After both George Foreman and Tommy Morrison won their fights on January 16th, they agreed to fight each other. The bout was set for June 7th, 1993 and would be at the Thomas and Mack Center. I was certainly rooting for George to win, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy against the younger Morrison.
George trained down to a fit 256 pounds, and Tommy 226. The fight itself would be for the WBO version of the heavyweight title, which I never recognized. The real champs were Riddick Bowe and Lennox Lewis, neither of which these guys could beat.
Tommy employed a hit and run strategy in the fight, and it was very effective. He would fight in spurts and move away. George never landed any big bombs, and the whole thing was depressing to me. I figured I was watching the end of George’s career, and his comeback that began in March of 1987, was ending in a lackluster way. When the obvious decision was read, Foreman announced his retirement in the ring, and another of my all time favorites was gone. While I did like Tommy Morrison, the fact that George was done resonated in my mind.
George’s comeback had meant so much to me, from the very beginning, through all of the USA networks fights, to his finally getting a title shot with Evander in 1991. But most things finally do end, and I decided that I had memories no one could take from me, and plenty of tapes to watch and reminisce about. To this very day, George Foreman remains my all time favorite fighter.
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