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George Foreman claims he was doped prior to the "Rumble in the Jungle": Here are some exerpts from an interview on Hannity and Combs via East side Boxing.com. Big George also claims it took quite a long time to recover from it.
posted by jojomfd1 to boxing at 11:53 PM - 17 comments
Pretty interesting accuasation to make against someone from your own team, especially after all this time. I wonder if it were not for the book if we would have ever heard of it? Also, sorry for the ESPN link, but it had the video, so thats why I used it.
posted by jojomfd1 at 11:56 PM on May 26, 2007
Sell some more grill George. But if you want credibility, don't go on Hannity and Combs. They're about as believable as Bozo the Clown. I'm not saying that what you're saying is a lie, but damn it expose it in SI or ESPN or something.
posted by commander cody at 02:17 AM on May 27, 2007
Picture the scene: Christmas 2006. My wife unwraps the present from her mother. It's a giant George Foreman grill. Now it's an exceptional grill, it really is... But trying to explain to my five year old son who the man on the box is, and that somehow, this man smiling on the box is one of the most legendary boxers of all time... Now THAT was surreal.
posted by Drood at 04:36 AM on May 27, 2007
According to Hannity and Colmes , it's a vast left wing conspiracy and they will urge President Bush to invade the now defunct Kronk Gym , which had nothing to do with George Foreman.
posted by alvinthefirst at 08:44 AM on May 27, 2007
My wife and I have a little saying: "It's not Christmas until someone gets a George Forman grill"
posted by mick at 11:46 AM on May 27, 2007
Maybe Rosie and that other chick can debate it on the view...no wait, they canned her fat ass. No credibility whatsoever. Too long of a wait, accusing his own corner, and imagine this...he has a new book out. What some people do to sell a few more books. Sad to see a former champion try to diminish his sport.
posted by dviking at 06:57 PM on May 27, 2007
Hey Folks, Go back and watch the tape of the fight with the thought in mind that there was something in the bottle besides water. Look real close at the end of the second round on. Don't know really don't care but there seems to be something amiss here. Boxing hasn't been and the up and up for years everyone knows it but nobody will do anything about it. Don King promoted anything but himself is something everyone would like to see. Only question now to ask is why wait 30 years? Sonny Liston talked about something with his last fight with Clay(Ali) and was found dead with a overdose of drugs not too much later. Liston didn't use drugs so that mess has always been a real question mark with lots of people... Just something to think about on Memorial Day.....................
posted by The Old Man at 09:19 PM on May 27, 2007
Come on old man, that's a stretch and you know it. It was six years between the last Ali fight and Liston's death. That being said, I would never bet on boxing as the "fix" always seems to be in play.
posted by dviking at 02:30 AM on May 28, 2007
Typical. Way Way Way after the fact. Why not say anything after the fight and try for a rematch? Because he knew that he would receive a second whooooopin for the price of one. Cry Baby Cry. I just lost a lot of respect for the "Grill" man.
posted by ogt92 at 12:32 PM on May 28, 2007
Dviking, You are way too young to remember Sonny Liston but trust me when I tell you there was no more Sonny ever did drugs. Boxing is a joke for as long as I can remember it and that goes back to Max Baer and then some. Sonny Liston after the Clay fight had a job as a greeter at Caesar's for 6 years and when he did a interview with a reporter and started to talk about what was happening with boxing than the next thing you know he is found dead with a needle in his arm, I think in his kitchen, and nobody makes a big deal and he is just forgotten. Come on, we can't be so stupid as to think oh it was just a ex-fighter couldn't take it and offed himself. We have all seen the fights that the decision was without question questionable and way out of line. Yeah I know it is a litttle bit of a stretch but so many things have happened in boxing and around boxing these last 25 years or so that it does present huge question marks that all... Foreman a cry baby no way this is the man that as a old man lifted people off there feet and in one case out of the ring. And remember Mike T wasn't allowed to fight him earlier because Foreman would have driven him right into the ground. He was a perfect fix for Foreman straight ahead and would have ended his career earlier if the idoit King would have allowed them to fight. I remember going to the LA Olympic and watching Sugar Ray Robinson fight, Archie Moore, Kid Galihad and a lot of others you, most likely don't know of because of your age, unless you are a fight fan. Remember the old saying "Money talks and bullshit walks" in regards to boxing it fits right in......
I read somewhere that 'Big' George Foreman actually has been saying this for quite some time now, so this actually isn't the 1st time he's brought this up. In a recent interview on ESPN, Foreman does admit that Ali beat him down in the 'Thrilla of Manilla' but that before the match, his trainer gave him a water bottle to drink out of and he said that it tasted like medicine. From seeing the fight on replay and all, I just know that Foreman threw a lot of punches at Ali and basically got tired out and that's when Ali came back with the knockout. I can't say whether I believe him or I don't believe him but I can say that I respect George Foreman for what he's done in his career and for also introducing us with that damn grill of his. Best invention since indoor plumbing, I say.
posted by BornIcon at 01:55 PM on May 28, 2007
I read somewhere that 'Big' George Foreman actually has been saying this for quite some time now, so this actually isn't the 1st time he's brought this up. Thanks for posting this BI, with the new book out and all of the talk about it now, I was unable to find any talk of it before. I personally have always liked Foreman and would hate to think he would make something like this up just to sell a book.
Fact is B-Icon...it is the "Rumble in the jungle" we're discussing, the "thrilla in Manilla", was with Frazier(forgive my spelling). I also have heard big George mention that he didn't feel "normal" during the fight. I do believe something was wrong with Foreman. NOONE could take those punches in the body from a man as powerful as Foreman. Frazier was there, and he couldn't believe Ali was weathering the body shots as well and easily as he was. His response was ,"he(Ali) wouldn't be able to do that against Marciano". Well truthfully, he shouldn't have been able to sustain the punches from a healthy Foreman either. Weather it was Ali's skill or Foremans sickness....we will really never know
posted by ilryes at 07:07 PM on May 28, 2007
My bad Larry Merchant, I got the two names mixed up but fact is, I was talking about the Foreman/Ali fight so I was discussing that fight. NOONE could take those punches in the body from a man as powerful as Foreman Obviously, Ali did which is why he won that fight. Foreman never really got to Ali's body as much as you may think. Go back and watch that fight, most of those Foreman body blows were actually hitting Ali's elbows meaning that Ali was technically blocking them but with the power behind those shots, of course Ali felt them. To be able to do what he did in Africa during that fight versus Foreman is what makes him the greatest.
posted by BornIcon at 06:29 AM on May 29, 2007
First of all, old man, I' m not that young, I was born in the 50's, so I do remember most of the 60's. Though I really have no personal knowledge of Sonny Liston, so I will not make a judgement one way or the other as to his drug usage. As to George Foreman's ability to get beat by Ali rather quickly in the heat and humidity of the jungle...I totally think that Ali was the better fighter, and thus, if Foreman hadn't trained properly that Ali would win. Could it have been fixed, sure. Does Foreman have a lot of credibility, no. Does King...of course not! I just don't like the timing of it all. Right before his book comes out. Horse racing and boxing...I don't take either too seriously.
Foreman didn't get beat quickly. Ali wore him out with the rope-a-dope. Look at Foreman's record: he hadn't been in a fight longer than four rounds for three and a half years before the Rumble in the Jungle, and most of those fights were one or two rounds. His previous eight fights had all lasted less than six minutes and he had knocked out 37 of his 40 opponents. The Rumble in the Jungle went eight rounds. Ali outsmarted Foreman throughout the fight. Foreman couldn't adapt to a long fight where he couldn't knock his opponent out. For months before the fight Ali talked about dancing away from Foreman, then Ali came straight for him in the first round with right hand leads. Then he went to the rope-a-dope in the second round, and absorbed Foreman's body blows. Ali's taunts pissed Foreman off and made him throw increasingly inaccurate punches. When Foreman punched himself into exhaustion, Ali attacked and knocked him out. "In that fight, Muhammad beat me." -- George Foreman
posted by kirkaracha at 06:31 PM on May 29, 2007
Foreman apparently is tired of taking a grilling on being the Dope part of the Rope A Dope and wants to devise an excuse for losing that fight. Falling for the Rope A Dope is not the only thing he did wrong against Ali. Foreman had no effective strategy and his defense was essentially non-existent. Foreman made very little effort to block, duck, or try to move away from a punch. He extended his arms in front of him leaving his face unguarded where all of Ali's punches were aimed. Foreman constantly moved forward even after Ali landed solid blows. This was target practice for Ali. Foreman threw a lot of punches that did little or no damage since they were picked off or dodged by Ali. After six rounds Foreman was so exhausted from throwing punches and getting hit in the face that Ali could have knocked him out anytime he wanted. Foreman fought a terrible fight that day but he is no dope since he formulated a way to win the championship in his 40s and has become the most successful fighter outside boxing that I am aware of. If Foreman wants to stay that way he should put a muffler on these inane excuses.
posted by longgreenline at 12:46 AM on May 30, 2007
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