When Muhammad Ali fought for far too long, George Foreman tried to protect his friend at the back end of his career.
Foreman has revealed he asked his former opponent not to fight Larry Holmes before their fateful meeting in 1980.
Holmes beat down an aged Ali, winning every round at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas before the contest was halted in the tenth.
Afterward, Ali was urged by fans and fellow professionals to hang up his gloves. But ‘The Greatest’ still wasn’t done yet.
George Foreman told Ali not to fight
Fourteen months later, Ali fought Trevor Berbick. And despite putting on a better performance than the Holmes fight, it was clear the three-time heavyweight champion was overbaked.
Foreman, who lost to Ali in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ six years prior, told Ali he should stay retired after he avenged a loss to Leon Spinks two years previously.
“Before the Holmes fight, we really talked. [I said] don’t do it, Champ!” explained Foreman regarding Ali accepting the Holmes contract.
“But Muhammad loves his family. He just wanted a little set aside [money]. No different than any of us, but he just needed another profession,” added ‘Big’ George.
Ali was never the same once his boxing career was over, as his health deteriorated yearly.
Muhammad Ali – The Greatest
Eventually, the man they called ‘The Louisville Lip’ was largely silenced for his remaining spell on earth.
In June 2016, Muhammad Ali passed away. Many realized that boxing had lost the great man years before that day.
One of the best to ever lace them up, the sport will forever be indebted to Ali for transcending life. Something Foreman is grateful to have been a part of.
Since then, the top division has struggled for prominent personalities, with only the likes of Mike Tyson and now Tyson Fury taking outside-of-the-ring activities to new heights.
Tyson has recently participated in a comeback. At the same time, Fury is the biggest name in the 200 pounds plus weight class and wants to fight until he’s 40.
Deontay Wilder’s star faded after Fury defeated him twice. He needs a win over Andy Ruiz Jr. later this year to get back in the title mix.
