Bob Arum isn’t the least bit surprised George Foreman reached out to Deontay Wilder after Tyson Fury defeated Wilder in their heavyweight championship rematch.
Arum remembers how tough it was for Foreman after Muhammad Ali knocked him out in the eighth round of “The Rumble In the Jungle.” The previously unbeaten knockout artist was a 4-1 favorite to beat Ali in Zaire.
A humiliated Foreman didn’t fight for more than a year following his first defeat in October 1974. The former heavyweight champion’s unique understanding of Wilder’s plight led to Foreman having a long phone conversation with Wilder in the aftermath of Wilder’s seventh-round, technical-knockout loss to Fury on February 22 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“George is a very compassionate guy,” Arum, Foreman’s former promoter, told BoxingScene.com. “He recalled very vividly how embarrassed he was when he lost to Ali in Zaire. Not only having lost, but the way he lost, getting knocked out. I think immediately [after Wilder lost to Fury], George is a very empathetic man and connected with Wilder, and he knew precisely what Wilder was feeling. He’s so compassionate that he reached out to Wilder. That’s how they connected.”
The 34-year-old Wilder (42-1-1, 41 KOs) said during a recent appearance on “The PBC Podcast” that he would solicit advice in person from Foreman before he begins training camp for his third fight against England’s Fury (https://www.boxingscene.com/deontay-wilder-visit-george-foreman-camp-third-fury-fight--148323). The third Wilder-Fury fight was pushed back from July 18 to October 3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Arum expects it to take place no earlier than November or December, perhaps later.
Wilder hasn’t said Foreman will be added to his team in any official capacity, but Arum is certain working with Foreman will help the former WBC champion prepare to try to avenge his one-sided loss to Fury (30-0-1, 21 KOs).
“He could do a lot worse than going to take counsel from George,” said Arum, who is Fury’s co-promoter. “George is a very astute boxing guy. I think he can only help Deontay.”
Foreman would’ve made a terrific trainer, according to Arum, but the wildly successful entrepreneur, minister and former HBO boxing analyst just didn’t have the time to try it.
“I’m not surprised that he didn’t train fighters because George not only kept busy, but he thrived in his career [after boxing],” Arum said. “And essentially, he still looks at himself like a minister. He’s been so busy in his other pursuits that it would’ve been counterproductive for him to spend time training fighters.”
Twenty years after he lost his WBA and WBC titles to Ali, a 45-year-old Foreman became the oldest boxer to that point to win a world title when the huge underdog knocked out IBF/WBA champion Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their November 1994 fight in Las Vegas.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
