George Foreman has, unsurprisingly, picked a heavyweight as his favourite active boxer.
Hailing from Marshall, Texas, ‘Big George’ had 81 fights, 76 wins and 68 knockouts in his professional fighting career. His is a unique campaign for many reasons, perhaps the most notable being the ten year lay-off in the middle of it.
Having hung up the gloves in 1977, Foreman became a Christian Minister and pursued other ventures before a ring return a decade on. What’s more, he won the world heavyweight title for a second time, becoming the oldest to ever do it.
The current WBC champion, Tyson Fury, also had a lay off from the sport during which it looked like he may never return. He did, and, like ‘Big George’, regained world honours.
Fury is, as per FightHype.com, Foreman’s favourite.
“Boy, I love that Tyson Fury. Great big old guy. Moves around just like a boxer and punches hard. And he’s able to get up once he gets hurt, get up off the canvas. That’s my favourite fighter today.”
Fury’s grit and recovery were personified in his first fight with Deontay Wilder, picking himself up after a twelfth round knockdown at the hands of the man most consider to be the division’s most devastating puncher.
Whilst ‘The Gypsy King’s title wins – Wladimir Klitschko in Germany and Wilder in the US – are standout moments in the modern era, recently he’s been struggling to add to his legacy.
An undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk looked certain at the start of this year, but talks collapsed leaving fans frustrated and Fury off the grid.
Only now have conversations started about who he might face next, with the hope that the four-belt clash with Usyk can take place at the end of the year presuming both men hold onto their titles.
Foreman’s biopic Big George Foreman will be released in cinemas on April 28.