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SportBoxing
NameGeorge Foreman
SubtitleFlag-Waving Champion
Number14-03
InfoThe vision remains implanted in the minds of a whole nation: a young black boxer parading around a ring in Mexico City holding a miniature American flag high over his head to the cheers of the crowd. That young man was George Foreman and he had just won the Olympic heavyweight title and gold medal by scoring a technical knockout (TKO) over the much more experienced Ionas Chepulis of the Soviet Union. The 1968 Olympic Games had been the target of a boycott by some black American athletes, but the 20-year-old Foreman wanted the whole world to know that he was proud to be an American and proud to be in the Olympics. The story does not end there, for the strapping 6' 4", 217-lb native of Marshall, Tex., turned professional and came under the handling of Dick Saddler. Foreman's first professional fight came June 23,1969, just about eight months after his Olympic triumph. In making his pro debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Foreman knocked out Don Waldheim in the 3rd round. Foreman kept winning and in his first full year as a prize-fighter, he was undefeated in 13 bouts, winning 11 by knockout. During 1970, the battler who called Houston, Tex., home, scored a 3rd- round k-o over Canada's tough George Chuvalo, and gained a 10-round decision against George Peralta as he won 12 fights straight. The opposition kept getting tougher and the purses were correspondingly bigger, but Foreman kept right on devastating foes. During 1972, he scored 5 consecutive knockouts against top fighters, and this set the stage for a showdown with reigning heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Smokin' Joe as he called himself, had preceded Foreman by four years as Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight champ; now Foreman wanted to take over another one of Frazier's titles. The two met in Kingston, Jamaica on January 22, 1973, which just happened to be Foreman's 25th birthday. George celebrated by knocking down the champion six times, finally flooring Frazier for good in the 2nd round. Foreman lost the title to Muhammad Ali in Zaire, on Oct. 30, 1974.
Photo InfoGEORGE FOREMAN Born Jan. 22,1948, in Marshall, Tex. AWARDS AND RECORDS Olympic heavyweight boxing champion, 1968 World's professional heavyweight champion, Jan. 22,1973 to Oct. 30,1974 George Foreman exalts in triumph
Copyright© 1977, Editions Rencontre S.A., Lausanne Photo Focus on Sports Printed in Italy 03 005 14-03
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