Boxing

Teddy Atlas, Michael Moorer Pay Tribute To George Foreman

George Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history with his knockout of Michael Moorer, who was trained by Teddy Atlas.
Nathaniel Marrero|
George Foreman (left) and Michael Moorer (right).
George Foreman (left) and Michael Moorer (right). | IMAGO/Globe Entertainment

The true testament of one's life isn't just in their accomplishments, but the impact they made on others.

For as big as George Foreman was when he stepped in the ring, he left an even bigger mark on the world when he passed away on March 21. Foreman was an Olympic gold medalist in the 1968 Olympics and he was a two-time heavyweight champion.

Two people who were on the opposite end of Foreman's historic career were Hall of Fame trainer Teddy Atlas and two-division champion and fellow Hall of Famer Michael Moorer. Foreman had a come-from-behind knockout of the then-undefeated and unified heavyweight champion Moorer in the 10th round to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history at 45 years old.

Atlas, who was Morrer's trainer vs. Foreman, spoke about Foreman as a person and boxer and said his passing is just as significant in and outside of the boxing world.

"It's a huge loss," Atlas said on his podcast, The Fight with Teddy Atlas. "It's a loss to humanity as much as it is to boxing. The sport takes a big loss, but I think we all take a loss when we lose a good person, a person who cares about others. A person who teaches others to be better, just by their example."

Moorer echoed Atlas' sentiments and noted how respected Foreman was by the boxing world. He also said that the two were friends after their fight on Nov. 5, 1994.

"He was just an overall good man," Moorer said on Box Nation. "There was a lot of people that looked up to him. A lot of people respected him. It's unfortunate that we all gotta go someday but at this time, it's gonna be a sad day for a lot of people in the game of boxing."

Foreman first became the heavyweight champion in 1973 when he knocked Joe Frazier down six times before stopping him in the second round. After defending his belt twice, he faced Muhammad Ali in arguably the biggest fight in boxing history, The Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman suffered the first loss of his professional career when Ali knocked him out in the 8th round.

Just over two years later after a unanimous decision loss to Jimmy Young, Foreman retired for nearly 10 years before making his return to the ring. Foreman made his first attempt to become a two-time heavyweight champion when he faced Hall of Famer and two-division champion Evander Holyfield, but lost by unanimous decision in a spirited effort on April 19, 1991.

Three years later, Foreman got his shot against Moorer, though, many didn't give the former heavyweight champion, much of a chance. Hall of Fame commentator Jim Lampley said he often found himself asking Foreman how he'd pull off the upset against an undefeated champion who was in his prime like Moorer, to which Foreman would respond that at some point late in the fight, Moorer would stand in front of him and let Foreman knock him out.

MORE: Jim Lampley Pays Tribute To George Foreman: 'I Loved Him'

Then, in the iconic words of Lampley, it happened.

After Moorer cruised for much of the first nine rounds of the fight, Foreman landed the one-two heard around the world. After Moorer was unable to beat the 10-count of referee Joe Cortez, Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.

While he was on the wrong end of history, Atlas said Foreman's victory personified what it meant to be a fighter given everything it took him to reach that point in the second chapter of his illustrious boxing career.

"He persevered," Atlas said on his podcast. "He didn't give in. I've talked about this before, you go to Webster's Dictionary, what is a fighter? George Foreman is a fighter. What is a fighter? Someone who overcomes. Someone who finds a way. Somebody who doesn't give in. Somebody who finds light in a dark place where other people just allow it to stay dark. That's what George taught. He did more than give us grills. He taught us that if you believe hard enough in something, you can make it come true."

For Moorer, he believes Foreman's victory helped cement the second part of his career as the more memorable chapter compared to the first and it's something faces should cherish.

"He'll probably be remembered more modern, the second part after he beat me and leading up to the fight beating me," Moorer said. "I think there was two parts of him, and I didn't follow the first part, but I was a part of the second part. I think that's more of what the people are going to be looking for now. They're going to see what he did more recently and cherish that. We lost a great fighter and a great, great man."

And for Atlas, Foreman's impact on the world went beyond being a two-time heavyweight champion.

"That was George Foreman," Atlas said. "A guy who made us all better. At the end of the day, he made us all better. God bless you, George. I miss you. Boxing misses you, but we won't forget you."

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero

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