Crossmap Podcast: 'Big' George Foreman on the Miraculous Turning Points That Changed His Life
HOUSTON — It was former president Lyndon B. Johnson who once said, “At times, history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom.”
Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, turning points in our lives are when an important change takes place which in turn affects our future. One small change, thought to be inconsequential at the time, can open up a world of new possibilities or close the door on a period in our lives we would rather forget. Perhaps it is transitioning between being single and being married. A career change, the decision to quit something, or the courage to leave everything behind could be the catalyst for a turning point.
Former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, George Foreman, sees his entire life as a series of turning points. From fleeing a life of crime in the streets as a youth, to making the reluctant decision to lace up a pair of boxing gloves for the first time, to dedicating his life to Jesus Christ as an adult, Foreman knows firsthand how one small change can have life-lasting impact.
Perhaps the most critical turning point was when he not only lost a heavyweight bout to Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico, but actually had a near-death experience in the dressing room following the fight. What transpired was miraculous.
“I actually died,” Foreman recounts. “I went back into the dressing room to cool off. That’s all. I’m walking back and forward thinking. ‘You’re George Foreman, you don’t have to worry about this stupid boxing match. You can still be champ. You got money, you can retire and die.’ I was fighting death in that dressing room, trying to keep life in me, walking back and forth. I didn’t want to die in a dirty old dressing room when I had big homes elsewhere. But I lost my fight that night with death. I actually died in a split second. I was over my head. Under me, all around me there was nothing. Nothing.”
When he eventually revived, Foreman said he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, one that led to his abrupt retirement and subsequent decision to become a minister.
Foreman is the subject of a new biopic that has just released called Big George Foreman. Starring Khris Davis, Forest Whitaker, and Jasmine Mathews, the movie tells the miraculous story of a young man destined for failure who rose to prominence through sheer grit, determination, and the will to win.
“After I had that experience in Puerto Rico, I was shaken. I didn’t know what to do,” says Foreman. “I didn’t know what was left or right. I didn’t know where to go. I never went back into the boxing gym. I was scared to have your life taken from you and given a second chance. Then one day, a preacher asked me to come up and give my testimony in church. And I just told the story of what happened. Then I realized that was my purpose in life, to keep telling that story.”
Foreman joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to talk about the new movie and his rivalry-turned friendship with Muhammed Ali. Listen as George shares about the turning points that defined who he is as a fighter, a businessman, and most importantly as a man of God.
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