Foreman went from boxing monster to cuddly veteran

The story of the former heavyweight champion who changed the sport came in two remarkable acts, writes Steve Bunce

- Steve Bunce

George Foreman was one of the fiercest and most feared heavyweights in history. There are two clear parts to the extraordinary boxing life and times of Foreman, who died aged 76 over the weekend, and the fighter became a world heavyweight champion in both.

The story of his return to the ring after a 10-year exile is as remarkable as his unlikely passage to Olympic glory in 1968 and his first world heavyweight title in 1973. Foreman defied the odds, and in the middle of his boxing career made millions from his lean and mean grilling machine. What a life.

He fought 81 times as a professional boxer, losing five in total and knocking out 68 of the 76 men he beat. He was the street kid from Houston’s notorious Fifth Ward – he should have been in prison, lost to boxing, but somehow made the USA team for Mexico City and then won the gold medal. He was saved, as he said, by the sport. Big George knew a bit about redemption.

After Mexico City, he turned professional, and his reign of terror started. It is hard for people in modern boxing to understand just how scary Foreman was at the time. He was sullen, he was vicious, and he was big. He had huge dogs, he wore leather and jeans and snarled at every camera pointed his way. He was a boxing Hells Angel. There was genuine fear for his opponents.