1 00:00:04,000 --> 00:38:42,000 The devastating power of George Foreman is something of a legend big George vomit in his career. He's copied the full stair of the man who once was his boxing heroes, Sonny Liston before Mike Tyson, that was forming a mountain of a man who scared opponents inspectors. And he is knocked out. John Trauman wins his first professional fight. He claimed what was once considered the greatest prize in sports twice as two different fighters, two different human beings. raised in Houston's fifth ward, an infamously impoverished community riddled with crime and violence. It's such a shame when you assault pool and you don't want everyone else to know that you're so poor, that really you're not poor your pole. It was here. Foreman became the King of the street place, kept fighting and getting into fights, picking on people, pushing around the bullet, warm and found refuge and purpose inside the square circle. He began training at age 17, then all of a sudden, uh, you get into boxing. What anger is applauded. What got you involved in boxing? That was a train of Dutton. Brought it. 1968 Olympics were only a year away, but doc promised to make George one hell of a box as a young man. He was regarded as one of the books. He was most useful content sparring sessions. Aren't just the training routine. They are instead intense efforts by sparring partners to simply survive a three-minute round with a man who is punching power is frightening. 1967. I had my first boxing match. Why don't you have seen, we have some young bombers to prepare for the summer Olympic games in boxing, one at by knockout, right? It inspired me to be going to be a golden glove champion in San Francisco. First time I had ever heard his name, George was brand new. He had only been in a boxing ring for a couple of months at that time, George wastes through the golden gloves and into the Olympics where his uncanny power was too much for even the veteran fighter on the 19th Olympia for foreman. Boxing was a means to lift himself out of obviously how much Olympic days remains to be seen, even though you were having all this professional success at that time, you were pretty angry in his first 40 fights. He knocked out 92.5% of his opponents Solomon with all that, that is like a lamp or a re-occurring piston. If you will. The three that really scared or Sonny Liston first, then George Foreman, who was like improvement on Sonny Liston. And then Mike Tyson, George mimicked persona, after the great Sonny Liston, I met Sonny Liston. He became my role model. He had to be the most angry fellow. I admit he looked right through you. He had this very far beating intimidating, utterly hostile manner. I came to believe early on that George had acquired some of Sonny's characteristics. Directly from Sonny. He learned how to glower and he learned how to punch George is doing his best imitation of sunny listed. All of a sudden you have the stair coming at you. He wanted to scare his opponents to be seen as a monster. It worked. Oh, when I was in the ring, you really saw the best of me outside the ring. I was really some terrible fellow because I did some things to people that mostly in the ring, I'm not ashamed of my boxing match, but outside the ring, some of the things we did, I did I'm ashamed of to this day, no editing at all. Thinking back to the campus and a referee who stops the fight in the second round. I thought that would my fist. I could not any man. The media is PS and the fans all viewed him as the villain, the monster who hurts and punished his foes with little remains bullpen is making him the scourge of the heavyweight division. George Foreman is now the number one contender for the heavyweight championship. And the question is who's going to stop this foreman steamroll. It looks like Muhammad Ali and even champion Joe Frazer will have to make room for this Houston tornado. George Foreman in his first title fight foreman would be pitted against fan favorite. Joe Frazier Frazier had recently defeated Muhammad Ali. And was viewed as the far superior box conventional wisdom heading into the Frazier fight was the George was a raw sort of rookie without the depth or the background to beat a great fighter like Joe Gray than 34 knockouts he picked, paid for and has a rate of 78 and a half yard farming talent because Joe Frazier, hadn't beaten Muhammad Ali. I was undefeated. They didn't see how this yellow kid, he was undefeated and was coming off the Ali win and he was a three and a half to one favorite. And then he's got these hands that are literally like canned hams. And he just, George was powerful. There's no doubt about that, man. He was out there to get me is power seemed to be a weapon. Unlike any of the supporters, the greatest boxers could not stand up to him. was absolutely devastating. No one could believe it. And from that point on, George was regarded as invincible. Death sides is on me, man. I couldn't survive it form and demolish the great Joe phrasing, knocking him down six times you been known as. That's the hardest puncher ever. All I had with this one punch. And if I could hit you with you, I would hit you with it. I can take you out. If I miss you, you win on decisions, practice, but John, and remember he's not Joe Frazier off the side of say with Joe Frazier, literally tried to run away from him. you had to be heavyweight champion of the world as soon as it happens to you. It's like, uh, John L. Sullivan. Um, Brodick's. All is Joe Lewis, Rocky Mazda, Anna Moham. It's like, they all just pour right into you and you feel that moment. You feel I am there every way. Jab in the other world, George was now a celebrity and the couple was besieged by reporters. It's that? Those guys weren't Tony tubs and guys like that. It was Joe Frazier and Kenny Norton Frazier split teams fights with Ali. I never thought that Mike Tyson was the scariest in this prime, the scariest fighter. The person that I thought about was George Foreman. Well to be a boxer. Number one, you gotta be stupid. And you got, got halfway before we think we are likely to have a slug Fest. We don't expect the fight to go all the way quick, punishing rate flies in for the second time. And he was facing when he scored those big knockouts. He would really brutalize the guy before he got them out of here. Final knock down takes place. Romans, I believe glazed with that in passive face. Now woman's being acknowledged as the winner, Roman still can not get up. Kenny Norton had split two fights with Ali 24 rounds and with Ali was lucky. The, when the second one, he broke all these giant form and knock them both out in two weeks and then turned around and lost to Hammad Ali walled rounds on a split decision back in September of chairs and cat falls. Definitely the favorite here, as far as the crowd is concerned, as far as the arts are concerned as George Foreman. Heavyweight of all time, it would be George Foreman. I would want to be the best heavyweight that ever existed. He is with Ken Norton. And the reason for that of course, is that he doesn't like George Foreman one, but do you really believe Ali that here, man, the man went 24 rounds with me, broke my jaw in the first line I was in shape and sacrament. In those days he was a bully. The people around him were afraid of him for him. It had really brutalized the people who trained him and they would tell terrible. They hell. They gave me as fast as honest Zack, what as I am. I couldn't walk in Norton. I had beaten the best and Joe Frazier, no doubt about it. I hadn't beaten the best. People had something to say about that. I said, you know what, I'm going to kill one of these fellows. Then they'll share them. Mike Norton is really been formally. It was a guy who had destroyed Frazier destroyed Kenny North, by kidding. No kidding. Not easily. Once again, Muhammad Ali found himself in great demand, the WBC and the WVA mandated the fight. The public certainly wanted it. And the media clamored for it. I think George Foreman will knock Muhammad Ali out and then it'll end Muhammad Ali's career. The boxes were scared. Handlers were scared. The only person that didn't appear scared all foreman was Allie. Form in this form, I'll leave 40 of those 37 knockouts undefeated, unbeatable guys, never going to lose everybody himself. Have you bought many guys who are talkers in their ringing? No. I never get a chance to talk to him time. He didn't know it fell is all over it's for the fight itself, discussion centered, not on who would win, but on how much punishment foreman would dish out. So I may have done. To say goodbye to my Hammad Ali. No, we understand that George Foreman is about to make his way through the ring because very honestly, I don't think he can be charged for Michelle was convinced that already is washed up. This guy was the closest thing to a human monster I'd ever seen before. He was certainly the scariest box. Look at this. Now, is there a Mohammad Ali beginning to talk to George Bowman? They're really putting a stair on each other. I looked him in the eye. Just stare down and said, Oh, joy, you were in school. When I was beaten in the past four years beyond two rounds in any fight that the one weakness in this monster was thought of as unbeatable. Was his stamina, the first round, all of us, your life get off of the rope. And he went to say, shut up. I would say around 30, even Ali told me he got into the guy's head and he didn't even realize it. George Foreman sat down all the way down the road. Then when he went through the ropes, he was totally woman. Anything other than this, you can think of just like, uh, do an initial bump, just lay on the rope and take it with him this time. He did it with character. He say I've got a weapon. The rope, a dope was something was invented by Muhammad Ali that night. I say, I don't understand those tactics on the ropes and letting him, it just shows you the power of intellect and intelligence and how that can compete against anything. Believe me, I was a big powerful giant in the ring with Martin. I would not mean a knockout on it. You stood up. Setting him up against so young, so strong leaning up against the rope. So fearless. I had a beat. I really did. And Rudy thought I had a beat up in the body. They had them tied against George Foreman does away with those one after another, in less than three Jordan, not going that type of this was a long time. He was treading water, you know, never been, this is the furthest that George Foreman has gone in. A flight to Bali is definitely confused. Again. Missing the shots that he missed. It drained. Nobody leaves the Mohammad Ali. He was man landlocked dislike. Archie said grabbing him. And he empty the guy's tank. I was afraid he was going to get killed by a George Foreman that many of our young viewers don't know I thought he was hurt. I thought his body was and you know, the guy really was the people's choice and he was the people's choice because he just loved. Yeah, I'd hate to predict it, any fights, but my goodness, those people who said foreman would win in a flash have certainly been proved. Then about the seventh round, he asked me that all you got George. And that was like a nightmare. I couldn't believe it. I just knew I was gonna knock him out and shoot back on him and out the eight rounds down I'm laying on the canvas, listening to a referee. I was embarrassed. it was devastating to move the coveted heavyweight championship of the world. I'd worked so hard to get it, and he doesn't really, your life is going to change once more from all of this confidence. And. To devastation. He was beaten mentally more than physically come home. I was angry for a long time. I think that I'd been betrayed by my managers. I've been given things in my water to row for loose. I have all kinds of excuses that fill me with hatred and revenge. I felt like I lost everything, not just the championship, but the world, but I'd lost myself as a man. Many have felt that foreman psyche was materially damaged by the disaster and XY era. 15 months ago, farming stamina having become suspect in the XY era face. The mystique of foreman had vanished the intimidating bully destroyer of worlds persona. Was replaced by questions about foreman's boxing skills. If farming is to come back and get another shot at the ground, he must win this fight and it would help to win it, impress her face of George Foreman. And for that matter of Ron Lyle, each speaking for itself, just look at this, you would immediately be testing by fellow brawler, Ron Meyer. We're about to bring you what we think promises to be a slug Fest, the legitimate heavyweight contest. One of the great back and forth Wars in boxing history. I cut right by Lyle and he's got in trouble. I'll just go hard. I didn't even get the canvas. I've never been hit so hard in my life. Oh, now John struck back John spot back Weber Mac, right. Boxing match. World title match would have ended like George Foreman run Lyall heavyweight title match. There wouldn't be any UFC. Speaking in general terms, you've said some punches are so ferocious that they don't hurt. They actually will interrupt communication between the tower and the ground only it had hurt. I would have, would not have gotten up. It just, it was like, you are no longer the same person. You see a legs wiggle, and you're not in control of yourself. Maybe. Oh, but maybe if I better make it, I'm knocked out and one in spectacular fashion, but the rematch with Ali was not given George. You think Ali's maybe backing down from a, another meeting with you? There's no telling what are you doing? I would love a rematch. I was fueled by a lot of anger and I walked around with that. Instead, he would do battle with Joe Frasier again much like the first fight Dreams in my mind, the only, just one piece of tension and that's for the heavyweight championship of the world. And I do like, I would like to advance the only defeat I ever had. I guess, you know who I'm not going to give him no for her blessing. Still the rematch with Ali was not given his love for the sport of boxing had begun to wane. He would lose a close decision to Jimmy young and Jimmy young. He said he had a religious experience after the loss to young others called it peak frustration in Puerto Rico in 1977, then he would retire unceremoniously. Everybody. Oh, that's okay, man. You know, you'll come back just a fight. But then all of a sudden he things started happening in that room. He was rushed to the hospital and the press was told that foreman had become overcome by the heat, but George felt he had suffered more than a momentary blackout. The feared Brut known as big George Foreman disappeared from the public consciousness. During a 10 year break from boxing, George Foreman contemplated. What I li had taken from him, beautiful things that he did is we acknowledge the ability of Mohammad Ali and acknowledge that loss and, uh, put a shrine up in his homes. You know, I started to not only be happy about my life, but be happy about the life I lived before and put them together and become an event 14 years ago, foreman retired from boxing to preach the word of God, the little fame and fortune. We get us not going to follow us in the grave brothers. Yeah. He would find his peace in his faith, serving as a minister for the next 10 years during that 10 year absence at any time. Did you have the desire to come back 10 years? I didn't even shadow buck. He became a terrific father. Uh, you've got five sons, five daughters. I know you're very proud of all of them. They're all named George and named all my sons. 1984. He had started the George Foreman youth and community center. He opened his own youth center, emptying his entire savings to do so. Giving money for a scholarship for kids to go to school. I have to keep that up. He would hold fundraisers to keep the center going, but as his money ran out, George was in danger of losing it all. It started to take care of her dime. I could get it started cost and everything to get a foundation, lawyer fees building. I wanted to go out and do my stuff. That was when I ran out of money. And that's the reason I even got my, got myself back in the box, 13 years after losing his title, George Foreman began the seemingly impossible task of regaining it. I said, I got to go back into boxing as my wife. What do you think? She said they going to kill you don't do it. You're like, you're 300 pounds. You're too old. You'll never be champ of the world because they thought I wanted it overnight. But I looked in the mirror and said, you know, Tomorrow night veteran boxer, George Foreman will put on the gloves and climb back into the ring. After almost a decade in retirement, I'm going to start from the bottom. I know how to promote. I know how to recreate. I know how to get myself back in shape. Just as unceremoniously as he had retired, he returned. Fighting, no name, opponents and journey. So I came back, I've got a scale. I was 315 pounds. And then when people started to take, I'm curious, Because they were tantalized by a charming fat old heavyweight, I just wounded their gullibility. George was viewed as a joke, held up as an example of the decline of the sport of boxing cash grabbing on his past accomplishments. Well, George Foreman wins out of TKO. It is his eighth straight wins, an aging overweight husband, and people wrote me from all over the world. George. Don't do it, try to recapture that glory, but the one thing they all had in common who would write me. There wasn't that dime in the mail carefully and quietly. He ran it himself back into boxing form. They laughed at me and I fought one fight after another one after another, they laughed. The more I joke, George, foreman's not fighting. Then one that is George Foreman, the 39 year old ex champ as his competition, Rose opponents with dead set on proving, the old man was finished. Yeah, he still has that unbelievable punching power, even though he's got a belly and the looks like he's shambling around in his pajamas. He's, he's still got something, but here he is three years later. So I have to salute him to lose him, but pulling off one of the great scams in boxing history, which trust me is saying a lot. Go around. George was now a fan. Favorite is lovable charisma and willingness to poke fun at himself. Endeared him to them in boxing. No one is bigger or admire or more in demand by George. I think he's got George had become the undisputed King of the big sell. Cause George is very popular and he deserves the popularity that he's gotten because he's a natural, there's nothing funny about appearing. commercials, his own sitcom, but you look good. You look great. You only saying that because it's true form and the box was famous, but forming the salesman was a phenol George, the first, well, the salesman I'd learned to be a salesman. I had 10 years out of boxing to be an evangelist. And I didn't understood if you don't really make some noise and make people pay some attention, no one is going to stop and listen to you at the peak of his fame. He became the spokesperson for a household grilling products, the George Foreman grill earning form nearly 5 million a month. And then all of a sudden the checks just started rolling in that this thing sold over 100 million. Right. And to give the check some context to you, ended up being bought out, I think for something like $140 million after what you had already made, this is my George Foreman, feminist sized grilled. That sort is that it's my George. Foreman griddle that, and everybody likes a jelly fat man, but one thing people love about it. And you saw it right there. The highest knockout percentage in the history of all heavyweight champions, part of George foreman's Odyssey in this comeback up and down the scale seems like yesterday's way in. Yeah, it's his first return fight. He weighed two 67 here he is. Three years later, two 63. You've heard of the diet formula. What is it? Slim fast. I think George is developed slim slow. It doesn't appear like George is hit in the heart, but once he hits the guy, he totally paralyzed his opponents. Boom. Perfect timing. Easier to capture the world. Crown 17 years ago is making a remarkable comeback. Now shaven headed is recorded 22 victories on his way to another shot at the world. Title it wasn't long before a Superformance against heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. Was in high demand in what would be at that time? The biggest payday in heavyweight history, George said, I may be old. I may be fat, but he said, here I is. Mark was a 28 year old. Amanda Holyfield undisputed, heavyweight champion. And for the first offense, he's fighting a 42 year old George Foreman. The pundits were convinced the fight was more fuss than anything. And so a lot of people made a big deal about this as being a forest beforehand. You think that George, even though you say Holy Phil is going to win anything for foreman has a chance to win this fight. Well, it took only a few rounds before. No one was laughing. a drama entitled. The old guy hung in there, took a beating, but went the distance kept. Calming Holy field blasted, forming, connecting clean, but foreman kept him seemingly impervious to pain punches of the previous round red foreman and his best shorts. Pushed forward. And though he was slow and plodding his concern, any fights with a single punch. The first round I gave to George, because I think he legitimately well, the undisputed heavyweight title, and thought that. Bouche was just for spectacle, had been silenced. It's trite to say, but foreman was a winner in many respects here tonight as well. Ultimately, foreman was beaten on points, but the way he fought proved that the second coming of big George Foreman was no Mirage. If one of the world, they never will. You ever see this again, Georgia 50 years before to another generation through something like that, where a man closer to 50, 60, then he goes to 20 and 19. Show the whole world by going toe to toe and a young man is holding on for his breath and we keep going. Boy, I'll tell you what has happening to the world. Oh, senior citizens around the world can be proud of themselves. Hip hip, hooray. The thing to myself, George you've thrilled us. You've been great. You've inspired us. You've entertained us, but now please, isn't it. Time to go back to the old fishing hole before you seriously get hurt a few days. Yeah. After Michael Mora beat a van, all the field. And I got a call from George. I said, George, you can't get me. You want to fight Michael Moore and he says more than anything else. So in a world when Michael Mura defeated Holyfield to become the new champion, George Foreman at age 45 would get one final shot. I knew what Teddy had told me, like he's a big con and I just look at him like you're so fake featuring the clown King of the sport, the larger than life, George Foreman. Well, there are a lot of skeptics out there who think. That George now is more King con. Then King, but George hasn't earned this a championship shot as a fighter. He hasn't fought in a year and a half. And on that, you know, specious occasion, he lost to Tommy Morrison with the fighter he's fighting. He's going to have to punch in, punch in, try to club them and just keep beating them. But I don't think that's going to happen. So you see no chance that George can win the fight. Very little, very little foreman look to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history. But despite the optimism of the crowd few gave foreman more than a puncher's chance. Middle-aged men don't knock out 25 year old heavyweight champions. He would be the oldest to win the heavyweight title by a huge margin. Over Wolf head was 37 when he beat as their child. We thought if the George Foreman from the wrong rumble in the jungle, Had the brain of the George Foreman fought Michael Moore. That's the greatest fighter. George, how are you going to find him? You got fucking a long time. He moves in there. He goes at a different angle. He's a South bar. He, you know, he wouldn't stand still for Holy field. Why would he stand still for you? And George said, you watch somewhere late in the fight. He's going to come stand in front of me in the, the feeling was that Michael would be too sharp, too fast, too young and big George too slow, too big and too old. This Colossus of heavyweight boxing, a man of a foot in several decades. If people have it and asked two or three months, It shouldn't take place, freaking the George's pulling himself and serious injury. The shadow of Ali loomed larger the career and legacy of former the fab. . But already preferred five rounds, big George or lumber back slightly slower. Not me telling him how sparring partners better. The hardest part of the fight is over, you know, what he's made of our aspiring partners with better performance trailing muezzin, but not out of the fight. Right. I know you got Joel, that's a fantastic shot. stumbling. George Foreman had never openly sought specific redemption for his demise against Ali and Zaire, but it's revealing that he chose to wear the same trunks on this night that he had worn in the jungle 20 years before. George Foreman and the shorts he wore that night in Zaire, they run, but in the jungle, when he lost his world heavyweight title, I told him I'm, but he always saw the ghost of a Mohammad Ali. And everybody has felt all along that you're always chasing the ghost of Ali. Does this make you catch that ghost? That goes to Bali. Does this make you catch that ghost exercise? A goat 20 years after being beaten by Ali big George Foreman recaptured the heavyweight championship. The oldest champion in the history of boxing, I'm not the greatest, but I'm the hungriest. Those guys were younger, stronger, faster, more sophisticated, but there's one thing they lacked.