George Foreman - God In My Corner: A Spiritual Memoir

2007 George Foreman.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB), 1960, 1977 by the Lockman Foundation.

Editorial Staff: Greg Daniel, acquisition editor, and Thom Chittom, managing editor
Cover Design: Designworks
Page Design: Casey Hooper

Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Foreman, George, 1949
God in my corner / by George Foreman with Ken Abraham.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 10: 0-8499-0314-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-0314-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 10: 0-8499-1908-8 (IE)
ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-1908-4 (IE)
1. Foreman, George, 1949- 2. Christian biography--United States. 3. Christian life. I. Abraham, Ken. II. Title.
BR1725.F547A3 2007
277.3'082092--dc22
[B]

2007006016

Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 QW 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

CONTENTS

THE PHONE CALL THAT CHANGED
MY LIFE

BEING OPTIMISTIC IN A
PESSIMISTIC WORLD

THE WORST THING CAN BE
THE BEST THING

INTEGRITYDONT LEAVE HOME
WITHOUT IT

WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS, ANSWER
THE DOOR

1
THE PHONE CALL THAT
CHANGED MY LIFE

EVERYONE NEEDS A SECOND CHANCE, EVEN IF YOUR NAME IS George Foreman. You might know me as the guy on television who advertises the George Foreman grills, Meineke Car Care, or Casual Male Big & Tall clothes. If you follow sports, you may know me as the worlds heavyweight boxing champion who lost to Muhammad Ali and then came back twenty years later to win the heavyweight title again at forty-five years of age.

But what few people know is that something incredibly strange happened to me on the evening of March 17, 1977. That supernatural experience defined my life so dramatically that it divided my identity into two Georges. The old George lived prior to that day, which Ill refer to as my first time around. Ever since then, Ive been the new George. God gave me another chance at life, and Ive been determined to do it right this time.

When we start out in life, we often travel down some wrong roads, hurting ourselves and others along the way. Most of us have to hit bottom before the lightbulb turns on and we realize that weve blown it. Its at that critical moment that we must seize the opportunity and change directions. We must start traveling down a different road, leading to a new destination.

My second chance arrived unexpectedly in a Puerto Rican dressing room after a heavyweight boxing match. What happened to me in that room is so incredibly bizarre, its unlikely youve ever before read anything like it. Simply stated, I died and went to the other side. The experience impacted me so profoundly that three decades later I cant go a single day without thinking about it.

THE CRISIS I COULDNT FIX

December 1976. The phone rang in the middle of the night, rousing me out of a deep sleep. Through foggy eyes, I strained to read the clock on my nightstand.

Its nearly three oclock in the morning. Who in the world is calling me at this hour? Dont they know that no one is supposed to disturb me when Im preparing for a fight?

In three months, I was scheduled to fight Jimmy Young in a highly touted heavyweight boxing match in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I had been training vigorously on my ranch in Marshall, Texas, and everyone on my training team and household staff knew the rules: No one was supposed to distract me while I was in training. The word around camp was: Dont bother George. If something good happens, it can wait. If something bad happens, keep quiet about it around George. If someone dies, dont tell him.

A boxer has to stay in the right frame of mind to prepare well. Boxing isnt just about the grueling physical trainingrunning mile after mile, hitting the punching bags thousands of times, and sparring round after round. A huge part of boxing is mental preparation. If you lose the bout inside your mind, youll lose it in the ring, too. Thats why orders were given to not interrupt me for any reason. But whoever was calling at this late hour obviously chose to disregard the training rules.

My mother had come to my training camp to cook for me, and was sleeping in my bedroom while I slept in another room in the back of the house. Apparently, the ringing telephone woke Mom up as well. Rubbing my eyes trying to fully wake up, I picked up the phone at the same time my mother did in her bedroom.

I recognized my sister, Mary, crying on the other end of the line. It shook Mom when she heard her sobs. Whats wrong, Mary? she asked, worry clearly evident in her voice.

Mary composed herself well enough to reply. My son was playing outside and had a seizure, she said. By the time we got him to the doctor, he was in a coma. The doctors dont think hes going to make it. They say if he does come out of the coma, he wont be able to walk or talk. Mary broke down in violent sobs again.

The boy she was talking about was my five-year-old nephew, George Edward Dumas. Little George was one of my familys favorites; he touched a soft spot in my heart, and he looked up to me like a father. Although I was deeply concerned about Georges condition, I didnt want to hear another word. I knew I had to stay in my zone and stay focused on training.

I quietly hung up the phone, pretending the conversation never took place. As I lay in bed with my head on my pillow, my eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling, I thought, I didnt hear that. This cant be happening. I have to stay focused.

No way. As soon as I heard my mother hang up, I jumped out of bed and ran to her bedroom. Momma, you tell those doctors Im George Foreman, the boys uncle. You tell them whatever it costs, Ill pay for it. Tell them to fly in the best doctors, and Ill take care of the bills. You tell them who I am.

Son, she explained, they already have the best doctors.

I wouldnt take no for an answer. Mom, you pick up that phone and call them right now. You tell them that Im George Foreman, and Ill take care of everything!

Okay, George. Ill try.

I marched back to my bedroom carrying a huge load of worry. I nervously tossed and turned, realizing my nephew would probably die. If he survived, he would never be normal. I mulled the situation over in my mind. That boy didnt bother anyone. Hes in a coma and cant wake up.If he does awaken, hes going to be paralyzed and will never be able to speak or walk again.

Unable to sleep, I couldnt rest until I knew what the doctors had to say. I threw back the sheets and stomped back down the hallway. Momma, did you call them?

Yes, I called and told them. Son, youre just going to have to pray.

In stunned disbelief, I slowly trudged back to my room. When someone tells you the only thing you can do is pray,