When George Foreman Teased His Toughest Opponent JJ

The cop box that responds after the strong form. >> Oh, >> I’m going to knock him out one or two rounds. One round will be for the show. As Muhammad Ali would say, the next round he’s got to go. >> Foreman crowd reacted as Holyfield went. >> He was the king. He had his day and his day is gone.

And I got make him remember on the 19th that his day is long gone. >> And a right and Holyfield landing. It was April 19th, 1991. Evander Holyfield walked into the Atlantic City Convention Center as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. 28 years old, undefeated, and fresh off knocking out Buster Douglas in three rounds.

Across the ring stood a name nobody expected to see fighting for a title again. George Foreman, 42 years old, chasing a comeback so unlikely people had started calling it his impossible dream. Foreman had been retired for 10 years before he laced the gloves back up in 1987. [music] Since then, he had gone 24-0, 23 of those by knockout, capped by a two-round demolition of Jerry Cooney that made the [music] boxing world take him seriously again.

He was not fighting for money anymore. He wanted one thing, to become the oldest heavyweight champion [music] in history. Holyfield came in a 4 to1 favorite, younger, faster, and still undefeated as a professional. but he had never shared a ring with a puncher who had [music] once dropped Joe Frasier six times and Foreman outweighed him by nearly 50 [music] pounds.

Both men had made their case leading up to the fight. Now the convention center went quiet and the bell was seconds away. >> Here we go. Round one. Holyfield exploring with some jabs. A >> hook of Holyfield missed that one. Is Holyfield a bit farther away than you would right to George’s chest to let George punch himself out? >> George connect with the left >> does halfway through the first round.

Oh, >> and Holyfield with a combination. >> Left hook, right hand. >> He can’t punch with his arms crossed. It’s pure. >> Corman is and here comes Holyfield. Good. >> I don’t know. >> Holyfield pressing the action complete. >> Says he doesn’t practice that in sparring >> right now. Holyfield is just >> and a big swing and a miss from Foreman.

That left to the butt. He got through though. Now that was a low blow AND it’s >> hard to tell what exactly is a low blow though. >> Looked like he ran into a little bit of a left hook. OH, >> Foreman on the attack. You’re not kidding. He came back with his own left hook. Overhand right from Foreman. real wide, but two good body shots by Foreman.

> Oh, another wild left by Holyfield. Holyfield comes in now. >> That’s his instinct, though, to fight back when he gets hit. He’s proven that in all of his past fights, do Alex Stewart, and everyone else. >> From the opening bell, Holyfield used his speed, sliding in with combinations and stepping out before Foreman could load up his right hand. Round two.

Foreman found him anyway, a shot that buzzed the champion. Holyfield answered by taking rounds three and four by a wide margin, boxing his way around the bigger man. >> Let’s see how Holyfield responds after the strong Foreman punches. The comp box shot to the midsection. >> Oh, Foreman in this fight gave him a big shot.

Oh, and he’s >> Oh. Oh, and rockol and connecting AND HOLYFIELD ALL OVER FOREMAN. >> FOREMAN TRYING TO HOLD THEM OFF. IT’S HOLYFIELD OUT. GEORGE IS GOING FORWARD AND hit [cheering] >> and Foreman sneaks in the left and Holyfield counters as well and field connecting. >> That’s the story here in the >> Then in round five, Foreman hurt him again.

A sweeping left hook followed by three hard rights. Round six went back to the champion, but Foreman refused to sit down between rounds, staying on his feet just to show the 28-year-old he was not tired. Nobody in the building believed anymore that this was going to be easy. >> Reach with his punches, and that’s what he’s getting caught with.

>> Well, he’s fighting while he’s moving. For a big man, that’s hard to do. And then comes back. >> He just took a 40 second timeout. Holyfield, didn’t he’s >> Oh, Jordan missing with that looping right. Another low left. Everyone talked about his right hand. He’s gotten some good lefts to the chin. >> And Foreman with another combination.

>> A lot of those glancing on kept saying, “Well, George starting starting to land it as the >> Well, this fight’s turned out like a lot of people thought it would. It turned out to be a fight and not a one-sided affair. >> Oh. Strong right from Holyfield. >> Counter >> and Foreman comes back. >> George Foreman >> and Holyfield come to be dejecting second win.

He’s got that good bounce. >> Just when you think George is fading, he comes right back. Both of them >> and the same for Holyfield >> and the body shot. Round six comes to a close. >> Then came round seven. Foreman landed a huge right hand that staggered Holyfield. And for a moment, the champion looked like he might go down.

He pounced, [music] unloading everything he had, and the crowd came out of their seats. But Holyfield did not fold. He fired back a 15-second combination that turned Foreman’s legs to rubber. And neither man left that round who had actually won it. The ring magazine later named it round of the year. >> Boy, what a round.

what you heard in the background been in control tonight, >> but also from the standpoint of being the champ or not, >> but you know what happens in the annals of boxing. >> And here comes Holy, >> you know, it’s it’s funny because nobody really gave George credit some of these rounds because he’s been hanging so tough to refer to.

>> Oh, a strong right from Holyfield. >> George reacting to the faints of Holyfield and then catching a couple of punches. Oh, >> caught a Vander with a left hook moving over to George’s left. The rarified air of round nine. >> Mark Breing behind us yelling. >> Quick left. Crowd reacted as Holyfield went back and here comes uh >> the crown from Evander Holyfield.

He’s going to have to step it up cuz right now Oander Holyfield has his number. >> Three more strong blows landed by Aander Holyfield from Holyfield. Two pulls OF OH RIGHT HAND ROCK Foreman he’s OUT OF RIGHT NOW IN TROUBLE. FOREMAN you cannot be saved by the bell >> and Holyfield is all over Foreman. There’s the bell and Foreman went over and stop when that happens.

Punch for punch and the crowd comes alive. >> Oh with them take those breathers up against each other. Gorman missing with the left. Same territory here in round 10. >> And that’s it. >> Foreman kept coming through rounds 8, 9, and 10. Still throwing with bad intentions, but Holyfield’s legs never [music] left him again.

In round 11, the referee took a point from Foreman for a low blow. A penalty that barely mattered by then. >> Holyfield. >> And now he is deducting one point for the low blow. point deducted could be the deciding. >> There’s that counter right hand. >> Obviously, the fatigue factor you would think would affect the scores on a combination of three for Holyfield has taken full advantage of that point.

He’s getting out hustling George in this round. >> That was a George trying to cover up and Holyfield landing and another right and a left from Holyfield >> and one to the body from Holyfield. another but they don’t fall down. >> Well, let me tell you something right now. George Foreman is coming back with his >> and Foreman said something between rounds for taking that point away.

>> And in the other corner, Georgie Bent and Lu Foreman’s got a knock in this fight, but he certainly had his >> big bomb. Oh, but he lands a right do it basically. And that’s the move. But he’s >> Holyfield stuck to his game. >> Holyfield wins it to retain the title. I still mark inside of a minute.

doesn’t look like >> and Holyfield comes on strong round staged there by Holyfield with 15 seconds to go in the fight. >> It’s gone the distance and the crowd at the Atlantic City Convention Center comes to its feet to applaud. >> The final bell sounded and Foreman had done what almost nobody thought he could.

He had gone the full 12 rounds with the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. All three judges sided with Holyfield, one card as wide as 117 to 110. Foreman had lost the decision, but he had won something else that night. >> Scores the bout 116 to 111. Tommy Kazmar has it 115 to 112 and Jerry Roth scores it 117 to 100 for the winner by unanimous decision.

And still, I’m heavyweight CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, the real deal, Evander. Three years later, he proved exactly how true that was, knocking out Michael Moore to become at 45 years old, the oldest heavyweight champion in history. The impossible dream took a little longer than one night in Atlantic City, but George Foreman got