It seems a long, long time ago that George Foreman, the ageless wonder, cut-up and self-promoter extraordinaire, was first starting his professional boxing career. June 20: Now the Olympic King Fights for Real Gold George Foreman is the Olympic heavyweight champion who earned a place for himself in the hearts of his countrymen when he carried two little American flags at the Olympic gold medal presentation ceremony. Now Foreman is out to earn a little bread. His pro boxing career starts Monday night at the Garden on the undercard to the Joe Frazier vs. Jerry Quarry fight for Frazier's interim heavyweight championship. Among older people, Foreman's action was considered a fitting and heartwarming answer to the clenched-fist gestures of black militants Tommie Smith and John Carlos on the presentation stand. It isn't looked upon in the same way among many young people.
Foreman was chatting in a Manhattan hotel lobby the other afternoon and the subject of the flag demonstration came up. Foreman was saying, "Sometimes kids at college ask me about that. I can tell there's something on their minds. When they ask why I did it, I say, 'Because I felt like it.' " At this point there was an interruption by a young man-white, modishly dressed, with long sideburns and a drooping mustache-who had been listening to the conversation. He said, "Well, does anybody call you an Uncle Tom?" Foreman didn't get angry. "No," he said. "I really don't pay much attention to all that stuff. I just believe in doing good for myself and being good to people. All I concentrate on now is boxing." Foreman could try to trade on his identification as the good patriot or his Olympic championship by wearing a bathrobe or trunks that flaunt Old Glory or an Olympic theme, but he won't. He said, "My bathrobe just says, 'George Foreman, the Fighting Champion.' " He emerged on the amateur boxing scene out of the Job Corps program. After dropping out of high school in Houston he joined the Job Corps "to find myself." He started boxing in the gym at the Job Corps center in Pleasanton, Calif. And he had his first fight in February 1967. In less than two years-which included 25 fights, 14 knockouts and three losses-he was the Olympic champion and a sought-after prospect by several pro interests. Foreman decided to go with a man named Dick Saddler, who has handled Sonny Liston of late. Foreman has been training and working at the Job Corps until the last two months. The Corps thing ended when a cutback of government funds knocked out the program; the cynics may want to throw that in Foreman's face as an answer to the flag-carrying gesture at the Olympics. Foreman says, "Well, [President] Nixon doesn't think as much of the Job Corps as [President] Johnson did." Liston, the sad old bear, has been brought in to work with Foreman. "He's like a wise old man," Foreman said. "He don't say much, but when he says something it makes sense. Like once, he told me I was stepping too far to throw a jab. He said, 'Watch your feet and think of Joe Louis; he didn't step too far.' Then he shut up for a week." Foreman showed considerable raw talent at the Olympics. He was strong and powerful, particularly with his right hand. He occasionally went right-hand crazy, showing he had not had much experience. Some observers thought it would be foolish for him to turn pro right after the Olympics. "If he turns pro," said Cus D'Amato, "he better have a lot of work in the gym before they start to move him." Foreman is fighting Don Waldheim of Freeport. Waldheim is a boxer and may not necessarily be the softest touch for Foreman. A boxing man who has seen Foreman work said, "George ought to beat him, though Waldheim is not the kind of puncher made to order to show Foreman off at his best." (Note: Foreman knocked Waldheim out in the third round). Foreman is 20. He has been working at Gil Clancy's gym in Manhattan the past week. Clancy said, "He's at least as good a prospect as Buster Mathis. He's big and loose, with good legs and he has good balance. He hasn't fought as much as Cassius Clay or Joe Frazier did when they came out of the amateurs, so he needs a lot of technical work to overcome amateurish habits. The going was hot and heavy when Foreman had a sparring session with Forest Ward, Clancy's heavyweight, this week. Foreman said, "I threw punches which other people I work with didn't think were so heavy. But they must have felt hard to Ward because he banged me back pretty good. In the amateurs I didn't think I hurt a man unless I knocked him down. Now I know that if I hit you, I'm hurting you because I can see the traces." If things go well, Foreman is at least two years away from championship contention. In the meantime he has his Olympic gold medal to keep his spirits up. He said, "I have a few Nehru suits, and I wear the gold medal on a medallion a lot when I speak at high schools and places. I like to wear it just walking around."
It wasn't until 1973 — Jan. 22 — that an unbeaten Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight championship. He defended twice successfully before being knocked out by Muhammad Ali in Zaire on Oct. 30, 1974.
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13. The Sweet Science 
