After his easy win over Jimmy Ellis in December of 1991, ‘Big’ George returned to the ring on April 11, 1992 against Alex Stewart in Las Vegas. I went to a concert that night and had my sister tape the fight on HBO. When I watched it, I noticed how soft and unprepared George was, and he paid the price. After knocking Stewart down twice early, Alex actually got up and fought back, and did so very well.
He landed hard shots throughout the bout, and Foreman’s face became a grotesque mask as a result. His eyes and nose were swollen, and it appeared the comeback was coming to an end. He won a narrow decision, but I figured if he struggled with this guy, it was time to give it up. He said he was unsure after the fight, but this performance certainly didn’t bolster his claims that he deserved another title shot.
George returned to the ring in January of 1993 in Reno, Nevada as part of a doubleheader on HBO with Tommy Morrison. His opponent was Pierre Coetzer, a South African who was stationary, and would be easy for George to hit. The script went according to plan, and it ended by TKO in the eighth.
Tommy came off the canvas to defeat Carl ‘The Truth’ Williams in his bout, which set up a June WBO title fight with George in Las Vegas, one which I looked at with curiosity more than anything else.
The June 7, 1993 fight was by far my least favorite of all George’s fights in his comeback that began in 1987. Morrison employed a hit, and grab and run strategy that worked to perfection, and he won an easy twelve round decision. In his post fight interview, George announced his retirement in ring center, and it made me to sad that it all ended like this. Time however, would open an opportunity for George that no one could have ever predicted.
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