Muhammad Ali Begged George Foreman To End Retirement To Face One Man: “I Can’t Beat Him But You Can”

Muhammad Ali and George Foreman are two of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, having shared the ring in one of the most memorable bouts of all time.

Ali and ‘Big’ George locked horns in October 1974, going head-to-head in the iconic ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ which took place in Kinshasa, Zaire.

The infamous ‘rope-a-dope’ style of ‘The Greatest’ would be the difference in the thrilling encounter, as he weathered an early storm from the hard-hitting Foreman to secure an eighth round knockout victory to capture the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles.

Despite their bitter rivalry at the time, both men would go on to become great friends and speak to each other regularly up until Ali’s tragic passing in 2016.

There was one occasion in the late 1970s, not long after their historic battle, when ‘Big’ George received an unexpected phone call from Ali where he pleaded with his former foe to come out of retirement and fight Ken Norton.

Speaking in an interview with Jim Lampley, Foreman shared details of that memorable conversation he had with Ali, who claimed Norton was ‘afraid’ to face ‘Big’ George.

“He called me and complimented me for about twenty-minutes then he said, ‘ George, would you do me a favour? I said, ‘Certainly.’

“He said, ‘Please come back and beat Ken Norton and fight him for me. I can’t beat him. George, you can, he’s afraid of you. I’ll let you use my training camp and everything but please come back and beat him for me.”

Foreman had dispatched of Norton in six minutes in ’74, one years after Ali had fought Norton twice, losing the first and suffering a broken jaw for his troubles before winning the rematch.

Ali’s request seemed to fall on deaf ears, with Foreman deciding to remain in retirement and pursue his career as a preacher. Ali would fight his trilogy with Norton in ’76, winning a unanimous decision over 15 rounds – a result Norton branded a ‘robbery’ and Ali himself admitted was favourable.

It wasn’t until 1987 when ‘Big’ George decided to make a sensational return to boxing, going on to become the oldest world heavyweight champion when he knocked out the formidable Michael Moorer in 1994 to claim the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles against all odds.