c. 2007 Beliefnet
(UNDATED) After losing a 1977 boxing match to Jimmy Young, George Foreman returned to the locker room and entered a dark place _ a place so dark he wouldn’t wish it on his greatest enemy _ where only the grace of God could save him. Not long after, he gave his life to God and became a Christian minister.
Foreman’s recent memoir, “God in My Corner,” explores his spiritual transformation and the dark period of his life before he found God. Foreman also says that the “Rumble in the Jungle” _ the 1974 fight in Zaire in which he lost his heavyweight title to Muhammad Ali _ was one of the best things that ever happened to him.
Although Foreman is said to have made over $150 million from his popular line of grills, he continues to preach, as he has for years, at The Church of Lord Jesus Christ in Houston.
Following are excerpts from a recent interview:
Q: Tell us about that dark, scary place you encountered after losing to Jimmy Young. Do you think it was hell?
A: I wish I knew where in the world that place is. All I can tell you is that I would never want to go back there. It was just complete emptiness and darkness. If you multiply every sad thought you’ve ever had in your life, you wouldn’t come close to this dump yard. That’s where I was _ just dead.
Q: You said that you were interested in several religions before you became a Christian and that you toyed with the idea of becoming Muslim like Muhammad Ali. Why did you ultimately choose to become a Christian?
A: I thought about (Islam), but one day I tore (Ali’s) jacket off of him and he cussed me out so bad. And I said, “Wow! I’m like that already.” So I left (Islam) alone.
And then I admired (David Carradine) from the (1970s television series) “Kung Fu.” He looked Buddhist or something. I don’t know what he was. He just looked so cool. I thought about that (religion), too.
When I was in that dressing room (after the fight with Young), I wasn’t interested in any religion. (But) from that point on, I started reciting the Bible, talking from the pit of my stomach, talking about how Jesus was God’s son and that he was alive. I asked a friend to go get me a Bible … and he went out and bought me a King James version of the Bible. And that’s how I got into religion.
Q: How difficult was it to come back to the ring after being a preacher?
A: The punching bag used to be the fellow I was going to fight. I could just see that bag _ see (my opponent) in the bag _ and tear the bag up. But after the experience (in 1977), I went to a punching bag, and it was just rags and leather. I just couldn’t concentrate like that anymore. So I left boxing for 10 years.
I started a youth center in Houston. The kids would come in and want to learn to box, they wanted to tear up the world, beat up the world. And I’d try to show them they didn’t need anger. They didn’t need all that killing instinct they’d read about. You can be a human being and pursue boxing as a sport.
Q: But isn’t it hard to throw a punch without being nervous that you might inflict pain on someone else?
A: No. It would be hard to throw a punch to someone who wasn’t a boxer, who wasn’t in the ring, and who didn’t have on a pair of boxing gloves and who hadn’t been training.
Q: Before you found God, you were a very angry person and even wanted to hire a hit man to kill people who had wronged you. How did you forgive all of the people who had hurt you?
A: When I found God after my experience with Jesus Christ, and I saw this place _ this big nothing that I was in _ I (realized that) I had not found an enemy in this world that I would wish to go to this place. I instantly stopped hating anyone.
As a matter of fact, I called all my friends whom I’d mistreated, and asked their forgiveness. I hugged people who really considered themselves my enemies, to let them know there was nothing they had done to me that meant anything. I found peace of mind.
Q: Would there ever be a circumstance where you wouldn’t be able to forgive someone?
A: Oh, not in this life now. I’ve found my peace of mind. If you wake up one morning without forgiveness in your heart, you’ll wake up without children, without a husband, without a wife. Forgiveness is the only way that you can bind love and friendship. Without it, you are empty.
Q: Tell me a little about your relationship with Muhammad Ali now. Do you feed off of each other spiritually?
A: In the past he was one of the fellows that I truly didn’t like. I really hated him. He took my title, never gave me a title shot. But when I found Jesus Christ, the first thing that came to my mind was to make sure I shared my experience with Muhammad Ali. And over the years we became the best of friends. We’re great friends. I love him.
Q: There’s a photo in the book of you and Ali in 1984 reading the Bible together. Would you often read and discuss the Bible with him?
A: Every time I saw him, to the point that he’d hide. Just like he would run his mouth to opponents, I was running my mouth to him about the Bible. He told me, “Just let me alone.” But I loved that. That was my greatest experience, explaining and showing him things in the Bible.
Q: Did he try to discuss the Quran with you?
A: No.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about being a Christian?
A: My chance to have a second chance to live. I found out that the greatest thing in the world _ the greatest existence of anything _ is that God made us human beings, and that I found out how to love my fellow man. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to truly appreciate human beings’ lives until they’ve found Jesus Christ.
KRE/PH END ROSSEditors: A similar story originally appeared on Beliefnet (http://www.beliefnet.com). This article may be used by RNS clients but please use the Beliefnet credit line.
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A photo of George Foreman is available via https://religionnews.com.
