George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ - Nov 05, 1994 - HISTORY.com This Day in History: 11/05/1994 - Foreman is Oldest Champ On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to "all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail." Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson's Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. "Big George," as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO'd "Smokin'" Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center. A decade later, the millions he'd made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he'd had on the night he lost to Ali. Foreman didn't hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No.

1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he'd narrowly beat in a controversial judges' decision in April of that same year. Lead Story George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ Share this: George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ Author George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ URL Publisher A+E Networks On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail.” Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson’s Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. “Big George,” as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S.

at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO’d “Smokin'” Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center. A decade later, the millions he’d made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he’d had on the night he lost to Ali. Foreman didn’t hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long.

In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he’d narrowly beat in a controversial judges’ decision in April of that same year. Foreman’s last fight was in 1997; he lost to Shannon Biggs. He retired with a lifetime record of 76-5. Outside of the boxing ring, Foreman, who has five sons, all named George, and five daughters, has become enormously wealthy as an entrepreneur and genial TV pitchman for a variety of products, including the hugely popular George Foreman Grill. Related Videos Boxing in 1994 | Britannica.com Boxing in 1994 Originally published in the Britannica Book of the Year. Presented as archival content. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros.

Folds Its Tent One of the biggest upsets in world boxing history was recorded at Las Vegas, Nev., in November 1994 when 45-year-old George Foreman (U.S.) knocked out the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion Michael Moorer (U.S.) in the 10th round. In his defeat of the 27-year-old and previously undefeated Moorer, Foreman thus became the oldest heavyweight ever to win the world crown. It was an extraordinary performance by a fighter who had first won the title by defeating Joe Frazier (U.S.) in Jamaica 21 years earlier only to be destroyed by a 32-year-old Muhammad Ali (U.S.) the following year. So humiliated was the young Foreman that he quit boxing for 10 years and became a Baptist preacher. Adding to this almost unbelievable result was the fact that Foreman had not fought in a match for 17 months after he was soundly outpointed by Tommy Morrison (U.S.) in a bid for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight title.

Yet another bizarre situation in world heavyweight competition was that another former champion, 45-year-old Larry Holmes (U.S.), was scheduled to challenge Oliver McCall (U.S.) for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship early in 1995. If Holmes should win, a future bout with Foreman would match two grandfathers fighting for boxing’s most lucrative prize. Apart from the Moorer-Foreman upset, the heavyweight division went through another year of instability and unpredictable results. All the holders of WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO versions lost titles in a series of upsets. Evander Holyfield (U.S.), who had regained the WBA/IBF crown, was surprisingly outpointed by Moorer, who had earlier relinquished the WBO version. More upsets followed when Michael Bentt (U.S.), who had shocked the experts by taking the WBO title with a first-round knockout of Morrison in late 1993, made his first defense against Herbie Hide (England) in London and was knocked out in the seventh round. After the fight, Bentt collapsed in his dressing room and spent a night in the hospital.

It later emerged that he had had dizzy spells while in training and was reported to have blacked out on the plane back to New York. After a series of medical tests, the 29-year-old Bentt retired. He had taken part in only 13 professional contests, winning 11. The heavyweight scene had to endure a complete fiasco. Hide had signed to make the first defense of the WBO title against Morrison in Hong Kong in October. It was to be the biggest boxing tournament ever staged in Hong Kong, also including several other fights for world championships. The promised financial backing never was obtained, however, and an angry press conference replaced the weigh-in only 17 hours before the tournament was scheduled to begin. Never before had a heavyweight championship been called off at such a late hour. Yet another upset took place when Lennox Lewis (England), having successfully defended the WBC title by defeating Phil Jackson (U.S.) in Atlantic City, N.J., was stopped in two rounds in London by McCall, the former sparring partner of Mike Tyson. Lewis’ defeat by McCall brought back to prominence Don King, who had controlled the title for years when he managed Tyson and now handled McCall.

The outstanding fighter of the year was again Julio Cesar Chávez (Mexico), despite the big surprise when he lost the WBC junior welterweight (also called super lightweight) crown to Frankie Randall (U.S.). It was Chávez’ first defeat in the 91 contests of his 14-year career. Randall, given his first shot at a championship after 11 years in boxing, was quoted as a 15-1 underdog but won the decision against an out-of-form Chávez at Las Vegas in January. In the return match in May, also at Las Vegas, Chávez regained the title with a controversial verdict following an accidental clash of heads in the eighth round that severely cut the Mexican. Under the rules the bout was stopped, and Chávez was awarded the decision on points. Many experts thought that Randall had been robbed and that the 31-year-old Mexican had seen his best days. But Chávez confounded the boxing world by coming back to demolish Meldrick Taylor (U.S.) at Las Vegas in September.

Taylor, who had come close to defeating Chávez four years earlier, was leading when Chávez dug deep and with a savage attack finished off his challenger in the eighth round. Also fighting that night in Las Vegas, Randall gained consolation by surviving a knockdown and then defeating Juan Martin Coggi (Argentina) for the WBA junior welterweight crown. Castles: Fact or Fiction? Other outstanding champions of 1994 included Mike McCallum (Jamaica), who at 37 won his third world title by defeating the WBC light heavyweight champion Jeff Harding (Australia). Orlando Canizales (U.S.) relinquished the IBF bantamweight crown after defending it for the 16th time. Virgil Hill (U.S.) remained the WBA light heavyweight king with only one defeat in 38 contests. Roy Jones (U.S.), IBF super middleweight, Ricardo López (Mexico), WBC mini-flyweight, and Pernell Whitaker (U.S.), WBC welterweight, were other impressive champions.

In a tough fight against Jesse James Leija (U.S.), Azumah Nelson (Ghana), one of Africa’s greatest fighters, lost the WBC junior lightweight title that he had held for six years. A tragedy took place in Britain in April when Bradley Stone (England) died after being defeated in 10 rounds by Richie Wenton (England) for the British junior featherweight championship, a weight division introduced in the U.K. in 1994. Another boxer, Robert Wangila Napunyl (Kenya), also died after being defeated at Las Vegas in July. Wangila had won an Olympic gold medal for Kenya at Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. Frank Butler Article Contributors Michael Moorer - BoxRec Michael Moorer Birth Name: Michael Lee Moorer Born: 1967-11-12 Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA Hometown: Monessen, Pennsylvania, USA 6 Miscellaneous Biography Michael Moorer was born in Brooklyn, New York, but grew up in the gritty western Pennsylvania mill town of Monessen, Pennsylvania. Like most kids in the town, he started playing football at an early age.

Moorer came from a broken home and grew up fatherless. His grandfather, Henry Smith , became his mentor and father figure. At age 11, Smith began taking Michael to the local boxing gym, where he showed promise. As his amateur career progressed, he relocated to Detroit and began training with Emanuel Steward at the Kronk Gym . Michael said of his time at the gym, "When you fought inside the gym, you gained a lot of notoriety, recognition on what you did in the ring. And I kicked a lot of ass in there." In 1987, while he was still an amateur, Moorer (a natural right-hander who fought southpaw) became the main sparring partner for Darnell Knox in his upcoming NABF title fight against southpaw Michael Nunn . By Steward's account, Knox was overmatched against Moorer in sparring. In fact, Steward asserted that Knox proved to be easy pickings for Nunn partially because Knox was depleted from the beatings he took from Moorer. Moorer began his professional career in 1988 and won his first 24 fights by knockout.

On December 3, 1988, after just eleven professional bouts, he knocked out Ramzi Hassan (25-4) in five rounds to become the inaugural WBO Light Heavyweight Champion. He defended the title nine times, winning all nine by knockout. In 1991, no longer wanting to struggle to make weight, he moved to the heavyweight division. He won his first four fights at heavyweight by knockout, then went the ten-round distance in back-to-back fights, winning unanimous decisions against Mike White (26-10-1)and Everett Martin (17-12-1). Against Martin, Moorer was dropped for the first time in his career. On May 15, 1992, Moorer knocked out Bert Cooper (27-8) in five rounds to win the vacant WBO Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first southpaw world heavyweight champion in boxing history. Both fighters were floored twice in the slugfest. Moorer's tutelage under Steward ended following the Cooper fight. Steward felt that Moorer had mentally changed after moving to heavyweight and no longer adhered to training.

Moorer contended that Steward became less available and spent too much time training and managing other fighters. For his next bout, which was a knockout win against Billy Wright (12-1), Moorer worked with Tony Ayala Sr. . He then joined the Duvas' camp in 1993. Trained primarily by George Benton , Moorer went 3-0 with 2 KOs. Seeking to return to his aggressive style, he joined with Teddy Atlas in October 1993. On April 22, 1994, Moorer won the lineal and WBA / IBF Heavyweight Championships with a close and debated twelve-round majority decision over Evander Holyfield (30-1). Seven months later, on November 5, 1994, Moorer suffered the first defeat of his professional career, losing his titles to 45-year-old underdog George Foreman (72-4). Michael Moorer & Teddy Atlas Following the loss, Moorer briefly retired, but Atlas encouraged him to continue. They sought unsuccessfully to land a rematch with Foreman.

On June 22, 1996, Moorer regained his status as a world champion, defeating Axel Schulz (21-2-1) for the vacant IBF Heavyweight Championship. He would twice defend the title, winning against Francois Botha (35-0) and Vaughn Bean (27-0). Following the Bean fight, Teddy Atlas, citing Moorer's lack of focus, moved on. Moorer then hired Freddie Roach as his new trainer. His first fight with Roach was a rematch with Evander Holyfield (34-3) to unify the IBF and WBA titles on November 8, 1997. Moorer was knocked down five times, but showed a lot of heart by continuing to get to his feet. The fight was stopped on the advice of the ringside physician following the eighth round. After the loss, Moorer took a three year break from the ring: his first significant time away from the sport since his youth. During that time, his grandfather unsuccessfully attempted to sue him for a percentage of past earnings, he began drinking heavily, and ballooned to 270 pounds.

Deciding he wanted to make a comeback, he quit drinking completely. He returned on November 17, 2000 at 247 pounds and knocked out journeyman Lorenzo Boyd (30-48) in the fourth round. He gradually lost weight and put together a few wins. He was dominating Dale Crowe (22-4) on July 27, 2001 before the bout was declared a technical draw on an accidental butt. A few wins later, he was quietly reemerging as a possible player in the division. His gaining momentum ended when David Tua (40-3) knocked him out in thirty seconds on August 17, 2002 on HBO . A right hook and left hand behind the ear sent Moorer down and halfway out of the ring. Despite the loss, Moorer continued to fight. He put together three wins against nondescript opposition, but weighed a career high 251 pounds in losing an embarrassing ten-round unanimous decision to Eliseo Castillo (17-0-1) on July 3, 2004.

He returned, likely thought to be just as much an opponent as a threat, against Vassiliy Jirov (33-2) for the vacant NABA and WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Championships on December 9, 2004. Well behind on points, Moorer landed a straight left hand in the ninth round that sent Jirov down and caused the referee to stop the bout. Following the win, Moorer again retired. He began working as a trainer for John (JD) Chapman in 2005 before he decided to return to fighting in late 2006. He won five consecutive bouts and ended his 20-year professional career with a first-round knockout against Shelby Gross (16-3). His final record was 52-4-1 (40 KOs). In 2009, he began working as assistant trainer with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, California.

[1] [2] World Titles WBO Light Heavyweight Champion (1988-1991) vacated the title to fight as a heavyweight WBO Heavyweight Champion (1992) vacated the title to get rated by the WBA, WBC and IBF Today in History: Oldest Heavyweight Champion - American Grit Today in History: Oldest Heavyweight Champion Photo by Neil Leifer At the age of 45 George Foreman became the oldest Heavyweight Champion in boxing, in a bout against then Champion Michael Moorer (26). He did not keep the belt for long as it was stripped by the World Boxing Association (WBA) in March 1995 and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in June 1995 after Foreman declined a rematch with number 1 contender Axle Schulz. From History: On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas.

More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to “all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail.” Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson’s Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. “Big George,” as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO’d “Smokin’” Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title.

Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center. A decade later, the millions he’d made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he’d had on the night he lost to Ali. See more events and the full article from History . [mwi-cat-listing cat=”94″ ppp=”4″ cols=”4″ desc=”false” type=”view” btn_color=”black” ] Celebrating Black History Month: George Foreman Celebrating Black History Month: George Foreman Feb 15, 2015 By Jason Bracelin With a crushing knockout of Michael Moorer, 19 years his junior, George Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history on November 5, 1994.

The win capped a remarkable career in which Foreman regained the title 21 years after first winning it. George Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 45 when he defeated Michael Moorer in November 1994. With a punch as big as his native Texas, Foreman won Olympic gold in 1968, quickly establishing himself in the pros as one of the sport’s premier knockout artists, earning 68 of his 76 wins by way of KO. Foreman first became heavyweight champ on January 22, 1973, when he knocked out the previously undefeated Joe Frazier. It took Foreman but two rounds to dispatch of Frazier, himself an all-time great, putting him on the canvas six times in the process. The following year, Foreman would battle Muhammad Ali in one of the most celebrated fights in boxing history: “The Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire. It was a legendary war of attrition, with Foreman hammering away at the body of Ali, who would later admit that he was out on his feet on two separate occasions during the bout.

Nevertheless, Ali would knock Foreman out in the eighth round, becoming the only opponent to ever stop him in the ring. After retiring in 1977, Foreman would embark on the second phase of his career a decade later, beginning his pro comeback in 1987. Seven years later, Foreman would make history by taking the heavyweight championship from Moorer at the age of 45. Along the way, Foreman managed to earn almost as much success outside the ring as in it: His endorsement of the George Foreman Grill has resulted in sales of more than 100 million units. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. Topics George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ in history - Nov 05, 1994 - HISTORY.com George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ in history Share this: George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ in history Author George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ in history URL Publisher A+E Networks On November 5, 1994, 45-year-old George Foreman knocks out 26-year-old Michael Moorer and becomes the oldest heavyweight champ in the history of boxing.

Foreman had been the champ once before, until Muhammed Ali took the belt from him in 1974’s “Rumble in the Jungle,” but he’d taken 10 years off from boxing to become an evangelical preacher, pitchman for mufflers and hamburgers, and sitcom star. Moorer, for his part, was a young lefty with a 35-0 record who expected to coast through the bout, collect a hefty paycheck and retire a champion. And he was coasting through the bout, until Foreman floored him in the 10th round. Though the older man was no longer the fighter he had once been, he was fighter enough: As one columnist observed, that day Moorer “floated like an elephant and got his trunk shoved down his throat.” The fight almost didn’t happen: At first, the World Boxing Association had refused to sanction it, mostly because of Foreman’s age but also in part because of his abysmal record in recent fights. Foreman’s promoter sued the W.B.A. and won, on the grounds that age discrimination is illegal, and the fight was allowed to proceed.

When Foreman entered the ring at the M-G-M Grand in Las Vegas that night, he wore the same red velour shorts he’d worn in Zaire 20 years before. (“These are the shorts that I fought in when I was heavyweight champion of the world,” he explained. “They are short and make you look a little chubby, but I fought Muhammed Ali in these shorts.”) Moorer, by contrast, wore a brand-new pair of shiny gold trunks. From the beginning of the fight, he seemed to have the advantage: He was 19 years younger, 28 pounds lighter and a whole lot quicker. On all three judges’ scorecards, he was in the lead for nine rounds, and he’d rattled Foreman with 259 sharp right jabs. (He threw 641 punches in all; Foreman threw only 369.) But Foreman had a plan. He worried that if he knocked Moorer down too early in the fight, the younger man would have time to bounce back. So he bided his time, and in the 10th he got his chance: He clocked Moorer hard and straight on the chin with his right hand.

Moorer was down for the count, and the middle-aged Foreman was the champ. Today, the affable Foreman is still a minister and rancher in Texas and the father of five daughters and five sons named George. He’s also the spokesman for the incredibly popular line of George Foreman indoor grills. Related Videos All Funked Up :: George Foreman Becomes Oldest Ever Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1994 George Foreman Becomes Oldest Ever Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1994 David Funk , All Funked Up on November 05 0 On November 5, 1994, one of the biggest upsets in boxing history took place. It was on this day that George Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in history. In April of 1994, Michael Moorer won the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles by majority decision over Evander Holyfield. At the time, Moorer was undefeated as a heavyweight and became the first southpaw to win a major heavyweight title. He had a career mark of 35-0 as a heavyweight with 30 of them by knockout going into his fight with Foreman.

In 1972, Foreman beat Joe Frazier to become the heavyweight champion for the first time in a bout of undefeated boxers. He defended the title against Ken Norton before losing it to Muhammad Ali in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" match in October 1974. Foreman lost a match to Jimmy Young in 1977 in which he lost by decision. After the match, he had what he described as a near death experience. He became a born-again Christian and left boxing. In 1987, Foreman made a shocking announcement that he was returning to the ring at age 38. One of his ambitions for returning to the ring was to raise money for his youth center and wanting to fight Mike Tyson in the ring, who was on top of the boxing world at the time. He initially weighed almost 270 pounds in his return to the ring, but eventually got the weight down to 245-250 range. His deliberate fighting style didn't impact his stamina and he was able to last into the later rounds of fights as a result even into his 40s.

In 1989 after his successful return to the ring, he sold his name and face on ads for many products. None were more famous than the Foreman Grill. In his time in the 1970s, Foreman was often seen as aloof and unapproachable according to those in the media. When he returned, he was smiling and friendly which changed his persona drastically to the public and made him more popular that ever. In 1991, Foreman unsuccessfully challenged Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Holyfield was in top condition at the time and won in a decision over Foreman. However, many critics praised Foreman for being able to last 12 rounds in the fight. In 1993, Foreman fought against a young Tommy Morrison and lost to him by decision although he fought competitively throughout the bout. Having lost to Morrison, Foreman was left unranked by the WBA and in no position to leverage a match with then-champion Michael Moorer for the WBA and IBF titles. However, Foreman's name played a huge factor in getting his title shot because of his popularity and ability to draw.

Moorer eventually granted Foreman a shot at the title at what looked like no risk to him losing his title, but not before the WBA stepped in to threaten taking the belt off the champion. Since Foreman wasn't ranked by the WBA, they didn't sanction the bout between them and threatened to strip Moorer of the title if he fought. But Foreman sued the WBA after the fight was initially cancelled, and won in court putting the fight back on for November 5. Foreman wanted to put the ghost behind him of what happened against Ali in the "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He wore the same red trunks for this fight as he did that one and had Ali's former legendary trainer Angelo Dundee in his corner. Over 12,000 fans came out to MGM Grand in Las Vegas to witness a historically shocking night in boxing history. But it sure looked like it was going to be an easy night for the champion when the fight got going. Moorer's youth and quickness caused problems for Foreman by hitting and moving. Foreman was unable to get close enough to use his power or land a big punch to get back in the fight.

After nine rounds, all scorecards had Foreman behind on points to Moorer. But the 10th Round was Foreman's round. In the 10th round, Foreman was finally able to hit Moorer with a series of jabs. He then was able to lure Moorer close enough to him with a combination that included right hand that broke Moorer's mouthpiece and made his lip bleed. Moorer had been knocked down to the canvas and laid flat on his back. Moorer was counted out. Foreman shocked the world to become the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history by knocking out Moorer in a bout he seemingly had no chance of winning. On the HBO airing of this fight, announcer Jim Lampley said after Foreman's right hand knocked out Moorer,"Down goes Moorer on a right hand! An unbelievably close-in right-hand shot!... It happened! It happened!" After losing his heavyweight title nearly twenty years to the day of this fight, Foreman was on top of the world again. He had come full circle and came up with the strength in the 10th round to knock out the champion that was 19 years younger than him.

After this fight, the WBA demanded that he face Tony Tucker for the title. For reasons unknown, he refused to fight Tucker and was stripped of the title. He wanted a fight with Tyson or Holyfield again. Instead, he defended his IBF title against Axel Schulz when he won by controversial decision. The IBF wanted a rematch to take place in Germany, but Foreman refused and was stripped of that title as well. Moorer was able to regain his IBF title after Foreman was stripped by beating Schulz for the vacated title. However, Moorer would lose the title in a rematch with Holyfield before he retired and returned to the ring later on. Foreman did continue on as Lineal Champion until losing against Shannon Briggs in 1997 in what was seen as a controversial decision by many. Foreman retired for good after losing to Briggs. Foreman finished his career with a 76-5 record with 68 of them winning by knockout. Moorer went 52-4-1 with 40 of his fights won by knockout. Two years later, Foreman Salton Inc bought out his George Foreman Grill for $137 million to use his name and rights to it.

Foreman has made over $200 million off the product. He would later become a boxing analyst on HBO before settling back into life as a preacher and motivational speaker. What Foreman did on this night was incredible - even if it only lasted briefly. It looked impossible and improbable. This night will always be remembered for when "Big" George Foreman knocked out not only the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, but a ghost that haunted him for twenty years. And he became the oldest heavyweight champion in the history of professional boxing. It was a most fitting climax to his legendary boxing career. Here's a video of the knockout by Foreman: BOXING - Foreman Flattens Moorer With Blast From the Past - NYTimes.com BOXING; Foreman Flattens Moorer With Blast From the Past By GERALD ESKENAZI, Published: November 6, 1994 LAS VEGAS, Nev., Nov. 5— A right hand thrown from about 1973 tonight returned to 45-year-old George Foreman the heavyweight title he had lost 20 years ago.

With that heavy, short blow to the previously undefeated Michael Moorer in the 10th round, Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history. He looked it, too, his baggy orange trunks -- they were red when he wore them in Zaire against Muhammad Ali 20 years and a week ago -- ill-fitting under his stomach. At 250 pounds, he was 28 pounds heavier than the southpaw Moorer, who was 19 years younger. Foreman had trailed on all three judges' scorecards. But the stunning shot proved to be the only knockdown of the bout. Moorer fell flat on his back and took the entire 10-count from Referee Joe Cortez, the bout ending at 2 minutes 3 seconds of the 10th with Foreman becoming the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation champion. Oliver McCall holds the World Boxing Council title. McCall will fight 45-year-old Larry Holmes, a former champion, in a title bout next February. Moorer had thrown 641 punches, to only 369 by Foreman. Yet, Foreman had refused to sit in his stool between rounds against his younger opponent.

He stood in his corner so calmly, it seemed like e another attempt at a psych job. The one shot made Foreman the first fighter in the division to appear in a title fight 20 years apart. Ali had defeated him in Zaire in 1974. That ended the myth of the Invincible Foreman that had reached its peak when he knocked out Joe Frazier in 1973 to capture the title. "These are the shorts that I fought in when I was heavyweight champion of the world," said Foreman later. "They are short and make you look a little chubby, but I fought Muhammad Ali in these shorts. "I exorcised the ghost, once and forever. Heavyweight champion of the world." Foreman had been hit with most of the bout's punches, yet rarely faltered or staggered or changed his style. He moved forward. The road to the knockout began with a right that sent a shudder through Moorer, who backed up. Then came a short left, and finally, the ultimate right. "Anything you desire, you can make happen," the once and future champion said afterward.

"It's like the song, 'When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.' Well, look at me tonight." And what better setting for this than a 15,000-seat indoor arena at the M-G-M Grand, the 5,005-seat hotel in which Dorothy and the Tin Man and the other "Wizard of Oz" characters cavort near the casinos. "Bluebirds," said Foreman, "fly over the rainbow. Why oh why can't I?" More gracious in defeat than he had been as champion, at least publicly, Moorer admitted afterward that he had been thinking of retiring if he won. "But I'm not sure now," he said. His record fell to 35-1, including 30 knockouts. For Foreman, who did not fight at all between 1977 and 1987, his impressive mark stands at 73-4. Moorer was his 68th knockout victim. Why didn't Moorer just coast the final rounds? Two judges had him ahead by 5 points, the third by 1 point. Moorer had to know he was leading. "I my mind, I knew I was winning," he said.

But apparently his trainer, Teddy Atlas, kept after him to keep circling to his right. "I was doing it in the gym, but here it's totally different," Moorer explained. Didn't he consider backing off? "No," he replied, "I never considered backing off." Foreman claimed his strategy was to keep pounding until he could flatten Moorer. Foreman claimed that he would never get the benefit of a decision, and that the fact there was no three-knockdown rule would help Moorer. Thus, said Foreman, when he nailed Moorer, it was essential he stay down. Foreman didn't need to worry. Even while Moorer was down for a minute after being knocked out, Foreman was on his knees praying. In the excitement his brother, Roy, passed out in the ring, but a physician said later, "He's O.K. " And will Foreman continue? "It's too soon to say," he said. "But I want to fight in the Astrodome. It's my dream." He is from Houston. He entered the ring to a joyful sounds of "If I Had a Hammer," looking all business in a gray hooded sweatshirt soaked with perspiration.

He had on those baggy orange shorts. Moorer, who won the championship only six months ago from Evander Holyfield, strode in to rap music, wearing a bright yellow robe over gold shorts. His handlers walked around holding his championship belts aloft. Moorer got the first good blow, a left hook. that made the water bounce off the top of Foreman's bald head. Moorer connected with a few more right jabs against Foreman, who presented a stolid figure, as if waiting to unload a right. It was part of his strategy, he was to claim, to wait it out until the time was right, until Moorer could not get up again. Foreman stood after the round, while Moorer was ministered to by Atlas, who had worked on preparing Moorer for George's mind games as well as right uppercut. Outwardly, the champion and the challenger represented a study in contrasts. Snarling and intimidating, Foreman mowed down heavyweights and brushed aside friends in his rush to the title he captured from Frazier. But three years after losing it to Ali in Zaire, he dropped a decision to Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico.

After showering, he stormed out, dripping wet and started screaming that he had to find God. He tried to get back into the arena. His trainer, Gil Clancy, had to hold him down. Foreman became a preacher and didn't fight for 10 years. Photos: Michael Moorer, right, throwing a right at George Foreman during the first round of their heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. Foreman won. (Holly Stein/Allsport)(pg. 7); George Foreman standing over Michael Moorer after knocking him down with a short right hand that decided the fight in the 10th round of their heavyweight title match. (Reuters)(pg. 1) Michael Moorer | Boxing Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Moorer had a fast but steady rise through the professional boxing ranks. He debuted on March 4, 1988, knocking out Adrian Riggs in the first round. He spent the year taking on a rather ambitious fight schedule, in terms of quantity if nothing else. Before the year's end, he was undefeated in eleven bouts (winning all by way of early round knockouts) and fighting for the world title for the first time.

He acquired the newly created WBO light heavyweight title with a five round knockout of Ramzi Hassan. In 1989, he retained the title six times, beating Freddie Delgado, Frankie Swindell, Mike Sedillo and former WBA champion Leslie Stewart , among others. In 1990, he retained the title three times before the end of the year, beating Mario Melo and former Michael Spinks challenger Jim McDonald, among others. Heavyweight Edit 1991 saw Moorer move up to the heavyweight division. He rolled through the competition en route to securing an opportunity to fight for the vacant WBO heavyweight championship the following year against Bert Cooper . Moorer stopped Cooper in the fifth round after both fighters were down and hurt during the bout. He did not defend the lesser regarded WBO heavyweight belt. Moorer and trainer Emanuel Steward parted ways after the Cooper fight. Moorer eventually joined Lou Duva 's team, and was trained by Georgie Benton for three fights in 1993, including a 10-round decision win over former champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith .

Moorer then parted ways with the Duvas and Benton, and hired New York-based trainer Teddy Atlas in late 1993. Moorer closed the year with a 10-round decision over Mike Evans. Heavyweight champion Edit On April 22, 1994, Moorer challenged Evander Holyfield for the Lineal , IBF , and WBA title belts. In round 2 Holyfield sent Moorer down on the canvas, but Moorer overcame and went on to win a majority decision. As a result he became the first-ever southpaw heavyweight champion. In his first defense of those belts, on November 5, 1994, Moorer faced 45-year old George Foreman , who lost his last fight to then WBO heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison . For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman moving forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Moorer was ahead on all three judges' scorecards entering the 10th round, when Foreman hit him with a number of long-range jabs.

Then, suddenly, a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. Moorer was knocked out and lost the world championship. He also lost his undefeated record. Foreman, at age 45, became the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight title. The following year, Moorer re-grouped by winning against fringe contender Melvin Foster. Meanwhile, Foreman retained the title with a close and controversial decision against German fighter Axel Schulz . Because of the controversial nature of the Foreman-Schultz bout, the IBF ordered Foreman to travel to Germany for a rematch, but Foreman refused, choosing to leave the IBF belt vacant instead. South African Francois Botha travelled to Germany instead and beat Schultz with another close decision to claim the title, but he was stripped of it when he tested positive for illegal substances shortly after. IBF champion Edit Moorer was then given the opportunity to fight Schultz for the vacant crown in Berlin. On June 22, 1996, Moorer won the IBF heavyweight crown once again, beating Schultz by a 12 round split decision.

He thus technically became a three-time heavyweight champion, WBO (1992), WBA/IBF (1994) and IBF (1996–1997). It should be noted that when Moorer held the WBO heavyweight title, it wasn't considered an authentic heavyweight title. Ironically, Moorer has always been recognized as a former light heavyweight champion despite only ever holding the same organization's title at that weight. Moorer's first defense came against Botha on November 9, 1996. In a brutal one-sided bout, Moorer, leading on the cards going into the 12th, ended with a flourish, knocking Botha out with 18 seconds left in the bout. In March 1997, Moorer retained his belt with a 12 round decision over previously undefeated Vaughn Bean before parting ways with trainer Teddy Atlas, with whom he'd been experiencing increasing tension since the beginning of their professional relationship. He replaced him with Freddie Roach .

On November 8, Moorer visited the canvas five times in his rematch with Evander Holyfield before ringside doctor Flip Homansky advised referee Mitch Halpern to stop the bout in round eight. Comeback Edit After this, he retired from boxing for three years before returning with a knockout of journeyman Lorenzo Boyd. He won three more fights, then seemingly retired again when he was knocked out only 30 seconds into round one by David Tua on August 17, 2002. However, he returned to the ring once again on March 29, 2003, beating Otis Tisdale on points over 10 rounds. On August 23, 2003, he beat Brazil's Rodolfo Lobo by knockout in only 64 seconds. After a layoff of almost one year, he returned on July 3, 2004, losing a ten-round unanimous decision to Eliseo Castillo in Miami, Florida. In December of that year, Moorer rallied from a severe deficit on the scorecards to hand former cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov his first knockout loss. He continued fighting, winning all of his bouts against limited opposition.

His last fight was a KO win over Shelby Gross in 2008. Following the fight Moorer retired from professional boxing. Post boxing career Edit Since his retirement, Moorer has frequently done guest commentating on ESPN's fight cards, and has also worked as a boxing trainer. On December 5, 2007, he was reportedly working as a body guard for golfer Tiger Woods. [1] In 2009, he briefly became Freddie Roach 's assistant trainer in the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, California. He worked with Manny Pacquiao for a week before his fight with Ricky Hatton and worked with British lightweight Amir Khan for his fight against Marco Antonio Barrera [2] but was asked to leave shortly after joining due to personality conflicts with both fighters [3] Moorer was the first universally-recognized southpaw world heavyweight champion. He scored knockouts in each of his first 26 bouts, placing him in the exclusive list of boxers who have won at least 20 fights in a row by knockout, alongside such other fighters as George Foreman , Wilfredo Gómez , Carlos Zarate , John Mugabi , Aaron Pryor and Edwin Valero .

He is also a former boxer of the year in Harlem. George Foreman vs Michael Moorer 1994 - Heavyweight Championship - YouTube George Foreman vs Michael Moorer 1994 - Heavyweight Championship Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Dec 29, 2013 George Foreman vs Michael Moorer 1994 - Heavyweight Championship In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles. Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. His relatively high profile, however, made a title shot against Moorer, 19 years his junior, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for the champion.

Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out. In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers.

With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the World Heavyweight Championship; 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships; and the age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was the largest of any heavyweight boxing championship fight. Category

Question: In November 1994 who became the oldest heavyweight boxing champion in history by defeating Michael Moorer?
Answer: George Foreman