On This Day: George Foreman regains the world heavyweight title at the age of 45

DUBBED “One For The Ages,” Foreman-Moorer took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 5, 1994 and not only were the WBA and IBF belts on the line, the lineal title was also at stake; Moorer having become “The man who beat the man,” with his April 1994 upset win over Evander Holyfield.

26-year-old Moorer was unbeaten at 35-0 at the time of his maiden title defence and he had made history with the points win over Holyfield, becoming the first ever southpaw heavyweight champion. 45-year-old Foreman was 72-4 and he was seeking some history making of his own; that of becoming the oldest man to ever hold the world heavyweight crown.

Foreman was only a slight betting underdog according to the Vegas bookmakers, who had Moorer as a 2-1 favourite to retain his belts. However, in terms of expert opinion, “Big” George was a huge outsider – as HBO commentator Larry Merchant put it, “George was a gazillion-to-one to win this fight.”

Merchant didn’t stop there. “George has sweatshirts older than Moorer,” he said. Merchant also applauded Foreman for the sheer strength of his will and for his refusal to ever take a backward step.
 Before the fight, Foreman and Moorer’s trainer Teddy Atlas got into a brief spat, with Atlas losing his cool in the build-up to the fight and shoving Foreman. “Go get me a sandwich and sit down,” responded Foreman, who refused to lose his own composure.

Also before the fight, as a result of the WBA refusing to sanction the fight, Foreman had to go to court to fight for his chance to fight. George won on the grounds of age discrimination. However, Foreman then had to prove to the court that he was still in possession of his mental sharpness along with his physical wellbeing. To prove his mental faculties, in particular his memory, George listed for the court, in reverse order, all serving Presidents of The United States.

Running into the ring on his entrance, Foreman wore the same red shorts he’d donned when losing his heavyweight championship to Muhammad Ali twenty years and one week previously. “They made me look a little chubby,” George later said, “but I had to make sure I came in as heavyweight champion.”

Also conjuring up memories of “The Rumble in The Jungle” was the presence of legendary corner-man Angelo Dundee. Back in Zaire in 1974, Dundee was, of course, in Ali’s corner. Now he was giving Foreman his words of wisdom on how to overcome the odds.

Moorer got off to a great start, cracking Foreman with right jabs, hooks to the jaw and also scoring with brutal uppercuts that snapped the old man’s head back. Behind on points at the conclusion of the ninth round, Foreman needed a KO lest his unlikely dream would become a nightmare. Reaching back in time, Foreman found a right hand bomb that sent Moorer crashing to his back in the 10th. “It happened,” bellowed HBO’s Jim Lampley, as a concussed Moorer was unable to rise before the count of 10.

Foreman knelt in a prayer of thanks in a corner seconds after he’d regained his crown. Foreman’s brother, Roy, fainted a few moments later. The crowd went into a complete frenzy. “Has this finally exorcised the ghost of Ali?” Merchant asked Foreman in the post-fight interview. A beaming Foreman knew his demons had forever vanished.

Source: boxingnewsonline.net

10 fights that need to happen in boxing

10 Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua (Heavyweight)

Win or lose against Wladimir Klitschko on November 28, Tyson Fury is one of the biggest names in British boxing, as is the fearsome Anthony Joshua. The Londoner has looked levels above his overmatched foes so far, and needs to get past Dillian Whyte for the British title on December 12.

However, this clash would do massive business in the UK where both men are household names.

9 Manny Pacquiao v Errol Spence (Welterweight)

Bit of a curveball, but hear us out. The Filipino icon is set to bow out from the sport in April while Spence is considered by many the top prospect in the sport and heir to Floyd Mayweather’s throne. Manny has consistently shown a willingness to take risky fights – which Errol would be – and still has plenty to give at 36.

Terence Crawford looks to have moved to the top of Pacquiao’s hit list and while the Omaha native is an exceptional talent, he is not yet widely known and doesn’t talk a good game.

A former Olympian and a confident talker, Spence is already gathering a decent following and a fight with Pacquiao could prove the perfect torch-passing ceremony for him to usher in a new age of boxing stars.

8 Adonis Stevenson v Artur Beterbiev (Light-heavyweight)

Although Stevenson against Sergey Kovalev is the first pick at 175lbs, it seems a long way off. However, as Beterbiev and Adonis are both signed to Al Haymon, there’s much more chance of them squaring off. A wildly successful amateur, Beterbiev has torn through the ranks as a pro, blitzing all in his path.

Stevenson is a class champion with a monstrous punch and this fight would guarantee excitement.

7 Vasyl Lomachenko v Guillermo Rigondeaux (Featherweight)

Two of the greatest amateur boxers in history could potentially meet as professionals. Weight issues would need to be resolved as Loma operates at featherweight, Rigo at super-bantam, but the Cuban has reportedly claimed he would be willing to move up in order to make the fight.

While it would not be an all-out war, a fight between these two would display constant technical brilliance – a purist’s dream.

6 Scott Quigg v Carl Frampton (Super-bantamweight)

Plenty has been said and written about this domestic dust up, and if the promoters involved are to be believed, an announcement could be imminent.

It’s a terrific fight both stylistically and in terms of significance. With both men proving their class on the world stage in recent fights and Frampton signing with Al Haymon, it has relevance globally also.

5 Roman Gonzalez v Naoya Inoue (Super-flyweight)

Considered by most the best fighter on the planet, WBC flyweight champion Gonzalez could seemingly get the Japanese slugger to move down from super-fly. However, as the young Inoue continues to grow that becomes more difficult and a fight at 115lbs would grant the Nicaraguan the chance at world honours in a fourth weight class.

Both are electrifying fighters who box on the front foot, ensuring fireworks. It’s the superfight of the smaller weight classes.

4 Gennady Golovkin v James DeGale (Super-middleweight)

This is included in the list under the pretence that Golovkin would enter as a sizeable favourite over any other middleweight on the planet. Thus, a move to 168lbs would help him improve his pound-for-pound status.

DeGale is currently the world’s leading super-middleweight, with Andre Ward seemingly now a light-heavyweight, and would ask questions of Golovkin we have not seen answered. The IBF champ is a slick, elusive boxer with a potent shot to boot.

It would be a serious test of whether ‘GGG’ is a truly elite fighter.

3 Kell Brook v Amir Khan (Welterweight)

Another potential fight that has long been spoken about, Khan and Brook continue to prove themselves as two of the best welterweights on the planet.

Amir is still hunting a fight with Pacquiao while Brook is set to face Diego Chaves next, though everyone hopes these two are on a collision course.

2 Wladimir Klitschko v Deontay Wilder (Heavyweight)

If Klitschko retains against Fury in November, a unification clash with WBC champion Wilder for all the belts would be colossal. For Klitschko – a chance to cement his legacy and finally become the undisputed champion. For Wilder – the chance to depose the best heavyweight in recent years.
Plus, everyone loves a big heavyweight fight.

1 Andre Ward v Sergey Kovalev (Light-heavyweight)

Two legitimate pound-for-pound ranked fighters going at it is a mouth-watering prospect, especially when both are unbeaten and considered top of their respective weight classes.

Ward has cleaned out the super-middleweight division while Sergey sits atop the pack at 175lbs. Neither has faced a fighter like the other and you can make a stern case for either man winning.

Source: boxingnewsonline.net