George Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history and, at least for the time being, his phenomenal achievement is unlikely to be trumped.
‘Big George’ was aged 45 when he dethroned Michael Moorer for the IBF and WBA belts in 1994, scoring a 10th-round finish after losing a unanimous decision to Tommy Morrison in his previous world title challenge.
This came over seven years after the American ended a decade of inactivity, which followed his iconic encounters with the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
Back then, in the early 1970s, Foreman was considered a more formidable operator but nonetheless achieved his goal of becoming a two-time heavyweight champion.
Another man to score the double, albeit without crafting the same Hall of Fame career, is Hasim Rahman, who pulled off an almighty upset when he dethroned Lennox Lewis with a fifth-round stoppage in 2001.
‘The Rock’ then lost his belts via a fourth-round finish in their immediate rematch, only to reclaim his WBC title and defend it with a 2006 draw against James Toney.
As for his ambition to become the oldest heavyweight champion since Foreman, boxing journalist Dan Rafael has reported that Rahman, 53, must first pump the brakes on his comeback.
“Absolutely ZERO surprise but, per source, former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman’s return from retirement for a 6-rounder on August 18 in Rochester, New York, has been cancelled, as has the entire card.”
News: Absolutely ZERO surprise but, per source, former heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman's return from retirement for a 6-rounder on Aug. 18 in Rochester, N.Y., has been canceled as has the entire card. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) August 11, 2026
Despite being inactive for over 12 years, Rahman was set to face 42-year-old heavyweight Robert Simms and had vowed to eventually break Foreman’s record.
