And he came up as if he knew me and said: ‘Hey George’. The first time I remember meeting Muhammad Ali, my heart was beating fast. “I’d become a minister and I had nothing but memories. “I was able to walk away from boxing and, after a few years, you look for good memories and exciting times in your life,” Foreman, who has become a successful entrepreneur with a grill that has sold more than 100 million units, told Gulf News. How does he explain such a stunning transformation from simmering hatred to hero worship, after seeking to pulverise Ali in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’? In keeping with his benevolent reincarnation, he hailed Ali as “the greatest man I’ve ever met” and “simply beautiful” in an exclusive interview with Gulf News to mark the 40th anniversary of the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ on Thursday.įoreman was quoted in 1984 as saying he “loved” Ali after becoming a Christian minister following his boxing retirement in 1977 (he made a comeback 10 years later).īut, in 1974, he was left angry and angst-ridden at the loss of his title to Ali and the failure to secure a rematch. Yet, in 2014, vengeance and vehemence have been replaced by sheer, unadulterated love, as Foreman gushes endless outpourings of praise about his erstwhile conqueror. He unleashed fury on Muhammad Ali in their legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ world heavyweight boxing showdown - and was left bitter and broken by his stunning defeat. Abu Dhabi: In 1974, George Foreman was a glowering bull of a man.
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