Preaching his message was always deeply important. It underpinned the last five decades of his life. “Life is fun. I’m a preacher, I’m an evangelist, and I moonlight as a grill salesperson. My next quest is to sell ‘The George Foreman Shoe’ that will make folks my age get up and walk. No good having money in the bank and a nice home and car if you don’t walk.”

And his greatest message as a preacher and lecturer? “As a minister, you want to sell hope. Don’t ever give up on yourself or anyone else. The lessons you learn in life can actually change the world. Stay in school, get a piece of education, so you can help us all one day.”

The association with Ali will never die. Back in 2012, George told me, for The Telegraph: “If you catch him early in the morning, and he is in good spirits, he talks. His wife Lonnie or his daughter will put him on the phone, and we talk. He’s interested in what I’m interested in, we talk about our children and our grandchildren, and he’ll still crack a joke.

“In early December, we were exchanging pictures of our grandchildren by text. I showed him one picture, he sent back two. He’ll say ‘Hey George, how many grandchildren have you got?’ I’ve got six, I told him. ‘Well I’ve got eight, George. See – I beat you again,” he said.

George explained: “We fought in 1974, that was a long time ago. After 1981 we became the best of friends. By 1984, we loved each other. I am not closer to anyone else in this life than I am to Muhammad Ali. Why? We were forged by that first fight in Zaire and our lives are indelibly linked by memories and photographs, as young men and old men. We have a love for each other.”

Perhaps the two great men are sitting side by side, reminiscing. Rest in peace, Big George Foreman. One of the greats. Forever.