GEORGE FOREMAN was knocked out by Muhammad Ali in their legendary Rumble in the Jungle – but The Greatest wasn’t the hardest-hitting heavyweight he’d ever faced.
The entire world stood still on October 30, 1974 when Ali challenged the previously undefeated Foreman for the WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles.
George Foreman locked horns with Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle in 1978
‘Big George’ lost the historic fight via eighth-round TKO
But ‘The Greatest’ wasn’t the hardest hitter Foreman faced in his career
Ali introduced the globe to his famous rope-a-dope technique on that famous night in the Congo, absorbing Foreman’s bruising body punches before stopping him in the eighth.
The late Ali undoubtedly packed a punch to put Foreman out for the count, although his power paled in comparison to former amateur opponent of ‘Big George’, Bob Winters.
The 74-year-old told talkSPORT: “I’ve been punched hard so many times.
“But, I was in a Golden Gloves match with a guy by the name of Bob Winters.
“He hit me so hard and knocked me down, I didn’t know boxers had that to happen to them.
“I saw about six women with the same coat on and after the referee counted they started disappearing and then I realised it was only one woman.
“That was being hit hard, I’ll never forget that, not seeing doubles and triples, but more.”
Boxing legend Foreman knew a thing or two about being a heavy hitter – calling time on his career with a whopping 83 per cent knockout ratio.
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UKBut he felt “ashamed” by some of his knockouts, telling World Boxing News: “Two things I will never forget about my boxing career: How hard I could hit [not proud of the first part] and how hard they punched me.
“I heard bells and whistles while bodies collapsed.
“The first time around [1967 to 1977], I hit so hard. I’d wake up ashamed of what I had done to [those] good people.
“I felt like they were boxing, and I was slaughtering.
George Foreman is still to this day one of the hardest hitting fighters in boxing history
“My gift was recklessness. I didn’t care if I broke my shoulder, arm, or knuckles or if I flew out of the ring. I had to get a KO or fall down myself.”
The Texas titan called time on his Hall-of-Fame career in 1997 following a majority decision defeat to Shannon Briggs.
But just four fights prior to his farewell bout, Foreman made history by becoming the oldest champion in boxing history.
Foreman shocked the world in 1994 by knocking out 26-year-old Michael Moorer at the ripe old age of 45 to become unified heavyweight champion.
