I was 28 years old when I died.
My life started in the Fifth Wards in Houston.
Those were some of the toughest streets in all of Texas.
Come on down.
Nothing ever came easy.
Every day was a fight.
Oh, Lord.
We'll have electric soon as I can manage it.
Gloria.
Mary.
Here you go, Roy.
And George.
Thank God for the food first, y'all.
Bow your heads.
Heavenly Father, thank you for this food.
You know exactly what this family needs.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
- Amen. - Amen.
I'm so hungry, I could eat this table.
Thank you, Mary.
Mary always saw the good in me.
I loved her for that.
Listen.
I'll be going to work all day tomorrow,
so you follow Gloria to your new school in the morning. You hear?
If you get held back another year, you won't ever catch back up.
So promise me you won't fight.
I promise.
- Good morning, class. - Good morning.
Everyone turn to Page 16 in your books.
Who wants to read out loud?
Jason, take us away.
"Texas is called the Lone Star State..."
What you looking at, Foreman?
Nothing.
What's wrong? Can't you even afford a piece of bread?
How about this nasty skin?
You want it?
Go get it.
George should change his name from Foreman to "Poor-man."
It's Foreman.
What's that, Poor-man?
What?
What's my name now, fool? Say it! Say my name!
Anger was my answer to everything.
And I couldn't stop myself from fighting.
It was the only thing I did well.
Excuse me, sir.
Hey!
- No! - Get down.
Hold his hands, man.
His wallet.
Surprise, boys.
Been busy around here, huh?
Police! Stop right there!
They've gotta be somewhere around here.
Come on, Butch.
Someone said they saw him over there.
- Let me know what you see. - Come on, boy. Find him.
Find him.
Let's do it, boy. Go.
You got something?
Find him, boy.
All right. Find him.
We got you. Find him!
- Come on, boy. - Try the next block over.
Come on, boy.
Let's go. He can't have gotten far.
If you left school and you're between 16 and 22,
Job Corps will teach you the skills that can help you get a good job.
In Job Corps, you live at a Job Corps center,
get free medical and dental care,
clean clothes, your own bed to sleep in, three square meals a day.
You even get paid while you're learning.
Just for once, give yourself a chance.
It's called the Job Corps.
You get an education and training, so you can get a job.
They pay you a little each month too.
And where will they send you?
I don't know.
Wherever they want, I guess.
Look at me.
You've got more inside than what you're showing.
I know it, Mom.
You wanna do this Job Corps?
Yes.
Then do it right, George.
Don't come running back home 'cause you're missing me.
Finish what you start this time.
I will.
We will teach you job skills. We will give you training.
We will teach you respect for yourself, as well as for others.
We will show you a way forward, no matter your past.
Come on, son.
Welcome to the Job Corps, the start of your now-bright future.
Here's your linens.
Got a name, big guy?
Yeah, I got a name.
George Foreman.
Barracks are gonna be in the southwest corner.
Lights out at 10.
No drinking, no smoking, no cursing, no women, no fighting.
- Do y'all feed us here? - Three meals a day at the chow hall.
Served by the one and only Mrs. Moon.
It's just a bed, man.
Turn that off.
- Got something against music? - Maybe I do.
Are you always this pissed off?
When I'm trying to study.
Now I know why you're here.
I'm here because I've got unrealized potential.
That's according to my old man.
He said, "Don't come home until you start realizing it."
Let's go challenge C-dorm to a game, huh? What do you say?
Guess I'll just hit the chow hall.
Alone.
Now you're talking.
You probably just left them in the locker room.
No. Somebody stole them.
You gotta calm down, man.
Look, why don't we just report it to the office right after we eat, okay?
You got me to thank for those brownies.
Why is that? I don't see no apron on you.
Yeah, well, they realized I'm a whiz with numbers.
So they got me checking over the order for the whole cafeteria.
Well, I spotted something.
A unit of brownies costs less than a unit of beans.
So what?
"So what?" So I switched a few numbers on the weekly ordering sheet.
And under my new cost-cutting plans, we got a whole lot more brownies.
And a whole lot of less gas.
What?
What are you doing?
Open up!
- Take my shoes? You take my shoes? - No! Please, no!
Give me them! You gonna steal my shoes?
- My mama gave me them shoes! - No!
What do you think you're doing, corpsman?
- Don't drop me! - Let go of him! Stop it, stop it!
Go on out of here. Get out of here.
Where you think you're going?
Is that your artwork?
Let's walk and talk.
Mr. Broadus.
That was federal property you destroyed back there.
I only got two choices.
Either I send you to prison, or I send you home.
That boy stole my shoes.
My mama worked hard to give me those.
- Where's all that rage coming from? - I don't have any rage.
Get in the car.
In the time you've been here,
you punched out three corpsmen...
and one innocent door.
They disrespected me.
The door too?
You got money for a bus ticket?
No.
Here you go.
I can't go home, Mr. Broadus.
I can't.
This place...
it's all I have.
Please?
You ever box?
Just street fights.
I'm talking about boxing, not fighting.
It's a sport.
With rules.
I heard it on the radio.
I teach it.
You're big enough and ugly enough.
You wanna learn it?
Yes, sir.
Don't make me regret this.
George, this is Royce.
He's gonna be your opponent today.
Don't worry, big man. I'll be gentle.
That's just a sign of sportsmanship before you fight.
To show that you're not here to kill each other.
You're just two athletes
trying to find out who's best at the sport.
So to do that...
boxers touch gloves, like this:
All right? Let's go.
Let's get on up there. Let me see what you got.
- All right, Royce, show him what's what. - When I say "time," you come out fighting.
Anyone want action? Want action, huh?
Leroy Jackson, huh?
Time!
Get him, Royce! Get him!
Be still!
Hit him, George.
Move your feet, George.
You keep standing there like a statue and a pigeon is gonna crap on you.
Get up.
Get out of that ring. Get out that ring. Ain't no reason to be in that ring.
Attaboy, Royce!
He was lucky! That's all he was.
Listen, son. I know that's not what you were--
I'm not your son.
That's a good thing too.
I wouldn't want no son of mine calling it luck,
when he got whupped fair and square.
They all laughing at me because of you.
What do you care about what they think?
Six months ago, Royce didn't know any more than you do.
I taught him.
I can teach you too.
You got a punch, I'll tell you that.
But that's just about all you got.
There you go.
We gotta get you a jab.
We gotta get you some footwork.
We're gonna start out with a punch.
All right? Throw a punch.
Now throw the other one.
See what I just did there?
The mind controls the body, not the other way around.
In every battle, the greatest foe that we will combat...
is in here.
You were making fun of Royce when he was dancing around, wasn't you?
- He was showing off. - No, he wasn't.
He was trying to force you to go where he needed you to go,
so he could deliver that punch that he was setting up.
And he was studying the ring too, the soft spots, the loose boards.
Not just about punching, George. It's about thinking.
All right. Step forward with that left foot.
Now slide that right foot.
Not straight ahead, off to the side.
Put it back.
Here we go. Step forward.
Step back.
Step left.
Step right.
Cut me off. I'm cutting you off.
Cut me off, cut me off.
Good.
Come on.
Come on. Come on.
- Oh, I've seen a woman. - A woman?
George! Mary, get your brothers in here.
Sonny, Roy, George is on the phone.
- Is that my brother? - No, no. That's our brother, boy.
Yes, everybody's here.
- Hey, George. - Hey there.
- We miss you. - Hi.
- Well, how are you? - Setting the world on fire.
They raised me 25 cents an hour at work.
Oh, far out.
Out? Out where?
Oh, no. That's just something they say out here in California.
You can't come back to Texas talking like that.
- I'm going to the gym a lot. - Basketball?
No, no. I found something better.
I'm learning how to box.
Please don't tell me you're fighting again.
- No, I'm not fighting. - Then what do you call it, George?
It's boxing. It's a sport with rules.
And I'm good at it.
God knows I don't want you to be fighting.
God? What's God got to do with anything, Mama?
Don't tell me you gone so far from home,
you don't know what God's gotta do with your life.
- Mama, I'm just trying-- Mama? - Please deposit 10 cents.
Mama?
- George? - Please deposit 10 cents.
Please deposit 10 cents for the next minute.
Please deposit 10 cents.
Come on, Royce, put him down.
All right, George. You got this.
Time!
Come on, cut him off! Cut him off!
Oh, yeah!
That's my bunkmate.
I may be a little late tonight.
I know I promised.
I will try.
My wife thinks I give up too much time to this place.
- You boxed? - I went professional.
Won my first 24 fights.
And then what?
Unfortunately, I had to trade one uniform for another.
Hey, I see you're reading the Boxing News.
- Yeah. - You an aficionado now?
- I was looking at Joe Frazier. - Yeah?
He's real good.
Yeah, I wouldn't mind all this that he's got.
I wanna be the heavyweight champion of the world.
Slow down, George. Slow down.
I can't slow down. I gotta speed up.
- You said you can get me some fights. - I can, and I will.
Okay.
But first, you gotta win some tournaments.
Then we can take aim at the Golden Gloves.
And after that, we can set our sights on the Olympics.
Well, when are they?
Next summer, Mexico City.
But we're gonna wait for the one after that.
That gives you five years to train and develop.
Five years?
I'll be a old man.
Listen to me, George.
You got a punch like I've never seen.
But even if you trained harder than any man has ever trained,
there is no way that you can make it to the Olympics next year.
The Russians are dominating here at the Olympics in Mexico City,
three gold medals to just one for the U.S. team.
The Russians have saved their best for last.
The legendary Jonas Čepulis has won 203 fights.
Come on, George.
America's final hope, 19-year-old George Foreman,
has been fighting for only one year.
He would seem to have no chance at winning gold.
Come on.
I don't think anyone has ever seen a bigger mismatch in the Olympic ring.
What Foreman's being asked to do today is impossible.
The big Russian's setting the tone early, giving the young rookie a boxing lesson.
Come on, wake up.
Hit him now. Get him now.
Wake up.
Big left hand from George Foreman.
You see that?
Yeah! Yes!
The Fighting Corpsman is turning the tables on Čepulis.
Foreman pouring it on now, landing bombs.
Čepulis looks like he's in really bad shape.
- Stop, stop! That's it! - The ref has stopped the fight!
Nineteen-year-old George Foreman has won the gold medal in a stunning upset.
Yeah!
- He won the gold medal. - Look at him.
God help him.
Foreman! Foreman! Foreman!
- Hey, George. - Hey, what's going on, brother?
Hey, Tuck.
- Hey, brother. What's going on? - What's up, George?
Hey.
You can go ahead and touch it, man.
It's heavy though.
Yeah, I bet it's heavy, all right.
What's that 'posed to mean?
Man, I don't see how you can hold that American flag all up high like you do
when our brothers, shoot, our brothers,
they was doing their thing over there.
They was standing up for all us back here.
And what were you doing?
Standing up for a country that don't love you back.
That's heavy.
You gotta let this go.
If anybody ever talk to me about that flag again,
they not gonna get away with it.
They acting like I'm some kind of sellout.
Let me make you something to eat. Anything you want.
I'm not hungry.
Let the Lord take me now. I never thought I'd hear that from you.
You left here with nothing to your name,
and you came back with gold.
Then how come all anybody wanna talk about is the flag?
You know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna win the championship belt.
- And they'll respect me then. - You gonna keep fighting?
You gonna get hurt.
Didn't you watch me? They don't hurt me.
I hurt them.
And that's all you wanna do with your life, hurt people?
You are better than this.
I got a plan, Mama.
And I need you to believe in it.
I heard he's not so bad.
Right on.
And you are?
- Paula. - Last call for Flight 275 to Los Angeles.
That's me. Nice meeting you, George.
Wait. Oh, that's not fair.
- You live here in Oakland? - Yes, I do.
So that means you'll be coming back.
Yeah, I'm moving here.
I'm gonna be training, but when I'm not, you know,
I could go outside sometimes.
Your footwork is better than your pickup game, George.
Yeah, I can't argue that.
Tell me something about yourself. Anything.
- Anything? - Yeah.
I can type a hundred words a minute.
I can't even talk that fast.
Can I see you again?
Go ahead and write your phone number down.
I'm the one 'posed to be asking for yours.
George, do I look like the kind of woman that stands around by the phone?
No, ma'am. You do not.
Well, hold on. Are you sure we need these guys?
Pro game's a racket.
These guys could take us where we need to go.
I'm smelling me some new blood, new blood
Hey. Dick Sadler.
He gonna be your trainer and your promoter.
This is Archie Moore,
the former light-heavyweight champion of the world.
He gonna teach you everything that he done learned.
If I like what I see.
Hey, Sonny. I'm such a big fan.
Can I get your autograph?
- Hey, that's-- - Yeah, it's--
Sonny Liston.
We make champions around here, son.
What you're setting out to do is beyond your imagination.
The morning you wake up to fight for that championship,
the air taste different, the sun look different.
Only two men on this whole earth matter and you're one of them.
The other, if you make it that far,
is Joe Frazier.
We gonna name this bag Joe Frazier.
If you hit him in the solar plexus, you gonna cut off his breathing.
You hit him in the chin, you gonna rattle his nerves.
You hit him in the heart, you gonna make his heartbeat skip.
Every punch, George, power!
- Hello? - First ring.
- Paula! - Yes.
I wanna hear the rest of that story you were starting to tell me.
What story?
About how you can type 100 words a minute.
That story.
George, when are you gonna ask me a real question?
Like what?
Like...
if I wanna go out on a date.
Pound him, George. Pound him!
You sure you typing real words?
Yeah, that sound like music.
- Knock him out, baby! - All right, all right.
Keep him there. Keep him there.
Move him, man.
- That's it! - Yes!
The winner by TKO,
still undefeated, George Foreman!
Do you take this woman to be your wife?
You bet I do.
You may kiss the bride.
Hey, watch this.
- I think you ready. - Nice punching, big fella.
Frazier won't know what hit him.
Here we are for the heavyweight championship fight
between Joe Frazier and George Foreman.
Joe Frazier is the heavy favorite tonight.
His best weapon, the left hook, is deadly.
Put Ali on the canvas two years ago,
and if Foreman isn't aware of it, it could put him on his back,
and maybe even carried out of the arena on a stretcher.
Frazier! Frazier! Frazier!
This contest is for the heavyweight championship of the world.
It's governed by the Jamaican Board of Control...
Nobody giving you a chance to win tonight.
That's good.
But Smokin' Joe ain't like the others, nah.
He the real deal.
Remember, only two men on this whole earth matter.
Now go get him.
You're ready, George.
Now, Joe, he's expecting that you're just a man.
But tonight, you're a beast.
Let him out.
And there's the bell. They're underway.
Oh, big swing and a miss from George.
There's that Joe Frazier left hook.
One more of those could end it.
Stay on him. Watch out for that. Watch out for that.
Big shot by Foreman.
Oh, and another left hook!
How is he still standing?
There it is.
Frazier's taking some damage. A real surprise.
That's it. That's it!
Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!
Down goes Frazier!
Joe is slow to get up.
And George Foreman is standing as poised as can be.
The heavyweight champ is taking the eight count.
There's the bell for the second round.
But Joe is tough. Joe is game.
And Foreman is all over him again, just hitting him again and again.
He's down again!
This is hard to believe.
Get off the ropes!
Six, seven, eight.
He's target practice for George Foreman.
Target practice!
- Don't let up. - How much more can Frazier take?
He's down! He's down again!
And it's over!
It's over! So long!
I've never seen anything like this.
George Foreman is the new heavyweight champion of the world.
All right.
Yes.
How does it feel to be a winner?
I was determined to become a winner tonight.
I'd like to thank the press all over the country
for writing beautiful things about me.
The press has kept my name in the paper. And...
And it kept me focused.
So, what's the first thing you'll do as a champion, George?
I'm gonna buy my mama a big house.
Wait a second. Wait-- What is this?
Is that the champ? Is that the champ?
Do you have any idea what's coming next, George?
A flood of money.
Well, I'm always ready for money.
But my moneyman ain't.
You want me to be your moneyman?
Yeah, I do.
But, Des, man...
I'm gonna need you sharp from now on.
That's what I'm talking about.
It's a long way from the Job Corps.
How'd you get up here?
You don't want me to stay?
Muhammad, there are a lot of people saying
they've never seen as formidable a puncher
as the new champ, young George Foreman.
Howard, when I think of George Foreman,
I think of the establishment, the flag-waver.
And I got a new punch for George, Howard,
and I call it the "Ghetto Whopper."
And the reason I call it the Ghetto Whopper
is because it's thrown in the ghetto at 3 o'clock in the morning.
You ever seen one of them punches?
Comes out of nowhere, hits you like a bottle in the head.
Think you'd have to wait till 3:00 in the morning
to fight George Foreman?
Howard, let it be known.
I will fight George Foreman anywhere, any time.
- What y'all think? Nice, isn't it? - Oh, my Lord.
Now, come on. I wanna show y'all something.
Y'all hear that?
Now, each car has its own personality.
That's why you need five of them?
Five? Wait till you see my garage.
Oh, my Lord. You've lost your doggone mind.
I wanna show y'all something else.
- All right. You got that other one there? - Yes, sir.
Okay.
Been on a grill all day for y'all.
My own barbecue sauce. I took my time on it.
- Okay. That's what I'm talking about. - Working on this all day.
- Okay - That looks fantastic.
There she is.
- Give me my birthday baby. - Your daddy wants you.
- Yeah. - Go to Daddy.
Yeah.
- Happy birthday. - How about one for your wife too?
All right. Say hi to everybody.
Say hi to everybody.
- Happy birthday, beautiful. - I'm gonna give you away.
- Don't give her away. - I love you.
- All right. - Bye.
- It's time to eat now. - Boy.
- You know better. - Let's thank God for the food first.
God?
I bought the food, Mama.
- Not God. - Good.
Then you say grace.
I like the way you say it, Mama.
Me and Charles have something we wanna tell y'all.
- We're having a baby. - A baby?
Charles, you old dog. Getting my sister pregnant.
- Look at that. - Mary, congratulations.
- Thank you. - It's great.
We'll have me another niece or nephew running around here.
Hello?
Stop calling this house.
- So, Des... - Yes, sir.
How's my money doing?
I'm pouring everything into rock-solid stocks.
I like the sound of that.
"Rock-solid stocks."
You know, Ali sure been talking a whole bunch of mess on TV,
bragging about which round he'll knock you out in.
Talk is cheap.
You know what they say about pretty boys back in the Fifth Wards.
They can't take a punch.
Yes.
I think everybody's ready for dessert.
You should tell me their names,
so I don't have to stand there holding the phone like a fool.
What are you talking about?
Did you think I didn't know?
- I don't have time for this. - No, it's me you don't have time for.
How many have there been, George?
You can't even look me in the eye anymore.
Woman, I got a $5 million fight coming up against Ali.
You think I dropped my life for you, so that I could play seconds?
I was doing just fine before you came along.
So you don't like this life now, huh?
I give you everything.
I don't want everything.
I want you.
You have me.
Look at me.
Just like I thought.
Sir. No, no.
- I got it. - Okay.
Come on, now.
We gonna float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see.
Now you see me. Now you don't.
George thinks he will, but I know he won't.
Ain't that right, Bundini?
Him hitting Joe Frazier with these big, long punches.
Boxes like a mummy.
"Come here. Where'd you get? Oh, you over here."
All of you sportswriters, all of you suckers,
are gonna regret making me the underdog.
How you gonna make me the underdog?
Talking about George Foreman is the new champ.
George Foreman ain't no new champ. He is the new chump.
And he's holding the belt that was wrongfully taken from me.
And he can't box. He moves like this.
This how he box. Box like a mummy.
"Coming here for you. I'm--"
George.
We was just talking about a different fighter.
Your turn, Big George.
Why don't you give us your side of things, huh?
Well, if he boxes how he does interviews, this gonna be a short night.
Real short night.
We gonna get it on because we don't get along.
I feel sorry for Ali.
Foreman could put him in the morgue.
"Ali, kill him."
That's what they want?
Foreman...
Rush him like a tiger.
Shut him up for good.
Ali has shocked the world before,
but most of us don't expect him to get past the middle rounds.
Well, Frank, Ali is certainly the big underdog.
But he and the country have adopted the phrase, "Ali, bomaye."
"Ali, kill him."
At 32 years of age,
can Muhammad Ali dance and stay away from Foreman?
After what Foreman did to Frazier,
Ali would seem to have no chance.
All questions will be answered.
Come on, baby. Come on, George.
- You got this, George. - Dance with him.
- Get in there. - Rush him, George. Rush him.
- Right hook. - Rush him.
There you go.
Punch him in the head.
Let him go. Break. Break.
Come on, George. Come on.
Hands up. Yeah!
That's all you got, George? Come on.
Keep pounding.
He can't last.
Keep on pounding.
That's right, champ.
Ali retreating to the ropes,
looking for a place to hide from Foreman's power.
That's all you got?
I don't see any place to hide in that ring.
Ali, get off of those ropes!
Foreman's pouring on the punches.
Those punches gotta be doing some damage.
They told me you was bad, George. Let me see it.
Ali cannot keep taking them and expect to survive.
Box.
Come on. Show me something.
Don't play with that sucker.
Let him go. Let him go. Let him go.
Stay on him, George!
Come on, champ, get off the ropes. Come on, now.
There it is.
Break it up, ref.
- What's my name? - There we go. Break it up.
Get off those ropes! Get out of there!
I'm not sure about this strategy of retreating to the ropes.
I'm going right back to the ropes. Come and get me.
Come on. Put that pressure on him, George.
He's getting pounded.
Those blows are deadly from George Foreman.
Come on, George. Let me see something.
Get off of those ropes!
Come on, George. They told me you could hit hard.
There you go.
That's all you got?
Big right hand from Ali. That punch staggered Foreman.
They told me you was bad, George.
They told me you was bad.
That one punch definitely changed the tenor of this fight.
Keep hitting him. Keep pounding him.
I'm gonna end it.
Get off those ropes, champ. Come on.
That's right.
Foreman's punches just don't have any juice on them.
Foreman looks tired.
He could be in real trouble.
Maybe this is what Ali was counting on, Frank.
- Work on him, George! - Destroy him!
My turn.
Come on. That's right. Left, right, left. Come on.
Oh, Muhammad Ali with a massive right hand!
And another one!
...four, five, six, seven,
eight, nine, ten.
And it's over. It's over!
Ali has done the impossible.
Ali did it! Ali did it again.
I lived one way my whole life.
To hurt...
to knock down...
to destroy.
It became all I could see.
I was blind to everything else.
When will I get to see you, Daddy?
Soon.
I promise.
And we will never be apart again. Okay?
George, we gotta go now. It's dinnertime.
My lawyer said you haven't signed the papers.
I told you I'd get to it.
Get to it soon.
I wanted to come sooner.
Why you sitting out in the car? Why don't you come on inside?
Doc said you fired Dick and Archie.
Yeah.
I lost a fight because of them.
It's like Doc always said...
I should've used my head instead of my hands.
He laid on the ropes...
and I kept punching till I was tired.
The rope-a-dope.
And I was the dope.
Look, I know you done had a hard time,
but I can't stand to hear you talking like this.
Foreman has been a dispirited, lonely man
through all of these six months that have passed
since Ali knocked him out in the eighth round.
Today, a boxing exhibition of sorts.
George Foreman, former heavyweight champion of the world,
will attempt to knock out five fighters in one day.
Exactly what he hopes to accomplish by this is anybody's guess.
George, you still got time to back out.
You ain't gotta do this.
Heavyweight champion and world-class clown, Muhammad Ali,
about to join me at the table.
"Clown"? Howard, don't get hurt, now.
There's the bell. And they're underway.
Not his usual style, Muhammad.
Yeah, I think he's trying to impress me.
He's... He's bouncing around like the Easter Bunny.
Indeed, like a bunny, Muhammad.
What are you doing?
Get on them ropes. There you go.
Stay on the ropes. Get on the ropes.
Ain't no wrestling match, George.
Get on the ropes now. Make him work.
Now Johnson is on the canvas.
- Think that might be it for Alonzo. - Can't you see he's down?
- Seems to be a scuffle. - Back off.
Oh, there's a fight breaking out
- between Foreman's trainers and Johnson's. - Step back!
Ali! Ali! Ali!
Crowd is chanting, "Ali! Ali!"
much to the consternation of George Foreman.
Ali!
Give me another shot.
I'm not getting back in the ring with no chump, George.
That's 'cause you're scared of me.
- Scared? - You scared of me.
Well, let's go right now, George.
- Hold my jacket, Howard. Hold my jacket. - Come on in the ring.
- Let me go. Hold my jacket. - Can't fight. You ain't no fighter.
Man can't fight laying on no ropes.
George, I'm too pretty to fight someone as ugly as you.
Come on in here.
Go ahead, man. Go ahead, George.
- That's what I thought. Always talk. - I'm telling you.
Ali! Ali! Ali!
What did you think you were gonna gain out there?
Respect.
Son, the beauty of boxing
is that it shows a man that can he do something all by himself.
Something constructive.
Let's go back to fighting them one at a time. What you say?
This just came through.
Okay.
It's for you.
George. George.
- What happened? - Mary started bleeding.
They're trying to save the baby, but the air got cut off.
Tell them, whatever it cost, I'll pay for it.
We need the best doctors.
We already got the best doctors, George.
The baby needs a miracle. We need to pray.
Pray?
Heavenly Father, we are gathered here humbly,
in the name of your son, Christ Jesus.
All right, here I am.
What did my sister ever do to you?
Mary's been sweet and kind her whole life...
to everybody in this world.
To me,
when I didn't deserve it.
And you gonna take her baby?
Answer me.
Man, all my life I've been hearing about you.
And you ain't never shown me nothing.
I ain't seen anything.
If you wanna take somebody...
you take me.
You don't take my sister's baby, man.
You take me.
Please.
George.
- Is he...? - He's perfect.
The doctors can't explain it.
It's a miracle.
That's...
It's good. That's good.
Well, come on over.
Say hi to your nephew.
Little George.
Little George?
Yeah.
Mama told me you prayed.
Whatever you said to him...
it worked.
Jimmy Young! Jimmy Young!
Listen to the crowd. "Jimmy Young. Jimmy Young."
Foreman hasn't been the same since he lost to Ali.
- He fired his old team... - Come on, George.
...but it hasn't worked.
George's mind is just not in this fight.
Let's go. All right.
Jimmy Young has won the fight by unanimous decision.
Promising future for Jimmy...
Keep an eye on him, all right?
What happened out there, George?
Come on, Gil. It's just a fight.
Every boxer has a bad one.
He couldn't afford one. It was our shot back to Ali.
Man, it's hot.
Why's it so hot in here?
Who said that?
Nobody said nothing, George.
Who said that?
- Who keeps talking? - Nobody.
Nobody's talking, George.
George?
I'm...
I'm fixing...
Whoa, George. George!
He's got a faint pulse. We need to get him up on the table.
On three.
- One, two, three. - Careful.
- Easy. - There you go. On the table. Here we go.
All right.
- George? - George?
George.
I don't wanna die.
I believe.
- Hey. - Whoa, easy.
George?
We thought you was dead.
I was.
Jesus Christ is alive in me.
He's alive in me.
He's alive.
I gotta get myself clean.
Don't let him get in the shower. Cold water will be a shock.
- Wait! - I gotta get myself clean.
- Wait. No, George. - Get off.
I gotta get myself clean! Please, please.
Hallelujah!
I'm clean.
I'm clean. I'm clean.
I now baptize you
in the name of the Father,
the son and the holy spirit.
Hallelujah!
- Hallelujah! - Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
We are bearing witness to a miracle.
And Brother George...
would like to share his version of that miracle with you.
So let's give a proper welcome
to the former heavyweight champion of the world
and our new brother in Christ, George Foreman!
Thank you, Reverend Stokes.
I...
was in a fight.
I used to love fighting.
I was in the dressing room, and...
And Jesus Christ came alive in me.
And...
And because of it...
I wanna give my life to God.
All right.
I wanna be a preacher.
Thank you, Jesus.
- Praise God! - All right.
He may have finally found somebody who can tell him what to do.
Praise Jesus!
- Hallelujah! Hallelujah. - Hallelujah.
- Yeah. - Praise Jesus.
Praise Jesus.
You put on quite a show in there.
I'm glad you was here to see it.
So Gil's been setting the traps. We still got us a path to Ali.
I'm done.
I'm not gonna box anymore.
- You a fighter. - I'm not a fighter.
Not anymore.
So how are you gonna take care of your kids?
I'm gonna follow God.
Do you know what you're walking away from, son?
You know, I...
I can't even make a fist anymore, Doc.
It's like he reached inside of me...
just took out all my anger.
That anger inside of you...
it made you king.
I saw it.
Now you wanna tell me that it's all gone?
Remember when you told me that you traded in one uniform for another?
That's what I'm doing.
You can understand that, can't you?
I had no say, George.
My choice was made for me.
So was mine.
I don't believe you, George.
For 28 years, I used my fists to get respect.
I knew I had to start using my heart.
I just didn't know how.
She told me Big George Foreman was at the door.
And I said, "Beatrice, you are crazy.
George Foreman ain't coming to see the champ
unless he's looking for another whupping."
So I've come here...
to tell you that I found Jesus.
You found Jesus?
Congratulations, George. I did not know he was lost.
I came here...
to ask for your forgiveness.
- For my forgiveness? - Yes.
I'm the one who knocked you out.
You know...
after Zaire...
I hated you, Muhammad.
I did.
And I wanted to kill you...
with these hands.
Come on, man. You want a rematch. I know.
Just come out and say it.
I don't want no rematch.
They told me you retired to preach, but I didn't believe it.
Well, I...
I wanna help people.
Well, George, help me, okay?
All you got to do is fight Kenny Norton one more time. Knock him out.
Please, George, knock him out. Because I sure can't.
You knock him out, he won't be a top-ranked contender.
I'll give you another shot at the title.
And then we'll both get paid, huh? Praise Jesus.
I can't help you that way.
All right, brother.
Fine.
I forgive you.
George Foreman, a preacher.
Now I have seen it all.
Hi!
- What are you doing here? - Hey, Michi.
- I love you. - Michi, take your brother inside.
Go inside, George.
What are you doing here?
I came here...
to tell you how sorry I am for the way that I treated you.
It wasn't right.
"Let love be without dissimulation.
Cleave to that which is good."
Hi.
I'm George.
Mary Joan Martelly.
You were sitting in that same seat the day I gave my testimony.
You always sat up front?
Yes. Helps me stay focused on God.
How's being a preacher going for you?
It's hard.
Real hard.
Harder than getting punched in the face?
Sometimes it feels about the same.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast.
Brothers and sisters, I am out here today,
not to lift myself up,
but to lift up the name of Jesus Christ.
See, I was a man who rejected all religion.
"Jesus" was a cussword to me,
but the Lord changed my life.
Wasn't the Lord who changed you.
It was Jimmy Young. I seen him beat the hell out of you.
Did you at least pinch him?
Don't you miss being in that ring, big fella?
I'll die...
before I get back in that ring again.
Now...
Now, you could take all of the Rockefellers' money
and all of the Kennedys' money,
and you put that together,
it wouldn't come to a down payment on my getting back in that ring again.
Praise God. Thank you, Jesus.
Jesus is alive today.
I...
I felt bad for how I acted last Sunday.
- Well, how did you act? - Kind of cold.
- Yes. - Well, you had a reputation.
And not a godly one.
Well, I'm different now.
You know, I hadn't yet learnt the secret
to enjoying every day for itself.
How to make the most of each day as it comes.
Do you have children?
Yes.
They don't live with me full-time, you know, which is hard,
but I'm gonna be seeing a whole lot more of them now.
Yes, indeed.
I'm glad to hear that.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
You okay?
- Yeah. Yeah. - I thought we were going to a movie.
I wanna show you something.
What's that look like to you?
A church that's run out of faith.
No.
You know, I'm gonna buy it.
And I'm gonna preach in it.
And be the best I can be.
And I'm gonna spread his word.
Do you believe I can do that?
Yes.
I do.
You got to fight for your faith. Every one of you, every day.
One Sunday morning, when the sun is shining real bright...
and your husband, he's standing there with his swim trunks on,
holding a blanket,
saying, "The beach is waiting, baby!"
And you think to yourself, you say:
"Is missing one little service really gonna hurt me?"
Now, if you don't shine your shoes, do they get shined?
No.
- Don't wash your clothes, they get washed? - No.
If you don't fight for your faith, it'll fall away.
You gotta do it. Gotta fight for your faith.
If you gonna fight for anything, fight for that.
Amen.
Thank you. All right. Take care.
All right. All right.
Pastor Foreman.
I need your help.
Would you train my grandson, Jalen?
If he had a good male role model to teach him,
instead of the boys that he's...
Well, I'd sign up to train with Ali but not the guy who lost to him.
- Jalen... - It's all right. It's all right.
He remind me of myself when I was his age.
Can you teach him to box?
Well, boxing's not the answer.
You see, the answers are in here.
Young man, you read the Bible,
keep coming to church, everything will work out.
All right. All right, sister. God bless you.
- Have a good day. All right. - Okay.
Something smells good in here.
- I love you. - I love you.
Hey!
You're getting heavy.
Come here, boy.
- You know I love you, right? - Yeah.
- All right, let me get a kiss. - No. No way.
Give me a kiss. Come here. Don't wanna kiss your daddy?
...to the epidemic of street violence that's been plaguing the Fifth Ward.
Two suspects have been apprehended in this robbery.
- An attempted robbery... - Take your brother to the other room.
...with one man in critical condition.
The juveniles are being held without bail.
You okay?
His grandmother brought him to me...
last week.
That same kid.
But I was so, you know, full of myself being full of God that...
I missed it.
What did you miss, George?
I should have met that kid where he was.
Not where I wanted him to be.
George, are you sure you wanna do this?
Yeah.
Okay. I'll talk to the bank about moving a few of your assets around.
Come on. I wanna show y'all something here.
Now, I have an idea.
All right, I got you.
That's heavy.
Help me with this bed over here!
Hurry up, now.
That's looking good.
- Tighten up these ropes. - Hook that up.
- Make sure they're not loose. - Got it.
I would've blocked it, but somebody raised the rim.
Hey, fellas. Come on in.
Come on in. Enjoy yourself.
Hey, Nate. Ain't seen you in a while.
Hey, nice haircut, man. Look, it's almost as good as mine.
What's going on, y'all?
Hey, sister. How you doing?
Good, good.
Hey, man. You're always fouling somebody. I see you.
Looking good.
I got this, y'all.
Don't worry about it.
This has never happened here at the youth center before.
- This just doesn't make any sense. - Roberta, what's going on?
Are you absolutely sure? Because it just doesn't sound right.
Okay. No, I understand. We'll take care of it immediately.
Power company said we never paid the bill.
Really?
Well, just get Des on it.
He didn't come in today.
I'm sorry, Mr. Foreman,
but I don't understand how you didn't know.
How much is left?
A little over $2000.
That can't be right.
Just use some of the money from my investments accounts
to keep the youth center open.
Those investments went belly-up over the last year.
Des told me we were good.
I'm sorry, but that's just not true.
He put them into solid stocks to set me up for life.
No. These were all high-risk gambles.
No, that's--
Look, I'm sorry, Mr. Foreman, but if these payments aren't made soon,
the bank will have to start repossessing the property.
Roy says you got the whole town looking for Desmond.
That's right.
You need to leave him be.
I gave it all to him.
And he lost it.
Not just the youth center.
Everything I worked for...
it's gone.
No, no, no.
Everything you worked for is in here.
Ever since you was a little boy...
I tried to put you on the right path.
But you found it.
All by yourself.
You found God.
Be godly.
Don't let Desmond Baker take that from you too.
Tell me.
Tell me you put the money somewhere else. In some other account I don't know about!
- Tell me it's not all gone. - It's gone.
- I lost it. - Tell me it's not all gone.
I lost it.
I'm sorry, George.
Any time you're ready, Mr. Foreman.
This summer, when you're out grilling with the family,
there's only one sauce that has the sweetness and the spiceness
that everyone loves.
- Miss-- - You said "spiceness," George.
I did?
Yeah. "Spiceness" isn't a word.
Hi. How are you? Thank you.
Can you sign this, champ? Thank you.
- Hello. - Hi.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
When you're out grilling with the family,
there's only one sauce that has the sweetness and the spice
that everyone loves.
Miss Tammie's Mesquite and Original Barbecue Sauce.
Get them while they're hot.
Adding in the money from Miss Tammie's commercial...
Chump change.
That's what they pay you for looking like a chump on TV.
Every little bit counts, George.
I done sold everything I have.
I done cut every corner.
How are we?
Short.
Well, how short?
Not even close.
I know you hate this thing.
It's just a bag. I don't hate it.
It is filthy though.
- Come to bed. - I'm not tired.
But you have a sermon to give tomorrow.
Pastor Carl's filling in for me.
Why?
So I ain't gotta stand up there,
tell all those people how they should live.
That's what a pastor does, right?
It's my fault the money's gone, Joan.
Don't say that, George.
Well, I knew what Des was.
And I trusted him anyway?
I need to fight again.
You swore you wouldn't.
That moment when you first came up to me in church,
I saw a man who wanted to change his life.
I fell in love with that man.
The old you, I don't know.
And I don't want to.
Joan.
There's only two things I know how to do.
That's box and preach.
But preaching...
Preaching won't pay the bills.
What if all your rage comes back?
What if you can't win without it?
Step forward. Step back.
Step to the left. To the right.
Step forward. Step back.
Step left. Step right.
Step forward. Step back.
Step left. Step right. Great.
Now. Now, cut me off! Cut me off.
When you quit boxing...
you dang near broke my heart.
It felt like you quit me.
But I came back here.
I dug back in.
And...
you know, funny thing happened.
I remembered who I was.
I'm happy here, George.
You made me something once, Doc.
You can do it again.
Joe Louis tried to come back.
Marciano almost killed him in the ring.
Joe Louis tried to start at the top. But we'll start at the bottom.
You're old. They'll call us a circus act.
But not if we keep winning.
Doc.
You know, we can do something here.
Something that's beyond their imagination.
The morning that we wake up to fight for that heavyweight championship belt...
oh, man,
the air's gonna taste different.
The sun, that's gonna look different.
Only two men on this whole earth is gonna matter.
And we'll be the both of them.
How much you weigh?
How much I wait?
I said, how much do you weigh?
Oh, how much I weigh.
- Like on a scale. - Yeah.
About 299.
Really more toward the 85 range, but about 29--
I would say 299.
Last I checked, lying was a sin.
I'm about 315,
318 after breakfast.
You get down to 265...
then call me.
I think my gym clothes shrunk.
Hey, George, take it easy, man.
You're gonna have a heart attack.
That's nasty, George.
All right, who's ready for pancakes?
I'm ready for pancakes. Yes, indeed.
There you go, baby.
Yep. I'm gonna get me, like, five of them.
Okay. Get on up there.
That's where the fighting is.
Time!
Come on, cut him off!
Cut him off!
Move your feet.
Come on. Come on, George.
Time!
We're gonna need to get you some new tricks.
Some new arms and some new legs might help too.
This ain't funny, George. This ain't funny.
What's wrong?
I think the Lord spoke to me last night.
Well, what'd he say?
He showed me a vision.
Of you.
Winning the heavyweight championship again.
I can't explain it.
It's like...
he's gonna lift you up in the middle of that ring,
so you'll lift him up in front of millions of people.
How you feeling?
I feel good.
This is for real tonight.
It's time to wake up that old tiger and put him back to work.
That man's gone, Doc.
We gonna do this a new way now.
Son, there's no new way when it come to that ring.
There's him and there's you.
There's hurt or be hurt.
- It's fighting. - It's boxing.
It's a sport.
With rules.
Better know what you're doing.
It's been ten years since George Foreman set foot in a boxing ring.
What does this Foreman reincarnation even look like?
Hey, Zouski's no world champion, but he's a seasoned fighter,
and George has danger in there tonight.
You know what scares me the most about tonight?
Getting knocked out by a bum?
No.
Taking my robe off in front of all these people.
The last time they saw me, I looked like Superman.
So now you look like the Michelin Man. This ain't no beauty contest.
All right!
Gentlemen, I gave you instructions in the dressing room.
Obey my commands.
Give me a good clean fight. George...
Don't look at him. He's trying to mess with your mind.
Touch them up.
Come on, let's go.
So George Foreman begins the most unlikely of comebacks.
- All right, George. - Keep your hands up. Keep your hands up.
This Sacramento crowd is getting restless.
- Quit dancing! - They're looking for some action.
Stop playing with him.
You come here to fight or you wanna go home? Come on!
Let's do this. Let's fight. You wanna fight?
There it is.
Cheap shot after the bell.
Let him out.
It's now or never. You let him out. Let him out.
I'm gonna do this my way, Doc.
I'm gonna do it my way.
I'll tell you this, George can still punch.
Come on! Hit him like you hit Frazier!
Finish him!
He has Zouski in huge trouble.
Yeah, that's it. That's it.
Come on, man. Can't you see he's hurt? Stop the fight.
Do your job. Come on.
Do your job.
Come on, George.
- That's enough. That's enough. - And it's done. The ref has seen enough.
Foreman takes his first step back with a big win.
Let's hear it for fat, old, bald guys, huh?
Yeah! Go get them, George!
That rumble you hear is the George Foreman Comeback Express.
You best believe it's picking up some serious steam.
There's an old saying:
"It's not the size of the man in the fight,
but the size of the fight in the man."
All those ring experts who were making fun of George's size
sure aren't laughing anymore.
Foreman is forcing the boxing world to stand up and pay attention.
Never before has a boxer stayed away from the ring this long,
then fought his way back into contention.
Just how far, how high can he take this?
Back tonight, please welcome former heavyweight champion of the world,
George Foreman.
- Good to see you, George. - Good to see you.
Now, tell me, George,
all these guys you've been fighting, where do you find them?
Gas stations, barrooms, and bowling alleys, mostly.
- Sounds like pretty stiff competition. - Oh, yeah.
But I'm tired of people saying I'll only fight these guys
unless they on respirators, 'cause that's a lie.
They gotta be off the respirator at least five days before I fight them.
Now, tell us about your sons, George.
I got four boys.
Now, the names are, again...?
George Foreman Jr., George Foreman III, George Foreman IV, and George Foreman V.
I wanted them all to have something in common. No different names.
If one goes up, we all go up.
If one gets in trouble, we all get in trouble.
How about that?
You're going to fight Evander Holyfield in Atlantic City, right?
Yes!
It is my destiny to win the heavyweight championship belt again.
It is time, kids!
Okay, all right. Here we go.
And we're back for the seventh round.
Holyfield, as expected, is well ahead on the cards.
Your will, Lord.
And he rocks Foreman again with a vicious left.
George is still standing. But for how long?
It's Foreman on the attack now.
That's it, George.
What a shot! Holyfield is wobbly.
Solid punches! Nobody thought Foreman would even last this long.
- Get him. - A round for the ages.
George Foreman is for real.
And the crowd is up on its feet.
117 to 100, for the winner by unanimous decision,
and still undisputed heavyweight champion of the world,
Evander Holyfield.
Mr. Foreman.
Great fight.
One more round and you would have had him.
Thank you.
Have a seat.
Good morning.
What brings you in today?
I just wanna stay on top of things this time.
- Did the HBO check come in? - Just this morning.
They said they were hoping to just break even on the fight.
What?
I think you'll enjoy the rest of your statement too.
That funny little grill deal you signed
is starting to generate some substantial checks.
Really?
I'm just surprised they chose a big, old fat guy like me
to sell a grill to help people get lean.
The youth center?
There's enough money in the account to keep it open a very long time.
I think it's safe to say you never have to fight again, Mr. Foreman.
Oh, praise the Lord.
What is it?
Our job isn't over.
Maybe I heard him wrong, George.
You heard him right.
Your vision...
it was real.
He did his part.
We have to do ours.
The fight is on.
Three years after he lost to Evander Holyfield,
Big George Foreman, who's now 45 years old,
has fought his way back to a title fight.
But he might wanna be careful what he wishes for.
Michael Moorer, the newly-minted heavyweight champion of the world.
A new champion, in his prime,
with speed, power, and a fluid arsenal.
Thirty of Moorer's 35 wins have come by knockout.
He is very difficult to fight.
The first southpaw champion in heavyweight history,
and he boasts a win over Evander Holyfield,
who battered Big George.
There has never been a 45-year-old heavyweight champion.
The risk here to George Foreman isn't losing,
it's surviving.
How can you beat that man?
Get out of the pocket.
Come on, now.
Looks like the myth of George Foreman's power
is being exposed by Moorer so far.
Come on, son. What are you doing?
Solid right hand by Moorer.
Foreman's taking a beating, way behind on every scorecard.
Every time George lands something significant,
Moorer comes back with two or three punches of his own.
He's having a difficult time with the younger and faster fighter.
George has no timing.
He's very slow and sluggish. I thought he'd be sharper than this.
Moorer's cutting up George like a turkey.
Our guy's got nothing left.
Easy. Easy.
Foreman's left eye beginning to close.
Well, now he just looks so tired, Jim.
He deserves all the credit in the world,
but he is a 45-year-old man in a young man's game.
Uppercut by Moorer, blasted Foreman's chin backward.
Oh, God. Protect him.
I've been fighting all my life.
For a long time,
I fought because I felt hated by the world.
Poor-man!
I call it the "Ghetto Whopper."
I will fight George Foreman anywhere, any time.
But I've changed.
Nine rounds against the best in the world.
There's no shame, son. No shame.
He's all right. He's all right.
You okay?
Come on, George. Come on.
I had to get knocked down all the way to the bottom
to finally see...
everything I was searching for was already there.
And with that...
you can do the impossible.
Down goes Moorer on a right hand!
An unbelievably close-in, right-hand shot.
- I don't believe it. - It happened!
Five. Six.
- Stay down. Stay down. - Seven.
Eight. Nine. Ten.
It happened!
George Foreman is the new heavyweight champ of the world.
The boxer turned preacher is down on his knees,
not in defeat, but in victory and thanksgiving.
Thank you.
No, thank you.
You're the heavyweight champion of the world.
- We did it. - We did it.
We did it.
I have never seen anything like this in the 25 years of my career, Gil.
Oldest heavyweight champion in the world ever, George Foreman.