On this days April 27 In 1974, Foreman walked into a boxing ring in Kinshasa, Zaire to defend his heavyweight championship against Muhammad Ali. Eight rounds later, the fight was over, as was the legend of the unbeatable George Foreman. In a career-defining loss, Foreman was out-thought and outfought by Ali, finally being counted out following a stinging Ali combination that ended with a shocking right hand.
For Ali, the victory was one more in a career of unbelievable triumphs. For Foreman, the roof caved in.
Following the loss, Foreman disappeared for a while, then re-emerged with an idea that was part circus and part WWE. On April 26, 1975, in Toronto, Foreman fought an exhibition. Actually, make that five exhibitions. The idea was apparently that Foreman would fight five men, knock them all out, recapture his mental edge and thrill the public watching on Wide World of Sports. The reality was it was just stupid.
From the moment Foreman arrived in the ring, boos began cascading down from the rafters. To make matters worse for Foreman, the fights were being announced by Howard Cosell with Ali doing the color commentary. For Ali, doing color meant a non-stop verbal barrage at Foreman.
Alonzo Johnson was the first opponent, coming in at 40 years old with a 23–19 record, as well as sporting a hairstyle that would make Katt Williams jealous. Foreman came out dancing and goofing off, which for a man his size and with his attitude, was actually kind of creepy. A non-descript first round led to Johnson getting knocked out in the second.
“The thing is a carnival and it’s not pleasant to see,” said Howard Cosell, who had a habit of announcing things that were unpleasant to see
@Walken
