“Doesn’t Matter What You Achieve”: Boxing Legend George Foreman Says Jesus More Important Than Fame

Before releasing his biographical film “Big George Foreman,” heavyweight boxer-turned-pastor George Foreman spoke to the Christian Post and reflected on how his faith in God and help from God has affected him throughout his storied life and shared his faith-filled wisdom with the next generation of Christians.

Speaking on that point and how he realized his calling was to preach God’s word, Foreman said, “You come to a point in your life and you realize the only important thing in your life is [to be] an evangelist.”

Continuing, he spoke about evangelism and why it is important to him, saying, “‘Evangelistic’ is the word that has been so powerful to me in my life. If something happened to me tomorrow … I know I’ve done a good job, and I’m happy about that, trying to spell out to the world, ‘Jesus Christ has come alive in me.’”

He also spoke on how people helped him through his challenging life and how he didn’t realize that until later, saying, “So many people helped me in life. I didn’t know that. I thought I was doing so much … but there are so many good people in my life.”

Continuing on that point, he added, “I was given so much advice from so many different people, and it’s a matter of trusting. Trust that people will give you advice. Listen when they have something to tell you. And I think that that is the key to all the riches in the world, is listening to people who care about you.”

You should include his testimony:

When Beliefnet interviewed you a couple of years ago, you spoke about your spiritual experience after your match with boxer Jimmy Young in 1977 [Young won by knockout]. You said that [after the fight] you had the experience of dying and going to a really dark, scary place. Can you tell us about it? Do you think it was hell?

I wish I knew where in the world that place is. All I can tell you is that I would never want to go back there. It was just complete emptiness and darkness. If you multiply every sad thought you've ever had in your life, you wouldn't come close to this dump yard. That's where I was—just dead. And nothingness where I was, just nothing.

You said that you were interested in several religions before you became a Christian and that you toyed with the idea of becoming Muslim like Muhammad Ali [who took Foreman's heavyweight title in a bout in Zaire in 1974]. Why did you ultimately choose to become a Christian?

I thought about [Islam], but one day I tore [Ali's] jacket off of him, being the mean guy that I am, and he cussed me out so bad. And I said, "Wow! I'm like that already." So, I left [Islam] alone.

When I was in that dressing room [after the fight withYoung], down on that floor, blood on my hand and forehead, screaming that Jesus Christ was coming alive in me, I wasn't interested in any religion. [But] from that point on, I started reciting the Bible, talking from the pit of my stomach, in that dressing room. [I was] talking about how Jesus was God's son and that he was alive. So when I came out of that, I asked a friend to go get me a Bible. And he said, "What kind?" And I said, "I don't know. One like your mother has." So, he went out and bought me a King James version of the Bible. And that's how I got into religion.

I started a youth center in Houston. The kids would come in and want to learn to box, they wanted to tear up the world, beat up the world. And I'd try to show them they didn't need anger. They didn't need all that killing instinct they'd read about. You can be a human being and pursue boxing as a sport. What I learned from them is never to punch in anger. And, in the end, it rubbed off on me. I was able to go back into boxing because I'd learned from the children.You don't have to try to hurt people and be angry to be an athlete.

But isn't it hard to throw a punch without being nervous that you might inflict pain on someone else?

No. It would be hard to throw a punch to someone who wasn't a boxer, who wasn't in the ring, and who didn't have on a pair of boxing gloves and who hadn't been training.

[When I'd be with] other athletes [after I found God], we'd get in the ring and hit one another in the eye and laugh, "I got you that time!" And they'd just say, "I'll get you next time." There was never a punch in anger. We'd hug before the fights and afterwards.

Before you found God, you were a very angry person and even wanted to hire a hit man to kill people who had wronged you, but you discovered forgiveness. How did you find it in your heart to forgive all of the people who had hurt you?

There were people who were going behind my back and told lies, who had stolen money [from me]. One person after another. It got to be so many people on my list to get even with and hurt, there were too many people to hire a hit man. I was thinking, "How am I going to get all these people?" I was so angry. I would just sit there and steam and [wonder] how could I get rid of these people.

But when I found God after my experience with Jesus Christ, and I saw this place—this big nothing that I was in, I [realized that] I had not found an enemy in this world that I would wish to go to this place. I instantly stopped hating anyone.

As a matter of act, I called all my friends whom I'd mistreated, and asked their forgiveness. I hugged people who really considered themselves my enemies, to let them know there was nothing they had done to me that meant anything. I found peace of mind.

Would there ever be a circumstance where you wouldn't be able to forgive someone?

Oh, not in this life now. I've found my peace of mind. If you wake up one morning without forgiveness in your heart, you'll wake up without children, without a husband, without a wife. Forgiveness is the only way that you can bind love and friendship. Without it, you are empty.

Tell me a little about your relationship with Muhammad Ali now. Do you feed off of each other spiritually?

In the past he was one of the fellows that I truly didn't like. I really hated him. He took my title, never gave me a title shot. But, when I found Jesus Christ, the first thing that came to my mind was to make sure I shared my experience with Muhammed Ali. And over the years we became the best of friends. We're signing notes, "I love you. George." "I love you. Muhammed." If he had two dollars, and you asked him [for it], he would conceal that it was his last two dollars and give it to you. We're great friends. I love him.

There's a photo in the book of you and Ali in 1984 reading the Bible together. Would you often read and discuss the Bible with him?

Every time I saw him, to the point that he'd hide. "Stop it. Stop it, George!" Just like he would run his mouth to opponents, I was running my mouth to him about the Bible—always pointing out a Bible scripture. He told me, "Just let me alone." But I loved that. That was my greatest experience, explaining and showing him things in the Bible.

Will you ever return to boxing?

Oh, no! When I was 55, I was going to do it, but my wife put her foot down, and said, "No way!"--after I'd already made press conferences and announcements. I said, "Don't you believe in me? You don't think I can do it? I can still do it." She said, "Isn't that the way you want to leave the sport, George?"

- https://www.beliefnet.com/entertainment/celebrities/george-foremans-second-chance.aspx

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AMEN!!!