By George:: The Autobiography of George Foreman

Great book with such a humble beginning. It shows how lost a man can be without Christ. I love it and I will read it again and again.

Whether it's for his knockouts in the ring, or his grills that knockout the fat, just about everyone in the civilized world knows the name George Foreman. While most sports fans know that Foreman wasn't always the oversized teddy bear that he is now, the stories relayed in the first half of his autobiography, BY GEORGE, will amaze you. Throughout the book, Foreman not only outlines the rise of his boxing career from the Olympics to the professional ranks and the heavyweight championship (twice), but he also delves into his personal life in a detailed manner that provides the reader with an in-depth look into the George Foreman that many never knew existed. The somewhat underlying story in this book is his relationship with God. In the first half of the book, Foreman tells of how, when he was young, he thought that religion was for the weak and it wasn't something he needed in his life. More amazing is that Foreman, now a Baptist minister, nearly became a Muslim before his legendary fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974. Following his bout with Jimmy Young in 1977, his final fight before his 10 year layoff, Foreman had a 'religious experience' in his locker room, found the Lord, and started to become the George Foreman that the world knows and loves today. In the second half of the book, the reader truly begins to see Foreman's love for God, and how God influences every aspect of his life. While many know the ups and downs of his boxing career, it's very interesting to relive those moments through the eyes of the man who was there. His mentality change between his first and second boxing careers is astonishing. As a Christian, this book has added meaning for me due to the issues mentioned above. Simply put, this is a book that is an inspiration to one and all.

This book was awesome! I got it back when I was 19, probably just so I could read about some good fights. But it had so much more. Like how George was a fighter as a kid. He talked about how he played high school football and the coach who carried around the wooden paddle! I thought it was neat the way he talked about his experience in the Job Corps. Even then he struggled with his temper, and talked about how there was one special lady who always loved him. The cafeteria lady, Mrs. Moon, who eventually invited him over for dinner.I loved the way he described his fights, some of them in awesome detail. He still recalls losing 2 fights against a man named Clay Hodges, but then going to the Olympics and winning the gold against Russian, Ionas Chepulis. He vividly tells about what he was thinking in his first fight with Smokin' Joe Frazier. He tells about fighting Ken Norton. I admire the fact that George takes the good with the bad, and talks about his defeat to Muhammed Ali. But the most awesome thing is about how George became a pastor. He truly is an amazing man, with the grace of God. This shows the awesome power of an awesome man, led now by an awesome God!

On the 1 to 5 star scale - I give this a 6!WOW! - WOW! - George! - WOW!Fantastic, Wonderful, Beautiful, Moving, Inspirational, Funny, Fun, Could not and would not put it down!What a great book - what a great life!I'm so full of joy and inspiration from this book that I can't even find the words to write a review - this was such a great book.I've always liked the "recent" George Foreman - the one that was on the comeback trail and fought Michael Moorer - the one with that beautiful smile.Don't forget there was the George before - I used to think that that George Foreman was just simply a bad guy - he wasn't - well - not fully anyway -By George is the autobiography of (and by) George Foreman - from his birth to his regaining the Championship of the World - EVERYTHING - from the book dedications to the very last page was wonderful.I got chills at the end of every chapter - and just had to keep reading - as I got closer to the end I kept wishing for more -How is this not a movie!What a fantastic life this man has ledThis book has it all - for the boxing enthusiast you get a unique insight at the history of boxing and some it's most influential and historical people - Big George was IN the Rumble in the Jungle - Cosell's famous "Down goes Frazier! - Down goes Frazier!!!" was due to George - On a spiritual note - I would think that the closest thing to feeling Gods love would be getting a hug from George ForemanGeorge - if you're somehow reading this please know that you're an amazing man - and I'm so happy for you - and so happy to share the same planet with you! - I recently adopted a cat from a shelter and of course named him George!Boxing fans - BUY THIS BOOK!Biography fans - BUY THIS BOOK!Anyone who knows how to read - BUY THIS BOOK!

Starting with his early days in Texas, the autobiography of George Foreman is an intriguing piece. The once bad boy of Marshall proved that he could become the good man of the entire nation. Sports defined him, and he is grateful to God.George Foreman is great: he owns the strongest pair of hands that has ever laced gloves. History has a fine room for him. And although the bitter taste of defeat kept him out of the ring, after Ali's mastery resilience overwhelmed him, no one counted George out. He returned some twenty years later, shattering the long-standing Jersey Joe Walcott's record, and became the oldest heavyweight to win the crown (in 1994, aged 45 years).His 1973 demolition of Joe Frazier, (in Kingston, Jamaica), left all the reggae-boys wiping their eyes in disbelief. But Ali wasn't stunned. He knew George well, and described him thus: "George (Foreman) is a brute force...just like (Sonny) Liston... only that he is a taller, bigger, and stronger Liston... After the first round (of our fight) I returned to my corner. I understood why (Joe) Frazier and (Ken) Norton were destroyed."

Big George has a story that must be heard, and whats best you don't even need to be a boxing fan to understand or enjoy this book, it goes far far DEEPER than that. His life has been unbelievable. His life before boxing and in his 10 year break from the sport is very interesting and suprising, and this si a very very funny book. The story of his comeback to boxing aged of 37, 10 years after his last fight, is heart warming. His church was low on funds, his youth centre for disadvantaged children in Texas was going to be shut down, and George knew he had to make money somehow, so he dusted himself off and got back into the ring.i still remember 1994 when a 45 year old George shockingly took all of world champion Michael Moorers big punches for so many rounds before he landed "the shot heard round the world"Georges ability to mix at top level against dangerous young men at his age had never been done before and never will again. HOW DID HE DO IT?!!! this book is a must, you will enjoy it.