NO. 3 GEORGE FOREMAN
Record: 76-5 (68 KOs)
Years active: 1969-77; ’87-97
Title reigns: Two (1973-74; ’94-95)
Among his victims: George Chuvalo, Gerry Cooney, Joe Frazier (twice), Ron Lyle, Michael Moorer, Ken Norton, Chuck Wepner
Background: George Foreman had two careers. In the first one, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist was a brooding, unapproachable bruiser who annihilated everyone his path en route to a knockout victory over Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight championship in 1974. Then, in “The Rumble of the Jungle,” Muhammad Ali shattered Foreman’s aura of invincibility by using rope-a-dope to score a stunning eighth-round stoppage. Foreman fought six more times and then left boxing for a decade. When he returned, in 1987, he was a different man. The sourpuss became jovial Big George, who would go on to make millions from the George Foreman Grill and become a great pitch man in general. He also had more to give in the ring. He fought his way back into form, lost a few fights (including one to Evander Holyfield for the championship) before getting a shot at reigning titleholder Michael Moorer in 1994. Moorer was winning the fight on the cards when, in a historic 10th round, a right hand from Foreman split Moorer’s gloves and knocked him down and out. Foreman, 45, had become the oldest in history to win a heavyweight belt. And he did it almost exactly 20 after he first won the title.