Boxers

George Foreman just became my favourite heavy-weight boxer.

This is not because of his famous Rumble in the Jungle with Muhammad Ali nor his durability as a fighter. George first took the Championship title in 1974 and fought his last fight in 1995 – an unheard of length of time in the ring. At age 45 he knocked out Moorer and then retired without defending his title.

Nor has George become a favourite because he was one of only two men to ever score a technical knockout over Canadian George Chuvalo. Chuvalo was never knocked down in any of his professional fights. Muhammad Ali said Chuvalo was one of the toughest opponents he ever faced in the ring, so that Foreman scored a TKO over Chuvalo, says something about my new hero.

There have been many famous fighters over the years, many with the attributes to become ‘heroes’. Take the first recognized World Champion, John L Sullivan: He fought many of his fights bare-knuckle and on one tour, offered to fight any man in America, even using the Marquess of Queensbury rules which were just coming into wide use. John L did fight with gloves, but he would be the last fellow you would want to meet at Fight Club! In one title match, he won in the 75th round of an 80-round scheduled bare-knuckled match.

Max Schmelling was labelled a Nazi (although he was not) when he fought Joe Louis in a re-match in New York. Max lost the re-match and the Nazi regime took him off their Public Relations list for losing to a black man. Max had a Jewish trainer, which no Nazi would have, and when the Nazis began rounding up Jews during the war, Max hid two young Jewish boys at great risk to himself. After the war (he was a paratrooper) people in the US realized that they had defamed him and Max was offered the Coke-a-Cola franchise for Germany. He became a wealthy man and used his money to help many people. So while Max was a ‘hero’ before the war in the eyes of the Reich, he became a real hero to the people later. But he cannot match George Foreman.

Joe Louis, the Bronx Bomber, was a great American hero for defeating Max and then going on to defeat many more boxers in his 12-year career. He was a celebrity who gave his name to the now famous Joe Louis chocolate snack that is still making people happy and fat. Not my hero.

Cassius Clay who became Muhammad Ali was probably the most colourful boxer we will ever see. Famous for his dancing movements and comparison to being a butterfly that stings like a bee, Ali was the hero to many young boxers who tried to emulate his style. Certainly, he never resorted to biting off a chunk of an opponent’s ear like Mike Tyson who thought he was a world-class fighter! Ali tried a comeback, like my hero Foreman, but Trevor Berbick, a Canadian, beat Ali and was the last man to fight him.

One of the first fights I saw on TV was the 1952 fight between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott. Marciano was tough and fast, no doubt a model for Sylvester Stallone and the Rocky series of movies. Even the fictional Rocky cannot match George Foreman.

Why George as a hero? Because of the George Foreman Grill! After hearing about this electric grill for years, we finally got one, courtesy of our Club Z points. The idea was that it might replace the barbeque on those nights when the propane barbeque just cannot cope with a north wind and minus 10 degrees. After using this very efficient cooker that does an excellent job on steaks, hamburgers and salmon, I may retire the old Barbie altogether. The Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine gives off no noxious fumes or smoke, just the pleasant smell of food grilling. With different heating plates, the George Foreman Grill can do eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches and even waffles. It is easy to clean and in its bright red finish looks right at home on the kitchen counter.

Any boxer who can lend his name to marketing such a great cooking machine is my kind of hero. Come to think of it, I am not that much of a boxing fan anyway.