George Foreman’s passing in 2025 broke the hearts of boxing fans all over the world. However, the legend left a lasting legacy behind.
Famous bouts from Foreman include the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ with Muhammad Ali and making history against Michael Moorer as he had an epic career.
Considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, Foreman often amazed fans with his incredible punching power.
One of the most memorable fights of Foreman’s was when he brutally knocked down and defeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. Looking back on the fight, Foreman revealed how he felt before facing the legend.
George Foreman recalled how he felt standing across from Joe Frazier
Speaking to Top Rank Boxing, Foreman was asked to recall his fight with Frazier.
Foreman was previewing the then-upcoming fight between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios in Macau in 2013. He was then asked about the feeling of being an underdog going into his fight with Frazier, as Rios was against Pacquiao.
“I felt like an underdog,” Foreman said. “You see this famous figure coming up and you look and think, am I really here? You think you’re going to wake up out of a dream.”
“The bell rings, and he hits you. You have to hit him back. That’s the only time you realise, man for man, it’s all the same. But it takes you a minute because you look over and you see a legend.”
Foreman would win the bout against Frazier via second-round TKO, after knocking the fellow legend down six times.
- READ MORE: George Foreman overcame fight-day knee injury to drop fellow legend three times during TKO win
George Foreman spoke on the effects of traveling to fight
As Pacquiao was preparing to face Rios in Macau, in a fight that ‘Pac-Man’ would go on to win, Foreman was asked about how traveling far distances can affect fighters.
“You’re taking a chance each time you go out,” Foreman said. “You say I feel good, I think I feel good, but the body says, no, I’m not the same body.”
Foreman said that his body would ‘quit on him’ after six rounds whenever he fought further afield. The former champion then referenced Ali vs Frazier in Manila, saying the bout changed the fighters forever.
Some of the countries outside the US where Foreman competed include Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Japan, and Venezuela.