Foreman and Ali shared a storied history in boxing. Their most famous encounter, "The Rumble in the Jungle," took place on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire. This bout is considered one of the most influential moments in boxing history.
Before the fight, Ali was the underdog. Foreman had an impressive record of 40 professional fights without a loss. Many experts expected Foreman to win by knockout. However, the fight didn't go as predicted.
In the early rounds, Foreman attacked aggressively. But by the eighth round, he had spent his energy. Ali capitalized on this, knocked out Foreman, and reclaimed the world heavyweight championship. He became the first boxer to defeat Foreman.
Years later, in 1987, Foreman decided to return to boxing after a 10-year break. During this time, Ali gave him a piece of advice about a rising star in the heavyweight division.
In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Foreman recalled Ali's words:
"George, that Mike Tyson can hit."
Foreman interpreted this warning as coming from a concerned friend. He said it felt like advice from a big brother.
Despite their fierce rivalry in the ring, Foreman and Ali developed a close friendship after Foreman's retirement announcement following his loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. They remained good friends until Ali's death in 2016.
This anecdote shows how the relationship between these two boxing legends evolved from fierce competitors to caring friends, with Ali looking out for Foreman's wellbeing even years after their historic bout.