After his knockout of Buster Douglas in October of 1990, Evander Holyfield agreed to fight George Foreman in his first title defense. That decision was met with much criticism, many calling George an old man, and the whole thing a joke. I didn’t care what the critics said, and I was excited about the bout.
Since the April 19th, 1991 fight was being held in Atlantic City at Convention Hall, I would get the chance to see George train in person. His workouts were being held at the Trump Plaza Casino Hotel, and I went down every day for a week to see him train.
It was great seeing George in person, and he spent every day talking to the people gathered after his workouts. He was funny and affable, and I took plenty of pictures with my camera. I saw Evander train one day, and he was totally different. He didn’t say a word to anyone, trained and left.
I went to the Pavilion in Cherry Hill, New Jersey for this closed circuit card. Although I was pulling hard for George to win, I honestly didn’t think he would. I wasn’t thrilled when he weighed in at 257 lbs. however, since I thought he have performed better at around 245.
The fight itself was full of fun and action, and George proved he was no joke. Evander admitted later in his career that no one hit him as hard as George, and most of the punches that landed that night were glancing blows. Foreman proved he was a legitimate contender, won his share of rounds, and was gracious in defeat. To me it proved how good Evander really was, who at only 208 lbs., hurt George on several occasions.
I went home that night happy, and proud of George. I identified with fighters I loved so much that events like this affected me deeply. When he talked afterwards of coming back after a rest, I was thrilled. Since his comeback in March of 1987, I had followed him every step of the way, and just couldn’t imagine the sport without him.
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