Boxing legend and grill entrepreneur George Foreman, who has died at the age of 76, shared his thoughts on Muhammad Ali over the years.
On his website, Foreman responded to the question, “What are your thoughts of Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali?”
“There are no two people who better define sports in America than ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. They both took our sport to another level and they are most responsible for the high paid salaries that all of us athletes receive today,” Foreman wrote.
He and Ali shared a famous rivalry that culminated with a fight called “Rumble in the Jungle,” according to CNN.
American heavyweight boxers Muhammad Ali (1942-2016) and George Foreman attend the Vanity Fair Oscars Party, held at Morton’s Restaurant in West Hollywood, California, 24th March 1997.
But he didn’t think Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer of all time. That spot he reserved for Joe Louis. Responding to the question of who is the best heavyweight champion of all time, Foreman wrote:
“Joe Louis, and to be honest with you, there is no one in second place.”
According to CMG Worldwide, Foreman explained his choice by saying, “The best boxer I ever saw was Joe Louis. No one has surpassed him. Well taught and gifted competitor. There’s never been a boxer better than Joe Louis. You’d take one shot from him and you were sure he’d have seven or eight more coming for you.”
Of Ali, he added: “Certainly Muhammad Ali was the greatest man ever to fight, but not the greatest boxer. When Joe came to the ring and shook hands with me (before my defense against Ken Norton), he reached over and whispered in my ear. He said, ‘Remember you’re the champ…be cool.’ I remembered that more than anything else during that fight.”
Boxing247 envisioned a hypothetical dream match between Foreman and Louis and determined Louis would have won: “While I do agree that Foreman was a strong, powerful puncher and a top ten all-time great, I do not think this would be enough to beat Joe Louis,” the site wrote.
