George Edward Foreman (nicknamed "Big George") (born January 10, 1949) is a retired American professional boxer, former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur.
A gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, Foreman won the World Heavyweight title with a second round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. He made two successful title defenses before losing to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He fought on but was unable to secure another title shot and retired following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 and became an ordained Christian minister. Ten years later Foreman announced a comeback, and in November 1994, at age 45, he regained the Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Michael Moorer. He remains the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76–5, including 68 knockouts.
Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) currently rates Foreman as the eighth greatest heavyweight of all-time. In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past eighty years by The Ring magazine.The Ring also ranked him as the 9th greatest puncher of all-time. He was a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for twelve years, leaving in 2004. Outside of boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and is known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide. In 1999 he sold the naming rights to the grill for $138 million.
Plot
In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.
Keywords: 1960s, 1970s, adultery, africa, african-american, african-american-protagonist, african-americans, airplane, american-broadcasting-company, american-flag
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
Forget What You Think You Know
The Champ is here!
Sonji: Are you a virgin?::Muhammad Ali: What do you mean "Am I a virgin"?
Drew 'Bundini' Brown: God don't love us! We be.
[fighting George Foreman]::Muhammad Ali: Is that all you got?
Muhammad Ali: Gonna get me some Champ Burgers.
Belinda: Don King talks black, lives white and thinks green.
Muhammad Ali: Yeah, I know where Vietnam is; it's on TV. Southeast Asia? It's there, too?
Muhammad Ali: Ain't no Vietcong ever called me nigger.
Drew 'Bundini' Brown: Free ain't easy. Free is real. And real's a motherfucker.
Muhammad Ali: Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see.
Muhammad Ali: Damn Don you crazy. You must have studied the whole "D" section of the dictionary.
Plot
Biography of fight promoter Don King follows his rise from a street goon convicted of strong arm tactics to a minor music promoter to pulling off his first major fight with Muhammed Ali for a charity. Ving Rhames' characterization gives a fully three dimensional person with warts and all, but still makes it understandable how he became the affluent promoter he has become.
Keywords: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, africa, african-american, based-on-book, based-on-novel, boxer, boxing, boxing-promoter
Don King: If you didn't have Don King, you'd have to invent him.
Don King: I don't see you making a movie about Bob Arum.
[in a restroom]::George Foreman: Aren't you gonna wash your hands?::Don King: I wash my hands *before* I touch my dick.
Don King: Black people don't get no credit for nothing. All we've got is one word. That word is motherfucker.
Don King: I had a moment of religious epiphanosity.
Don King: It's entertainment, baby! You love my black ass! 'Cause I'm exciting!
[about Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear]::Don King: Y'all probably blame me for that. If it were Bob Aram, you'd say, 'There was nothing he could do.' But you blame me, black devil motherfucker. Let me tell you something: Tyson will be heavyweight champ again. And this time, you'll pay twice as much to see it. Why? Because y'all part of the same hypocrisy.
Don King: Y'know who's a motherfucker? The devil's a motherfucker.
[last lines]::Don King: Let me write it down for you. Muhammad Ali is a multimillionaire. Larry Holmes a multimillionaire. Mike Tyson he sleeps on a bed of money. HBO I made you motherfuckers a fortune. Oh I could go on and on. You love my black ass! You know why? Because I'm exciting. You ain't making no movie on Bob Arun, are you? It's entertainment, baby! That's all! Heroes and villains, angels and devils, shit if you didn't have Don King you would have to invent them. And for all of you out there saying this and that, remember this: many fighters step into the ring, but only one is still king.