After his comeback win over Ron Lyle in January of 1976, George followed that up with wins over Joe Frazier, Scott LeDoux, Dino Denis and Pedro Agosto. By the spring of 1977, there were rumors of a second fight with Ali if he defeated Jimmy Young on March 17th in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Jimmy Young had given Ali all he could handle in April of 1976, but lost a controversial decision. He rebounded with three more wins, his biggest being an easy victory over Ron Lyle in November of ’76. The boxer from Philadelphia was slick, and could give any heavyweight a tough time.
Foreman was a huge favorite going into their bout, with many expecting an early knockout. Young didn’t cooperate, and boxed well from the opening bout. George plodded forward the entire bout, and hurt Jimmy, but couldn’t put him away. There were no ‘rope a dope’ tactics from Young, but he was effective in his own way. The smallish young even dropped George in the twelfth and final round, sealing a unanimous decision for himself.
After the fight, Foreman had a powerful religious experience, saying that “Jesus Christ is coming alive in me!’ He had been born again in Christian terms, and left Puerto Rico a different man than when he arrived.
George would become an evangelist, and retire from ring soon after the loss to Young. His calling in life became to save souls, and he was never happier in his life with the Lord in his life, than he had been as champion of the world.
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