“I really fell in love with the guy.”
George Foreman and Muhammad Ali were once fierce rivals in the ring, but it wasn’t long until they became great friends who spoke almost every day.
In the new biopic film ‘Big George Foreman‘, the boxing legend relived the journey where he and Ali went from being enemies, to close companions.
Back in 1974, Foreman was the most feared and dangerous heavyweight alive. The 6’4 man mountain had stopped both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton – two legends in their own right – within four rounds.
Considering that Ali had lost to both Norton and Fraizer by this stage, everyone thought that Foreman would dispose of him quickly when the two met for ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ in Africa.
The first scene of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman together in the movie.However, the old master had some tricks up sleeve, and with his famous Rope-a-dope style, where he leant on the ropes to absorb punches, waiting until his opponent tired himself out, he then knocked ‘Big George’ out in the eighth round.
From there, Foreman hated his old foe, but after a near-death experience a few years later, he found God and peace within himself, retired from boxing, and befriended his former adversary.
The two heroes would talk on the phone most days right up until Ali died in 2016, and now with the release of ‘Big George Foreman’, the biopic movie recalling the heavyweight’s life, the two time world champion reflects on his relationship with his old friend.
“That Ali was a great part of my boxing career and a great part of my life”, Foreman told JOE.ie.
“At the end of the day, we really became great friends. I really fell in love with the guy. We would have talked all the time, talked on the iPhone where we would film one another.
“I loved our relationship and to this day I still miss him. I didn’t like the idea that he beat me in Africa, but I love the idea that it made us great friends.”
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The movie re-lives this famous bout, and all of the other fights that Foreman had to face inside and outside of the ring, whether it was his struggles with his faith, battling out of poverty and finding a purpose in life.
There is no doubt that Ali transcends the sport of boxing, and is almost bigger than the sport itself, but even ‘The Greatest’ didn’t have a comeback story as unbelievable as this one.
Big George Foreman is available in Cinemas in Ireland from Friday April 28th 2023.
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