"It ain't nothing"

The morning of Oct. 30 1974, George Foreman was on top of the world. The up and coming boxer was unbeaten in 40 previous bouts including a Jan. 22, 1973 defeat of Joe Frazier to claim the coveted heavyweight title. Of those 40 wins, 22 were earned in two rounds or less and 37 were completed by knockout. To any outside observer, Foreman was on his way to legendary status, if he wasn't already there.

With the prospect of fame and fortune, came confidence or more likely, overconfidence. In March of 1974, Foreman successfully defended his title against Ken Norton with a second round technical knockout and accepted an October showdown with 1964 champion, Cassius Clay, better known as Muhammad Ali.

Ali was 43-2 with 29 wins via knockout heading into the main event seeking to regain the heavyweight title with a take down of Foreman. The fact was, Ali was older at 32 to Foreman's 25 and was lighter than Foreman by four pounds. Most analysts believed Foreman's sheer punching power could overwhelm a slower, aging Ali that had been out of boxing for three years from 1967-70 due to avoiding the Vietnam draft.

Both men had recently defeated former heavyweight Joe Frazier, Foreman in 1973 in a two-round knockout while Ali won a 12 round decision in January of 1974. Foreman's 'easy' victory over Frazier to Ali's hard-fought decision no-doubt allowed overconfidence to creep into Foreman's mind and heart.

It's no stretch, in lieu of these facts, to believe insiders reports that suggest on the night of Oct.30, better known as the 'Rumble in the Jungle', in Zaire, Africa, just before the fight, Foreman and his handlers said a prayer that Foreman would not kill Ali. Foreman had allowed himself to be convinced he could not lose to such an extant, he believed he would hurt Ali.

Years later, Foreman would admit to just how overconfident he was.

“I was in the best shape of my life, at any time...never before or since,” he said. “ Muhammad couldn't have stood up to me...And I figured I'd knock him out in three rounds.”

Just eight rounds later, Ali was the one standing over Foreman in victory knocking out the champ and regaining his title from 10 years before.

It wasn't like there weren't signs that Foreman was about to be humbled. Many analysts worried Foreman was not taking training serious and was banking on the idea that Ali was too old to be a threat. It's true Foreman was battling some injuries that limited his sparring but deeper than that, something was going on in Foreman's heart.

Proverbs 16:18 says. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Little did Foreman know, God was at work in bringing him down, only to raise him back up.

After the win, Ali would retain the title until 1978 when Leon Spinks would win a 15-round battle to snatch the belt away. But just six months later, Ali would regain it in another 15-round battle against Spinks. In 1980, Ali would lose it for good to Larry Holmes and in 1981 he would hang up the gloves with 56 wins and five losses, widely considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Ali's most well-known trait was pride and was known to call himself, 'the greatest.' Most analysts believe his own pride led to too-long of a career that may have led to health and financial problems later.

Foreman, meanwhile, would take a year off, return in 1976 with six wins and his first loss in 1977 prompting his early retirement. Just minutes after losing to Jimmy Young, Foreman blacked out and believed he nearly died prompting him to search for truth in life. Later that year, Foreman gave his life to Jesus Christ and would become an ordained minister. Foreman's life transformation also led to a renewed relationship with his earthly father that had been estranged for years,

Even while street preaching and making public appearances, Foreman always had his mind on a return to boxing and in 1987, it came to fruition. The George Foreman of lore was back, older for sure, with the same menacing power but now a gentle spirit in Jesus Christ.

Wins piled up setting the table for Nov. 5, 1994 when Foreman would reclaim the heavyweight belt with a 10-round knockout of Michael Moorer, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion at 45. Foreman would retain the belt until 1997 when Shannon Briggs would defeat him in 12 rounds. Foreman would retire after that fight compiling a 76-5 record.

To say Ali's and Foreman's lives took dramatic turns in retirement would be an understatement. Ali would be plagued with financial trouble, legal battles and health problems that would ultimately cut his life short in 2016 at age 74.

Foreman would go on to pastor a church in Houston, Texas and would be known for a line of grills that netted him nearly $120 million dollars.

Foreman and Ali will always represent the danger of pride and overconfidence. Both men had to learn the lesson of pride and its destructive power.

Sadly, stories like theirs are not rare anymore but commonplace in the sports world. Tiger Woods, Ryan Leaf, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Tanya Harding, Allen Iverson and so on are just a handful of examples how the lust for power, money and fame can ultimately drop a person to their knees in shame. You can be on top of the world one day and a pariah the next.

Foreman and Ali each chose a path, for one to destruction and the other to redemption. Foreman didn't know it at the time but God had a plan for his loss to Ali in 1974, a humbling road to restoration.

We also must choose our path, the road to fame and riches of men or riches in heaven that are forever.

According to legend, toward the end of his life Ali showed a visitor his trophies and belts in a barn behind his house in southern Michigan. The trophies were dusty and spattered with dirt and bird droppings. When the visitor asked why they weren't in a more prominent place, Ali simply replied, “It ain't nothing.” Even a life of fame and praise by men wasn't able to stop Ali from understanding, in the end, all of it was worthless, “a chasing after the wind” as Solomon would have put it in Ecclesiastes.

Foreman learned a lesson from his overconfidence and pride, and in the process, found the only meaningful thing a person can ever find.

“I don't even think about a retirement program because I'm working for the Lord,” he said. “And even though the Lord's pay isn't very high, his retirement program is, you might say, out of this world.”