"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."
God in my corner
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George Foreman, Nashville, Thomas Nelson 2007. ISBN10:0-8499-0314-9
Early in the book, Foreman declares: “I didn’t need God. I was George Foreman, Olympic gold medallist and heavyweight champion of the world” adding that he had always admired Joe Frazier until he had seen him holding a Bible, which Foreman saw as a sign of weakness.
At that time, he admits to being motivated by hate and wanting to kill his opponents. “I viewed them as animals to be hunted. My opponents weren’t human beings – they were the enemy”. Then he experienced a dramatic conversion, when he felt that he died, met Jesus and came back to life. His response to this was to quit boxing but not permanently…
“After I quit boxing, I didn’t have any idea what I would do next. What does a boxer do after life in the ring? All I knew was that I was willing to follow God’s plan, wherever it might lead. To my surprise ten years later, God would lead me back into boxing, and I would once again become the world champion!”
An important part of the process was a belief that God spoke to his wife, Mary: “God spoke to her heart. That was the confirmation I needed. The Lord led me back to boxing again in 1987 which was ten years after I had retired. Why would God lead me back into boxing? Because through that avenue He would not only provide my financial needs but also open many new doors to help people”.
Having been motivated by hate in his first career, he felt a dilemma when he returned to the ring: “When I decided to get back into the sport, I had to learn a new way to box – without hate… Because I no longer had hate boiling within me, I couldn’t imagine boxing again. I couldn’t even make a fist to hit a punching bag. I could no longer view my opponents as animals to be hunted, but as human beings, - the most valuable of God’s creation…The truth is, I did change my approach to boxing after became a preacher. I developed more of a classic regard for boxing – as a sport requiring skill and strategy, not simply raw power. I didn’t go into the ring with the intent to pulverize my opponent. I went into the ring to win but not to hurt my opponent any more than necessary”.
As an example, he describes how in career one he used to eyeball opponents before the fight started. In his second career, he smiled at them! Another example was when an opponent lost his mouthpiece and Foreman refused to continue until he could replace it.
Using the title of the book, he comments: “I did what everyone said was impossible but only because God was in my corner… Sure I worked hard, trained hard, and had to fight my way from bottom to the top. But each step of the way, God gave me the ability to do it”.
He describes his new perspective as: “Although I love sports and business, my real heart is for evangelism, sharing the good news with people about how they can find a genuine relationship with God”.
Interestingly he did not talk about God in the ring or in press conferences: “In all of fights I had won, I had purposely avoided saying anything about God during my interviews. I had seen too many boxers beat someone up and then say ‘I give all the praise to God.’ It didn’t seem right, so I never talked about God after winning a fight”.