A case for and against George Foreman

Who doesn't like Big George? He's just a cuddly big ol' teddy bear now, right? Religion and time have so softened his hard edges that he almost seems a wise elder reborn from the ashes of that angry bully of his youth. I'm not fooled. While I respect George Foreman's craft, his punch, his toughness and the way he adapted his boxing style to protect himself in his reincarnation, the re-made big George is the same as he ever was. Let's go to the films.

Big George should have been disqualified repeatedly for shoving his opponents, particularly in his "first" career. In some fights it's so obvious that I'm left hollering impotently at a fight that took place thirty years ago, "stop him, ref?!?" A man would get too close and George would bounce him off with two open hands over and over and when the man came back in, he would drop that right in on him. He used a range-finding shove...over and over and over. Find that in the rule books. You'll find it between "range-finding jab" and "not boxing." Later in his career, it evolved into the cross-handed turtle shove, but that at least disguised it. Whatever it was, it was not boxing and he should have been warned and docked points for doing it. The championship fights may be 3 rounds shorter these days, but the rules otherwise remain unchanged and they certainly didn't contemplate that kind of bullying that George routinely doled out. Were referees of that day too intimidated by big George to tell him to stop? He would set up his knockouts this way...two-handed shove, bounce, big right...goodbye.

That said, there can be little question that George had (in both careers), the heaviest hands perhaps ever seen in the heavyweight division. The kind of thudding power that changes a fight instantly. Superstar power. Ask Michael Moorer. Ok, don't because judging by the interviews I've seen, he's not too happy talking about it. Go ask Joe Frazier. In fact, go ask Ali. He never fought George again, did he?

While Ali deserves credit for beating big George at his height, removing the legends' "zero" from his record, taking his heavyweight title and beating the seemingly unbeatable...George didn't get knocked out by Ali. George got knocked down...but not out. He was up with his knees and hands off the canvas at the count of eight and the ref waved it off. Could Ali have finished him? probably. We'll never get to know. I've watched that fight over and over and Ali was unquestionably getting the better of Foreman, picking his spots in between barrages and landing effectively. George went down not only because he was tired and punched out, but also because he had been hit hard. It was Ali's night, but if the champ was allowed to rise, would he have survived? Could he have caught his breath, survived to round's end, regrouped and continued to wear Ali down? It's true that Ali didn't look that worn, but another few rounds of beating on those arms from big George in his prime and Zeus himself would run. He still had seven rounds to do it. He deserved the chance.

I'll admit that despite myself, I like George's re-made pitchman persona. That his smile could be so obviously plastered on, his humility so forced and trite and his banter so bland and still be likable is a testament to his unwavering dedication to his choice. In fact, for my money the only times he was really great as an announcer in that third career was during the fight when his observations were keen and untempered by his constant vigilance over his persona. As an aside, I'm glad that Emmanuel Steward has abandoned the clearly copied grimace from his onscreen appearances. Steward still plays politics, but since he's an active trainer (and so has legitimate reason to occasionally avoid controversy), he can be forgiven.

George richly deserves his place in the pantheon. He was a very tough fighter. We only need watch him against Ron Lyle to know that. He was an exciting fighter. He was always looking to dispatch his opponent spectacularly...in his first career, particularly...though in his second career his killer instinct was blunted by his inability to reach his opponents with his power. But he did himself a disservice by his bullying style, a style that should have cost him more points during his early career. Watch Joe Frazier bounce off his two handed shoves...before bouncing onto and off of the canvas seven times...okay not the best example, but a range-finding shove is NOT a range-finding jab. They let him get away with it, but that didn't ever make it right. It's boxing, not shove-boxing.