In the eyes of so many, the late-great George Foreman is one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing.

‘Big George’ had an outstanding amateur boxing career which culminated in him capturing the Heavyweight Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.

Foreman would go on to mirror this success during his professional career, becoming a holder of the world heavyweight championship on two occasions in 1973 and 1994 respectively.

His 1994 victory over WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Michael Moorer saw Foreman become the oldest heavyweight champion ever at 45-years-old, a record that remains unbroken to this very day.

Perhaps the most memorable bout of Foreman’s career came in October of 1974 when he suffered the first defeat of his career to Muhammad Ali, a bout that is more commonly known as ‘The Rumble In The Jungle’.

Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Foreman didn’t hesitate to name Ali as the best defensive fighter that he faced during his storied career.

“Not during his time doing the rope-a-dope because he took a lot of punishment, when he was against the ropes. However, when Ali was out in the middle of the ring and we were boxing he was able to jab, slip, shoot the right hand and get out of the way. He knew something about defensive fighting but the rope stuff was me doing that to him, not him doing that to me.”

Ali defied the odds to defeat Foreman at the 20th of May Stadium in Zaire, stopping his countryman in the 8th round of their historic bout to claim the WBC, WBA and Lineal world heavyweight titles.