24/03/2025

MONDAY | MAR 24, 2025

28

SPORTS

Tyson leads tributes to heavyweight great Foreman

‘Big George belonged to us all’ FORMER world heavyweight

Ű BY HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

with him. It took a while.” Lampley said he and many others at ringside for Foreman’s fight against undefeated southpaw Moorer did not think the challenger could possibly manage a win. But according to Lampley, Foreman told him several times in the lead-up to the fight that at some moment late in the bout Moorer would stand in front of him and let Foreman knock him out, which he did in the 10th round with a stiff right hand. “Now go back to YouTube and look at the video, it’s uncanny. It’s beyond all belief,” said Lampley. “So when he knocked Moorer down … I’m thinking ‘Oh my gosh, I have to think of something that I am going to say about this. What is this call? “All I could think of was George telling me ‘he’ll come and stand in front of me and let me knock him out’ and that’s how the words ‘it happened, it happened’ came out of my mouth.” – Reuters

moved into entrepreneurial pursuits after his retirement. “He was obviously one of the greatest boxers ever, but just a gentle man, he was a pastor – and it just hurts man, plain and simple,” Barkley told CBS . “I’m shook up right now, that caught me so off guard.” Turki Alalshikh, a key figure in modern boxing and chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, described Foreman as one of “three pillars” of the sport along with Ali and Frazier. “The last boxing pillar for an unforgettable era has passed away today,” Alalshikh posted alongside a picture of the trio. “May his soul rest in peace, Big George Foreman!” Bob Arum, a leading boxing promoter and chair of Top Rank, said: “George was a great friend

Foreman is dead. What a great fighter!!! He had, without question, the heaviest and biggest punch in the history of boxing. “With the exception of Ali, when you got hit, you went down. He was something really special, but above all, he was a great person, with a personality that was bigger than life.” – The Independent

boxing champion George Foreman will be remembered as an incredibly gracious man with an infectious smile, International Boxing Hall of Fame broadcaster and close friend Jim Lampley said yesterday. Lampley made the famous “It happened!” call in 1994 when Foreman, at 45, stunned Michael Moorer to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion and later worked alongside the boxer for many years at HBO . “He did not look at friendship as a casual process,” Lampley told Reuters. “You earned a friendship with George, and if you earned that friendship then you had a real friend to go the distance, and I

FELLOW heavyweight Mike Tyson has paid tribute to George Foreman after the boxing great’s passing at the age of 76. Foreman’s family said their hearts were broken by the death of “Big George”, who won 76 of his 81 professional fights after winning Olympic gold as an amateur in 1968. The American won the world heavyweight title in 1973 with a knockout win over the undefeated Joe Frazier, and memorably took on Muhammad Ali at “The Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa year later. Two decades later, at the age of 45, he won one of boxing’s most coveted prizes again by beating Michael Moorer, and remains boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion. “Condolences to George Foreman’s family,” Tyson said on social media, paying tribute. “His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten.” Foreman also forged a successful career after life in the ring, with the George Foreman Grill selling in huge numbers worldwide. Former NBA player Charles Barkley was close to Foreman, having similarly

to not only myself, but to my entire family. We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated.” President Donald

developed that bond

Trump also paid tribute on Truth Social: “George

Boxers Joe Frazier (left) and George Foreman raise fists at the launch of the film Champions Forever in London on Oct 17, 1989. – REUTERS FILEPIC

Top seeds advance in Miami Zverev, Sabalenka through but Draper brought back down to earth W ORLD NO. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reached the last 16 at the Miami Open when Elena-Gabriela while trailing 4-3 in the first set. Osaka, who returned to action in January 2024 after a 15-month break during which she had a baby, said her fitness level is better now than it was in 2021 when she won the most recent of her four Grand Slam titles. German record 145th Masters 1000 win, one more than Tommy Haas. He now faces Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

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Ruse retired injured yesterday, while men’s top seed Alexander Zverev beat Jacob Fearnley 6-2, 6-4 to reach the third round. Sabalenka, who arrived in Miami fresh off a defeat in last week’s Indian Wells final, wrapped up the first set 6-1 before Romanian Ruse was forced to retire with a right thigh injury. Up next for three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka will be American defending Miami champion Danielle Collins, who beat Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova 6-4, 3-6, 6 3. Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka prevailed 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4 against American wildcard Hailey Baptiste and will play Italian sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who advanced when Ons Jabeur retired with a left leg injury VIKTOR HOVLAND carded a 2-under 69 yesterday to grab a share of the 54 hole lead at the Valspar Championship, where the Norwegian is gunning for his first US PGA Tour title since 2023. Hovland, who arrived at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, last week off three straight missed cuts, says he’s still battling the inconsistency that has seen him make five coaching changes as he slumped from fourth in the world to 19th. But he could see “a lot of good” after posting three birdies and a bogey to join Colombian Nico Echavarria and American Jacob Bridgeman atop the leaderboard on 7-under 206. “It’s fun to be in contention, but it is a little bit more stressful when you don’t

“Happy to kind of have improved a few things from Indian Wells where I didn’t feel well on the court. I didn’t feel like I played good,” Zverev told reporters. Indian Wells champion Jack Draper crashed out 7-6(2), 7-6(3) to Czech Jakub Mensik. The match was temporarily suspended when a large crowd of Brazilian spectators, who were waiting to watch Joao Fonseca’s clash with Ugo Humbert due next at the same venue, expressed their anger when that match was shifted to the main stadium. The fans, some of whom had waited for hours at Grandstand, booed as they left the venue, but were delighted when Fonseca later got past Humbert 6-4 6-3. – Reuters birdie putts short on the front nine. I got the speed right on the back nine, made a lot of good putts coming in.” Bridgeman, seeking his first win in his second full season on the tour, started the day with a one-shot lead and kept himself atop the board with a 1-under 70 that featured four bogeys and five birdies. “I had fun today,“ the 25-year-old said. “I was navigating a lot of the course. I seemed to find some spots that I had never see before, so that was fun. I scrambled well.” The leading trio were one stroke in front of American Ricky Castillo, who carded a 68, while a big group on 208 included major winners Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry. – AFP

Third seed Coco Gauff also progressed with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Greece’s Maria Sakkari while Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen advanced with a 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Taylor Townsend. Local hope Ashlyn Krueger stunned 26th seed and former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez to set up a meeting with Zheng. On the men’s side, Zverev looked comfortable against British qualifier Fearnley as the German mixed a solid serve with dominance from the baseline while saving the only two break points he faced during the 74 minute match. For Zverev, the win gave him a feel super comfortable over the ball,“ Hovland said. “But, man, it’s fun to see some putts go in and still see the ball end up close to the hole and put some good scores up there. “Still feels like saving a lot of shots, but they’re going fairly straight so it’s OK,“ added Hovland, who is chasing his first title since he won the Tour Championship in 2023 – when he claimed three of his six PGA victories and captured the FedEx Cup crown. Echavarria, chasing a third PGA title, rebounded from a 1-over 72 with a bogey-free 5-under 66, making five of his six birdies n the back nine. “I gave myself a lot of looks,“ Echavarria said. “I was leaving a couple

Hovland grabs share of Valspar lead

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