“Was trying to kill that guy,” George Foreman credits Christianity for overcoming desire to kill Muhammad Ali in the ring
George Foreman comments on fighting in order to kill Muhammad Ali in their fight but ultimately regretting it later in life.
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Muhammad Ali attacked George Foreman
George Foreman remembers wanting to kill Muhammad Ali during their heavyweight title fight back in the 70s. George Foreman is one of the biggest boxing legends that stepped foot inside the ring. Foreman fought Ali back in 1974 in the iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight that took place in Kinshasa, Zaire.
Talking about the monumental fight, George Foreman mentioned how he felt bad after hitting Ali. According to Foreman, Ali wanted to win the fight but he was trying to kill Ali inside the ring.
He said: “I hit him so hard one time right above the neck and I heard him say uhh and I have never forgotten that. He was trying to win a boxing match. I was trying to kill that guy and that broke my heart. Once I found religion and I fell in love with it later on. We become phone talkers.”
Foreman then mentioned that years after the fight, he and Ali became extremely good friends and he had a great amount of respect and admiration for ‘The Greatest’. “He became my most beloved friend ever and I miss I this day because that was the gift of boxing. But Muhammad was that guy, oh my gracious. I really fell in love with him,” said Foreman.
Muhammad Ali’s iconic speech after winning his greatest boxing match against George Foreman
The Rumble in the Jungle is widely regarded as the biggest boxing match of all time. Going into the fight, George Foreman was the undefeated defending champion with two title defenses. On the other hand Muhammad Ali was much older and was considered the underdog for the fight.
However, Ali shocked the world and showed them why he’s called the greatest of all time by winning the bout via KO in the eighth round. Ali’s post fight speech after flooring George Foreman went on to become one of the most iconic speeches in the history of sports.
He said: “I told you, all of my critics, I told you all that I was the greatest of all time when I beat Sonny Liston. I told you today I’m still the greatest of all time…You made him a bad George, you made him a hard puncher, but I want everybody from this moment on to recognise me as the star of boxing.”
The fight between George Foreman and Ali was reportedly viewed by one billion television viewers around the world. It made a business if a whopping $100 million which was massive in that time.
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Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)