George Foreman, the hard-hitting heavyweight from Texas, has opened up about his true feelings before facing Joe Frazier for the world title. Despite his fearsome reputation, Foreman admits he was scared of 'Smokin Joe'.
In a recent chat with Gareth A. Davies, the 76-year-old Foreman shared his thoughts about the fight that made him a world champion. He said:
"Joe was the only one I was truly afraid of, because we'd looked at Joe Frazier as the giant killer. He had just beaten so many guys, he had beaten Ali, they were so much bigger than him, but he just played around with all these giants."
Foreman's career stretched across three decades, and he won the world heavyweight championship twice. But it was his first title win in January 1973 that stuck in his mind. He stopped Frazier in the second round to grab the WBC and WBA belts.
"I wanted a title shot but I didn't want to fight Joe Frazier, I can remember that just like it was yesterday,"Foreman added.
Frazier had earned his 'giant killer' tag. He was the first fighter to beat Muhammad Ali in 1971, using his incredible strength and toughness to outlast 'The Greatest'. Ali and Frazier ended up fighting three times, with Ali winning the second and third bouts.
Foreman's win over Frazier set him up as the new force in heavyweight boxing. But his reign didn't last long. In 1974, he lost to Muhammad Ali in the famous 'Rumble in the Jungle'. Ali used his 'rope-a-dope' style to tire out Foreman and score an eighth-round knockout.
It was Foreman's first loss, but it didn't end his career. He kept fighting and even won the world title again years later. Looking back now, it's clear that his fear of Frazier didn't hold him back. Instead, it pushed him to one of his greatest victories.
