Sometime ago a found myself in a dimly lit living roomwith four other fight fans watching some brawl on HBO. George Foreman's voice came in lamenting about a certain fighters championship prospects. One of the men in the group spoke. "You know, Foreman used to be a purse-snatcher." We all shared disbelief mean while the boxers entered the ring. Finally, the oldest member of the group. "Well if he was, that was a long time ago...."

George Foreman had it rough as a kid and yes he was a purse-snatching hoodlum growing up in the ghettos of Houston. It was 1965 and fellow Texan LBJ was in the whitehouse. His mother was seriously worried about his direction in life. Here he was 16 and a high-school drop-out! Foreman later described the moment that changed his life. He and his mother were seated around the TV and; "Suddenly Jim Brown.... and Johnny Unitas they were both on TV, giving a commercial about the Job Corps....When I heard them guys endorse this program, I told my mom 'I gotta go!' "

In the Job Corps in Oregon Foreman did well. He was sending money to his mother. He learnt fast and enjoyed his work "I felt like I was somebody." However, at his second post; in, California he got into a brawl. Instead of sending him home, they put him in the ring. He trained hard and won himself a place on the Olympic team.

The battling through the opposistion at the 1968 Olympics. His final showdown was against the Soviet Iones Caplius and the gold-medal was at stake. Cold War tensions made this one of the most politically charged sports events in during the Cold War rating just behind the US hockey team's upset over the Soviets in 1980 and the Joe Louis KO of Max Schmelling. Despite the tension the stoic Foreman easily outclassed his opponent. By the time him at 2:30 of the second round the Russians nose was bleeding horridly if not broken. After Foreman; the blood of his opponents decoratting his shoulder trotted around the ring waving a small American flag and bowing to the camera.

Back home he was a big hero. His flag waving had not gone unnoticed. In Houston he was givien an escort by the police, the same men who had chased him had finally caught up with their man. He travelled to Washington to meet President Johnson whose administration was deep in Vietnam. "He looked like he was up against the ropes." lamented Foreman. The young warrior presented him with a plaque and expressed his feelings to his fellow Texan. "This is to thank you for making the Job Corps possible, giving young Americans like me a chance for hope and dignity." when LBJ accepted the plaque tears came to his tired face.

"I'm living proof that when we don't give up on our youth, we can accomplish great things"-George Foreman

Source: The Encyclopedia of World Boxing Champions Since 1882 and the video Champions Forever