When George Foreman came out of retirement in 1987 after a 10 year hiatus from the ring, I was thrilled. I jumped on his bandwagon from the start, and did my best to see as many of his comeback fights on TV as possible. He always said his goal was not money, but to become the heavyweight champion again. With each fight and victory, he gained credibility, appearing on ESPN, and the USA Network, as well as the smaller company’s broadcasts. In June of 1990, George fought on HBO for the first time, and knocked out contender Adison Rodrigues in two rounds with a spectacular left hook. Now considered a contender by many, ‘Big George’ signed to fight the champion, Evander Holyfield on April 18, 1991 at Atlantic City Convention Hall in New Jersey.
I made the hour or so drive about 7 or 8 times to see George train at the Trump Plaza Hotel on the boardwalk. They had a ballroom made into a boxing gym, and it was a thrill to see George in person. He would often talk with the fans gathered, and I asked him a question when the opportunity arose. I asked him who hit him the hardest of all the guys he fought, and he responded “Ronny Lyles, in 1976.” Even though he mispronounced his name, I got his message, and the fun I had that week energized me for the closed-circuit show on the 19th.
Much of the public thought George was too old at 42 to challenge for the title, but I disagreed. Although I knew the odds of him winning were long, I was inspired by his confidence and self-belief, and wouldn’t have missed it for anything.
A friend and I made the 8 mile or so trip to the Pavilion in Cherry Hill, New Jersey to catch the action, and after buying a program and a soda, took my seat in the arena. Butterflies filled my stomach when the opening round began, and to be honest, George’s excess weight, which saw him tip the scales at 257 lbs., worried me a great deal. While Evander wisely boxed from the outside, George seemed lumber some carrying the extra pounds around his midsection, and was always a step behind Holyfield. While George landed a glancing blow from time to time, he never nailed Evander with a hard clean shot, and to me his being so heavy was a huge factor. Some of the rounds were exciting, and while George had his moments and showed grit and determination, never really had a chance to win in my book. After 12 rounds, Evander won a well-deserved unanimous decision, and was still the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Foreman made a lot of friends and fans off of his gutty performance, and said he wasn’t done after all the smoke had cleared. He had certainly proved he was no joke, and was a legitimate contender, but himself announced that when he fought again, would weight in the 235 lb. range, to give himself a better chance of winning. April 19, 1991 will always be memorable to me, and by seeing him train in person, gave me an opportunity to meet my all-time favorite fighter, and for that, I’m grateful to God.
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