George Foeman amateur record

[pringle]

22-4 is one, 22-3 is another and yet another is 27-0. which is it? the internet is all over teh place on this one.

[Goodnight, Irene]

22-4 is one, 22-3 is another and yet another is 27-0. which is it? the internet is all over teh place on this one.

Foreman definitely lost (possibly twice?) to an opponent whose name temporarily escapes me. I'm sure someone here (RayLaw, Rick Ferris, etc.) would know off-hand.

As an aside, how many fighters have attained Olympic selection --- followed by Gold-medal success --- with so few amateur bouts, spanning approx. a year & a half in the sport?

Foreman's absurdly green status must be close to the record. It's an overlooked achievement.

[enrique]

I believe he lost twice to Clay Hodges who later played Jess Willard in "Dempsey" with Treat Williams.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

Foreman's absurdly green status must be close to the record. It's an overlooked achievement.

-Indeedy, as was his youth, a very tender 19 yrs of age. Might, a slim might be one or two younger heavy gold medalists, but I doubt any superheavies which is what he'd fight at today.

Yeah, he has I think 2-3 losses and Hodges is at least a couple.

My question has always been, why did it take so long, a year out of the ring before turning pro?

[Goodnight, Irene]

There was, reputedly, a bidding war at the management-level which was said to be one of three or four competing factors which aided in delaying Foreman's entrance to the pros. Dick Saddler, as I understand it, had to work hard to make his services the young Foreman's priority.

[delisa]

Here is the record I personally researched. I can't come up with a newspaper confirmation of the Renfrow bout in the Oly Trials & Feb 68 bout against Hodges:

George Foreman

1966
--- PT Thompson Oakland, CA L w/o
Dec Max Briggs Oakland, CA L 3

1967
Jan Opponent Oakland, CA KO
Jan 25 Marion Jones Oakland, CA KO 1
(Wins Diamond Belt, Junior Div.)
Feb Opponent San Francisco, CA KO Cal. GG, Jr. Div, gold
Feb Thomas Cook Las Vegas, NV KO Nev Golden Gloves
Mar 1 Clay Hodges Milwaukee, WI L 3
Mar Lee White Sacramento, CA W
Jul Opponent --- KO 1
Jul Opponent --- KO 1

1968
Feb LC Brown San Francisco, CA KO
(Wins San Francisco Golden Gloves, Senior Div.)
Feb Clay Hodges Las Vegas, NV L 3
Apr 4 Billy Bob Thompson Toledo, OH TKO 2 NAt'l AAU
Apr 5 Robert "Bobo" Renfrow Toledo, OH TKO 3 Nat'l AAU QF
Apr 6 Chuck Thompson Toledo, OH TKO Nat'l AAU Semi
Apr 7 Henry Crump Toledo, OH W 3 Nat'l AAU Final
Apr 15 Clay Hodges Los Angeles, CA L 3
Jun 12 Robert Rasberry Sly Park, CA Exh 3
Jul Sonny Liston Oakland, CA Spar 5
Jul Sonny Liston Oakland, CA Spar 5
Aug 16 Heinz Deiter Hanover, Ger L DQ 3
Sep 5 Otis Evans Maumee, OH W 3 Oly Trials
Sep 6 Albert Wilson Maumee, OH KO 2 Oly Trials
--Possible he beat Bobo Renfow in Oly trials as well

Sep 21 Otis Evans Albuquerque, NM W 3 Oly Box Off

Olympics
Oct 16 Lucjan Trela Mexico City W 3 (4-1)
Oct 22 Ione Alexe Mexico City TKO 3 QF
Oct 24 Giorgio Bambini Mexico City KO 2 Semi
Oct 27 Ionas Chepulis Mexico City TKO 2 Final
(Wins Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medal)

1969
04-19 Chester Walton Oakland, CA Exh 3
04-22 Chester Walton Houston, TX Exh 3
May Sonny Liston San Francisco Spar
May Sonny Liston Las Vegas, NV Spar
May 22 George Savage Tampa, FL Exh 3 -- newspapers reported this as a "no decision" bout

[pringle]

Here is the record I personally researched. I can't come up with a newspaper confirmation of the Renfrow bout in the Oly Trials & Feb 68 bout against Hodges:

George Foreman

1966
--- PT Thompson Oakland, CA L w/o
Dec Max Briggs Oakland, CA L 3

1967
Jan Opponent Oakland, CA KO
Jan 25 Marion Jones Oakland, CA KO 1
(Wins Diamond Belt, Junior Div.)
Feb Opponent San Francisco, CA KO Cal. GG, Jr. Div, gold
Feb Thomas Cook Las Vegas, NV KO Nev Golden Gloves
Mar 1 Clay Hodges Milwaukee, WI L 3
Mar Lee White Sacramento, CA W
Jul Opponent --- KO 1
Jul Opponent --- KO 1

1968
Feb LC Brown San Francisco, CA KO
(Wins San Francisco Golden Gloves, Senior Div.)
Feb Clay Hodges Las Vegas, NV L 3
Apr 4 Billy Bob Thompson Toledo, OH TKO 2 NAt'l AAU
Apr 5 Robert "Bobo" Renfrow Toledo, OH TKO 3 Nat'l AAU QF
Apr 6 Chuck Thompson Toledo, OH TKO Nat'l AAU Semi
Apr 7 Henry Crump Toledo, OH W 3 Nat'l AAU Final
Apr 15 Clay Hodges Los Angeles, CA L 3
Jun 12 Robert Rasberry Sly Park, CA Exh 3
Jul Sonny Liston Oakland, CA Spar 5
Jul Sonny Liston Oakland, CA Spar 5
Aug 16 Heinz Deiter Hanover, Ger L DQ 3
Sep 5 Otis Evans Maumee, OH W 3 Oly Trials
Sep 6 Albert Wilson Maumee, OH KO 2 Oly Trials
--Possible he beat Bobo Renfow in Oly trials as well

Sep 21 Otis Evans Albuquerque, NM W 3 Oly Box Off

Olympics
Oct 16 Lucjan Trela Mexico City W 3 (4-1)
Oct 22 Ione Alexe Mexico City TKO 3 QF
Oct 24 Giorgio Bambini Mexico City KO 2 Semi
Oct 27 Ionas Chepulis Mexico City TKO 2 Final
(Wins Olympic Heavyweight Gold Medal)

1969
04-19 Chester Walton Oakland, CA Exh 3
04-22 Chester Walton Houston, TX Exh 3
May Sonny Liston San Francisco Spar
May Sonny Liston Las Vegas, NV Spar
May 22 George Savage Tampa, FL Exh 3 -- newspapers reported this as a "no decision" bout

17-5 13 KO's .... is that right?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Traditionally, you're not one for BOTP, Pringle. Why the sudden interest in Foreman's am record, if you don't mind my asking.

[pringle]

Saw a show on ESPN about Foreman's early pro fights. Al Bernstein hosted. Then showed Georges gold medal winning fight against the Russian guy and Al Bernstein mentioned that Foreman had only 18 amateur fights at the time. I got curious about Foremans amateur record and when I went to check it out on the internet, the intel was all over the place.
I know any cited "undefeated" amateur record was bullshit, because I know as a fact he lost twice to Clay Hodges in the amateurs.
Funny how the Foreman amateur record of 26-0 record comes up again and again with absolute certainly. Someone just took that number an ran with it over and over.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Saw a show on ESPN about Foreman's early pro fights. Al Bernstein hosted. Then showed Georges gold medal winning fight against the Russian guy and Al Bernstein mentioned that Foreman had only 18 amateur fights at the time. I got curious about Foremans amateur record and when I went to check it out on the internet, the intel was all over the place.
I know any cited "undefeated" amateur record was bullshit, because I know as a fact he lost twice to Clay Hodges in the amateurs.
Funny how the Foreman amateur record of 26-0 record comes up again and again with absolute certainly. Someone just took that number an ran with it over and over.

Big Fights Boxing Hour, was it? The fight with Chuvalo featured on that, as well.

[Brutu]

Im not sure if this counts as part of Foreman's amatuer record,
but at newspaerarchives.com,
there are a couple interesting articles.
When Foreman was at the traing camp in New Mexico,they brought in the all-Marine heavyweight champion to spar with him(in a public workout I believe).
Also while in Mexico City,while Foreman was getting ready
to compete,he sparred with a heavyweight representing a West African country(I think his name was Ah Noh from Gambia)while sparring ,Foreman knocked some of his teeth out and the fighter had to pull out of the competion in Mexico City.

[delisa]

Can you give me dates on those two articles? I'd like to read.

[Brutu]

I wrote the notes on a piece of paper then lost the piece of paper.
But they were just around September/October 1968.