Editing George Foreman (section)

===Return to the ring===
==== Foreman vs. Five ====
Foreman announced an exhibition match in 1975, billed as Foreman vs Five, where he would fight five contenders in one night. Following his first loss to Muhammad Ali and a subsequent year-long hiatus, the event was meant to re-spark interest in Foreman and showcase his strength and ability to knockout opponents. The first criticisms came as the opponents Foreman was fighting were revealed to be journeymen with sub-par or inexperienced records. This energy transferred over to the night of the event as Foreman was met with boos from the crowd as well as antagonistic chants of "Ali! Ali! Ali" as he made his appearance and walked out to the ring. While in the ring, Foreman began to verbally spar with Ali, who was commentating ring-side with [[Howard Cosell]]. After knocking-out opponents, Foreman would walk over to his corner and begin to taunt Ali, to which Ali responded by yelling advice to Foreman's opponents mid-fight.<ref name="Deadspin1"/> Foreman was met with jeers all throughout the night as the crowd grew increasingly displeased at Foreman's defeats of his first three opponents, all by knockout. After the initial victories, Foreman, now completely enraged and exhausted, was unable to beat his last two opponents, who were met with cheers and applause for lasting against the former champion. The event was initially meant to bolster support for Foreman's comeback, though the public was now even more unsure of his abilities.<ref name="Deadspin1">{{cite news |last1=Howard |first1=Greg |title=The Night A Heartbroken George Foreman Boxed Five Men In One Hour |url=https://deadspin.com/the-night-a-heartbroken-george-foreman-boxed-five-men-i-1680038703/ |access-date=March 27, 2025 |work=Deadspin |date=January 16, 2015}}</ref>

==== Foreman vs. Lyle ====
{{main|George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle}}
In 1976, he announced a professional comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be [[Ron Lyle]], who had been defeated by Ali in 1975, via an 11th-round TKO. Lyle was the number-five rated heavyweight in the world at the time per the March 1976 issue of ''The Ring''.<ref name="boxrec1975">{{Cite web |url=https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_1975 |title=The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 1975 |access-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225235809/https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_1975 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard right that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished, he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches, looking crude. Each man staggered the other, and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching, and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed to the canvas. Lyle remained down, giving Foreman a KO victory. The fight was named by ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]'' as "The Fight of the Year".<ref name="EP1"/>

==== Foreman vs. Frazier II ====
{{Main|George Foreman vs. Joe Frazier II}}

For his next bout, Foreman chose to face [[Joe Frazier]] in a rematch. Frazier was then the world's number-three heavyweight per ''The Ring''.<ref name="boxrec1975"/> Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of [[Thrilla in Manila|punishment from Ali in Manila]] a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3, having lost only to Foreman and Ali twice, and Foreman was 41–1, with his sole defeat at the hands of Ali. However, their rematch began competitively, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier was wearing a contact lens for his vision, which was knocked loose during the bout. Unable to mount a significant offense, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out [[Scott LeDoux]] in three rounds and prospect John Dino Denis in four to finish the year.<ref name="EP1">{{cite book |title=Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times |date=August 2006 |publisher=Encouragement Press |isbn=9781933766096 |page=76 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Foreman Inks with ABC's Growing Black TV Family |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kIDAAAAMBAJ&dq=John+Dino+Denis+george+foreman+four+rounds&pg=PA61 |access-date=March 27, 2025 |work=Jet |date=November 4, 1976 |page=61}}</ref>

==== Foreman vs. Young ====
{{main|George Foreman vs. Jimmy Young}}
Foreman had a life-changing year in 1977. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at [[Pensacola, Florida]], Foreman flew to [[Puerto Rico]] a day before his next fight without giving himself time to acclimatize. His opponent was the skilled boxer [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]], who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round seven, but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and suffered a knockdown in round twelve before losing by unanimous decision. Referee Waldemar Schmidt had it 118–111, judge Cesar Ramos scored it 116–112, and judge Ismael Wiso Fernandez scored it 115–114, all to Young.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/jimmy-young-george-foreman/71978 |title=40 Years Ago Today: Jimmy Young-George Foreman – "He Beat the Devil Out of Me!" — Boxing News |date=March 17, 2017 |access-date=November 25, 2021 |archive-date=November 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125074421/https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/jimmy-young-george-foreman/71978 |url-status=live }}</ref>