Just step into the ring with Joe Fraser- it was already a powerful motivation, because I saw him in the ring. Before that, I had 37 fights, and my manager always told me that my opponent had a weak jaw. But Fraser was not like that, and we needed to focus. But fight with Joe Fraser was the first my manager didn't say anything to me because we both knew everything. This guy had no holes in the defense. It was great boxer... It was the first time I entered the ring and I was afraid, I was really afraid. But when you corner a cat, you get it back, and I was the cat that evening.

George Foreman - Joe Fraser I (video)

In this fight, you knocked him down 6 times in 2 rounds until the referee stopped the fight. What were you thinking when it was over and you became the new heavyweight champion of the world?
After you win the title, the first thing that comes to mind is “incredible”. Then your name is included in the list of the most famous boxers – Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, George Foreman... Your name fits in there, and you feel it. In an instant, you are the world champion. It was the most bright season... Besides, I could now get that million dollars.

George Foreman - Ken Norton

After this fight, you defended the title twice, and then met with Ken Norton. You knocked him out in the 2nd round. Aren't you surprised you beat him so easily?
I thought that the fight with Norton would be the most difficult of all in my entire career, because he was as big as me. He was literally covered in muscles. He had a lot of knockouts. He fought two fights with Muhammad Ali and I thought he won both fights, even though he officially won only the first fight and lost the second by decision.

George Foreman - Ken Norton (video)

I thought I was going to lose to him. Preparing for the fight with Norton, I trained as hard as never before.

Speaking of Ali, you still met him in the ring in the famous Showdown in the Jungle. When you remember how Ali fought you using the rope-a-dope technique, what do you think of that?
When I remember this fight, I did what was needed - I cut off the ring. If you enter the ring with me and try to actively move, then you will find yourself in the corner. After a couple of rounds, Muhammad hit, and he had nowhere to run. I cornered him and delivered a lot of punches. So rope-a-dope was not planned, it just had no way out, and he had a lot of experience with it.

George Foreman - Muhammad Ali (video)

I remember that it seemed to be the 3rd round, I worked everything I could on it, and he knew that in essence he had to give up. When the gong rang, he raised his eyes, looked at me, as if to say 6: "I stood it." And I looked at him and thought: "How did he stand it?" This moment was a turning point; he realized that he could outlive mine powerful blows... Then there were other powerful blows, but he had some amazing confidence that he would take it. But it was unplanned, it happened by itself.

George Foreman - Muhammad Ali

Was there anything about Muhammad that surprised you?
Bravery. I have never entered the ring with such a brave opponent. I hit him once in the side, and it was very painful, and he looked at me, and his eyes said: "You can't get away with this." And he started to fight, and then he seemed to say: “No, I can't fight this guy,” and leaned on the ropes. Most of the guys I hit like that thought, "I'm knocked out." But not him. His whole appearance was just saying, "I got it decently." I have never seen such brave boxers, neither before nor after this fight.

Were you disappointed that you didn't have a rematch with Ali? If it took place, would you be able to win?
I tried very hard to get revenge, but he had every reason not to want it. There is such an expression: "one was scared, others had enough." I mean I beat this guy for 6 or 7 rounds, hit it hard, and he whispered in my ear, "Is that all you can do?" I knew the blow hurt him, but who would want to live it again? If I were in his place, I would not want to. And he didn't want to either. I didn't beg for another chance. If I had faced him again, with the same fury, the fight might have ended the same way. He studied me well.

Ron Lyle- George Foreman

After the fight with Ali, you took a short break, and then came back and faced Ron Lyle, and your fight became the Fight of the Year - 1976 according to Ring magazine. How difficult was this fight?
Fight with Ron Lyle was the hardest thing in my life. But I recently lost for the first time, and I said to myself: If necessary, I will simply die in the ring, but I will not give up. I will hold on. And he beat me so hard that as a result he just fainted, and I won the fight.

George Foreman - Ron Lyle (video)

Was that the worst pain of your career?
In the fight with Ali, it didn't hurt me. They counted, but I jumped to the count of 8. So I was not particularly hurt in this fight, although I was knocked down. But with a duel with Ron Lyle I was really hurt. He beat so that later I did not feel anything at all. I ended up on canvas, and it was a survival test, because I could not get away with anything, as in a fight with Muhammad Ali... With him, I had excuses. But then everyone saw everything. No excuses, George. I had to force myself to get up. It was then that I found in myself endurance, endurance. I didn't need it before, but that night in my fight with Lyle, I found it in myself. Otherwise, I would not have left the ring alive.

George Foreman - Jimmy Young (video)

After the fight with Lyle, you won 5 more fights in a row, and then you faced Jimmy Young. Most believe that if you beat Young, you would face Ali. What did you think and feel when you went to this fight in Puerto Rico?
I thought the fight with Young would last 12 rounds. First, I had to endure all 12 rounds, I had to show that I was tough and I had to win by decision. They said that I would not last even 7 rounds. I wanted to show everyone that I can win Jimmy Young and demand a fight with Ali, because it was Young who had previously fought with Ali, and Ali won a controversial decision, many believed that Young had won.

One of the organizations said that if after this fight Muhammad does not agree to fight, he will be stripped of his title and given to Yang. So this particular prize was at stake. I went into battle with the confidence that I would easily win. I had no idea that this fight would be followed by a 10-year pause outside the ring.

Jimmy Young- George Foreman

Tell us more about this. Many fans have heard about this, but they probably want to hear it from you. What happened in the locker room when you lost?
I was waiting for a decision on the fight and still think that I won on points. But according to the judges, I lost. I was very excited. The air conditioners did not work that night. I've never felt so hot in my life. I went to my dressing room to cool off a bit like everyone else does. I walked and thought: “Who cares about this fight? You don't care George Foreman, do you have money. You can go home to your ranch and you can leave if you want. You don't need boxing. You can leave boxing and die. " From that moment on, every word in my thoughts was that I was going to die, and I knew that I was going to die in a dirty, smelly locker room, in which there was not even an air conditioner. In this locker room, I was fighting for my life, and I heard a voice, heard it inside me, and he asked: "You believe in God, so why are you afraid to die?" And I was really afraid.

I was afraid and began to fight for my life. I didn't tell anyone in the locker room what was going on because they would think I was just disappointed with the defeat. I tried to come to terms with myself, because I knew that God exists. I said, "I am still George Foreman, I can still box and give my money to charity and the fight against cancer, "and a voice in me said," I don't need your money, I need you. " And suddenly, in an instant, my legs buckled, I tried to shout to everyone in the room, "Hey, somebody." But I did not have time to say a word and plunged into darkness, emptiness under my feet, a terrible smell that is associated with death, and I knew that my end had come, I was in a dirty yard, and I did not have time to say goodbye to my mother and children, and to me It was scary. I looked around and said, “I don’t care that this is death, I believe that God is.” I just didn’t believe in religion. And when I said I believe in God big hand as if pulled me out of this hopeless abyss, and I came to myself.

I was lifted from the floor to the table, my doctor was standing beside me. I told him, "Doctor, move your hands, the thorns on his head are causing bleeding," and I saw it. No one saw, but blood was running down my forehead. I looked at my hands and started screaming and I saw blood and I said? "Jesus Christ came to me in reality." You know what happened next. They tied me up and sent me to intensive care, but I have been telling this story for 33 years, about how I did not know what faith is.

George Foreman

I quit boxing. For 10 years, I have never even clenched a fist. I just went to the locker room, hit the punching bag, and it was just a leather bag, and before that I beat Fraser and Ali. I became an Evangelist a year after the fight with Young, and I traveled the world telling this story. I didn’t believe that faith existed. I thought it was for people who are depressed, and I had money, I didn't need anything, but it happened after the fight with Young.

Let's talk a little about your absence from boxing. You haven't officially quit their sport, but you haven't fought for 10 years. How did you feel when you preached and told your story?
It was amazing because I always say, “There are two doors to this world. There is a front door where you walk rich and famous athlete and there's a back door where you're just a street preacher. " I shaved off my mustache. I shaved off my hair so that no one would recognize me on the streets. I gained weight and it was fun because I thought that in order to be happy, you need to be rich and famous. People stopped me if I bought batteries and bought them for me. I tried to pay, but they said, "Get out of here, Giant." At the butcher shop, people would line me up to get another piece of meat. Sometimes on the plane the flight attendants would let me sit in the big seat in front. They said "we can't put you in the cockpit, but this seat is too small for you."

George Foreman

I learned that the world is beautiful. And you don't have to be famous. I have enjoyed life for 10 years. I went to the store and no one recognized me and I could buy washing powder that didn't have my name on it. Nobody cared. I went shopping, learned how to change the oil myself, washed the dishes myself. The world was beautiful. It was cooler than when I was a spoiled athlete, and everyone did everything for me.

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