The last of the big three has died – George Foreman passes away

Once, they were bigger than life – supermen in the ring, connected by boxing superiority and rivalry – but even they couldn’t escape the deadly finality of the Grim Reaper.

First, it was Joe Frazier, who died in 2011.

Muhammad Ali followed five years later.

A few days ago, George Foreman passed away in a hospital in Houston, TX.

He was 76.

His death ends a time in boxing that was unforgettable. My late father often spoke of boxing in the 1930s. I came of age in the 60s and 70s – with war and assassination as a backdrop. I latched on to Ali early, followed him through his suspension and stripping – due to his rejection to join the military, and rejoiced when he returned to the ring in 1970.

Foreman had won gold (like Frazier and Ali) at the 1968 Olympic Games.

During Ali’s absence, Frazier was considered the champion, but not universally until he gave Ali a whippin on March 8, 1971.

Foreman improved to 26-0 after knocking out Stanford Harris a few weeks after the Frazier – Ali fight. His power was scary. Long-time contender George Chuvalo was stopped in three, big Boone Kirkman in 41 seconds.

When he fought Frazier in 1973, he was 37-0, with 34 knockouts.

Still, there were doubts. Foreman could be robotic and amateurish.

Frazier was favored and expected to win. Foreman made the oddsmakers look like fools. He took care of undefeated Frazier in a little over five minutes.

“When I won the title against Joe Frazier,” Foreman said. “It was everything I ever worked for.”

Back then, the new champion wasn’t the loveable cheeseburger-eating grill master he became in later years.

He rarely smiled – projecting a Sonny Liston-like aura.

My mom had worked at Camp Parks in Dubin, Ca. in the 1960s. Foreman was part of the Jobs Corps – something he joined on a whim.

Mom would see him often.

“He was big,” she said, her eyes opening wide. “Huge shoulders.”

That he was – and considered, after brutalizing Ken Norton in Caracas – unbeatable. Foreman fought Ali in Zaire in 1974. He figured he’d knock out Ali in a round or two. Many agreed.

Ali did not. He took Foreman’s unrelenting power and fired back some verbal volleys.

“In the third round, I’d hit him (Ali), and he fell on me. I thought, ‘That’s it,” said Foreman. “And he started screaming, ‘That’s all you got George – show me something!’ “And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Foreman retired in 1977 after losing a decision to Jimmy Young. His ascent and fall were fast and furious.

His comeback and metamorphosis 11 years later, ultimately regaining his heavyweight crown at 45, was remarkable.

The older Foreman was no longer the sullen destroyer but a loveable salesperson who could still knock a tree down.

He retired in 1997 – parlaying his success into a broadcasting career on HBO.

George Foreman was the last of the big three after Ali died in 2016. He carried their memories with pride, smiling when he remembered them, without malice and filled with love and respect.

It’s still stunning that all three are gone.

Gone from this place, but living forever on tape and memories.

Even titans are mortal.

Rest easy, champ.