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Interview with George Foreman: 
Knocking out the Fat!
By Alan Rothman 

Born January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas, Foreman had a previous and glorious life as the champ. With just 18 amateur bouts under his belt super heavyweight George Foreman won the gold medal in that class at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. In the final, he stopped Soviet Jonas Cepulis in the second round. 

He took the heavyweight title from "Smokin' Joe" Frazier on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. Frazier, a 3-1 favorite, hit the canvas six times before the fight was finally called at 1:35 of the second round. At the time, Foreman weighed a svelte 217. He knocked out Ken Norton, also in the second round, in his second title defense in 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela. After losing the title to Muhammad Ali, Foreman retired from boxing in 1977. 

After exiting from boxing, George Foreman became a minister. Foreman returned to the boxing arena when he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990. In November 1994, at the age of 45, George Foreman became the oldest person ever to win a boxing championship when he defeated Michael Moorer to become the heavyweight champion of the world. With his victory Foreman regained the title he had lost 20 years earlier, and completed an inspiring saga that, in the view of many observers, "defied the laws of nature." He currently has a professional record of 69-3, 65 KO's.

It was one of the most remarkable comebacks in sports history when he regained the heavyweight title in 1994. His best-selling autobiography, By George, was published in 1995. Foreman candidly tells the story of his childhood, his family, his triumphs and tragedies in and out of the ring, and gives readers the inside scoop on how he used his desire, drive, and faith to make his return to boxing glory anything but an impossible dream. This book will be coming out soon in paperback for the first time.

He also has another book, George Foreman's "Knock Out The Fat Cookbook" Healthy cooking made easy - with 168 pages of healthy tips and recipes. Great ideas for marinades, barbecue sauces, dry rubs, beef, fish, lamb, poultry, pork, veggies, and more. It is co-authored by Nutritionist Cherie Calbom.

George Foreman follows the golden rule, "I try to treat people the way I want to be treated. I keep my own sermons in mind: Most of them are built on the idea of not giving up on yourself or others, no matter what. So the product that I peddle-I use as well. I wanted to win the heavyweight championship title not only to show that I could win, but also to put that sermon across and to show the world that middle age is truly not a deficit. More than anything, I want to sell people on living."

George Foreman wants to cook food deliciously without the added fat. Most of you have seen the George Foreman Grilling Machines from The Original Lean Mean Grilling Machine to The Extra Large Family Size Lean Mean Grilling Machine and the new Extra Extra Large Wide-Body Family Size Lean Mean Grilling Machine. The machine cooks by pressing the food between two ridged Teflon-coated grills that apply heat to both sides at the same time - much like a waffle-maker. The machine sears in the juices. Fat drains out from the front of the grill as the meat cooks and is collected in the grill's fat catcher. The result: moist burgers. Since its launch in 1995, the Foreman Grill has been one of Salton's big hits with Salton, Inc. doing the design and marketing of the grill and a line of Infomercials starring the personable Foreman as host. According to Forbes Magazine, Foreman's improbable comeback has earned him over $60 million in the past five years. Forbes goes on to state, "The baby boomer idol made more in 1995 in endorsements than any other boxer in history." 

George met with me at Robinson-May in South Coast Plaza as part of a promotional tour for the Foreman Grilling Machine. This man is very compassionate and was kind and considerate of everyone around him. George Foreman shared his philosophy on the business of health and the game of life! 

Alan: What thoughts went through your mind when you regained the world heavyweight championship?

George: For the first part of my life I was striving for physical fitness and a profession. You get to a point in your life where you really need your physical fitness, and you need a profession for making money. When I made my decision to go back into boxing, the most important thing was to make sure I did a good job because I had already left one good impression on people. I had some fear that I could mess everything up, but basically I knew I could do it! I was 45 years old when I became heavyweight champion of the world in 1994 for the second time.

Alan: When did you decide to re-enter the sport of boxing after you retired the first time?

George: I started boxing again when I was close to 40 years old in 1987. That was when everyone was laughing at me. They were saying, "He is old, he is out of shape, and he can't do it: there is no way he can do it, and he is going to get hurt." I had to sit back and listen to all those things and not be indoctrinated by them. 

Alan: How did you overcome other people's versions of what your reality should be?

George: I decided that everyday I was going to look in the mirror, and I could not see what they saw. I learned to be thick-skinned and listen only for constructive criticism. If you said, "George you have a slow left jab", I could not hear that. However, if you said, "George, I can show you how to make that left jab quicker", I could hear that. 

Alan: When you first left boxing, what got you into the field of health?

George: When I first left boxing, I became a full-time preacher. I went into evangelistic work. When I decided to return to boxing, I had to change my whole lifestyle because I had put on a lot of weight. To realize a dream, I couldn't say to myself you have to be young: I had to say what are you going to do for yourself now! I did not originally start to box to become famous or make a lot of money: I did it to become physically fit. It was all about physical fitness. I had to recapture that framework of thinking and with it, I could do anything I wanted. I was going to have to eat properly, sleep properly, and get myself back into shape physically to do whatever I wanted to do. In 1987, I made that turn. 

Alan: What was your mindset when you decided to re-enter the ring, 20 years after having first had the title?

George: I was heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 at 24 years of age. This time, if I was going to to become heavyweight champion of the world again, I could not come back with a similar fitness-I was going to have to be better that I had ever been. I was going to have to run further, rather than 2-3 miles, I was going to do 6-7 miles. It was going to be a chore, but I knew I could do it because I had not burned the candle on both ends. I could not look at myself as over the hill as people were saying. 

Alan: Have you had any mentors in your career?

George: The most important one that comes to mind was Archie Moore, who was in my corner in 1973, when I became the heavyweight champion of the world. He helped push me past Joe Frazier. We stopped working together after 1974. When I made up my mind to get back into boxing, he had been the recipient of jokes as the "old mongoose" as the light heavyweight champ of the world at close to 50. He fought his last pro fight in 1965 at 52. I read his book, Any Boy Can. I had the book for years, and it never occurred to me to read it. Then I called him up and asked his opinion, because people were saying I was too old! He said, "I don't think you are old." From that point, he started to invest time with me. It made a profound impression. 

Alan: How many George's in the family?

George: There are six of us named George Foreman, five boys. If you are going to be a good soccer player, you have to watch out for your knees; a basketball player watches for his shoulders; but a good boxer has to watch out for his memory. The day I forget one of my boy's names, I will quit!

Alan: What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?

George: Make them love you!

Alan: How did you get into the George Foreman Grill? 

George: There was a joke going on because I weighted so much when I got back into boxing. People were saying this guy couldn't be in shape. I went along with the joke, and said I could eat five cheeseburgers. I started to laugh with people, and they called me the 'cheeseburger guy'. In the morning, you needed a lot of high protein food, so I placed burgers in the broiler. This grill came on the scene, and it was presented to me. I cleaned it up a little bit and placed my name on it. I decided this was a great way to cook food and eliminate the grease. I was trying to communicate the message that it was important to eat correctly. The rest of the story just happened by coincidence. What can you pass on to your kids more important than good health? 

Alan: What was the message you wanted to communicate in your best-selling autobiography, By George?

George: I wanted to write a map so that people who were not doing anything could sit down and read what was happening to me. Evil lurks only where disappointment lies! If people can shake off any disappointment, the sky is the limit as far as dreams are concerned. I am one of the crowd that decided to do what I was thinking about. People can apply the principals of hard work, dedication, and objectivity, so that anything can happen. Just don't listen to what people say you can't do. 

Alan: Any final thoughts you would like to share with our readers?

George: The first step you take is the one you decide to take for yourself. If I could become heavyweight champ of the world after being retired for ten years, then the general public can do anything they want. Just do what you are going to do and don't just talk about it. Anyone, even Mike Tyson, can do it better the second time around. I write a fitness column for USA Weekend Edition. In researching for that column, I learned you have to be flexible in your thinking and not be headstrong. There is nothing wrong with being down, because you can only go up. It is never too late to start all over again. 

Copyright © 2000 Alan Rothman. All rights reserved.

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Alan Rothman (arothman@fea.net) is a columnist, speaker, and consultant with Interviews on your products and/or services that can be read by 3-5 million readers each month. He has authored several books, including The Secrets of the MLM Millionaire, LocalNet, and The Bob and Trudy Hemming Story.07/03/2001 2:35 PM

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