Decades After George Foreman’s Historic Title Reclaim, Legendary Commentator Reveals How Oldest Heavyweight Champ Detailed Knocking Out Moorer Before Entering the Ring

On that historic night of November 5, 1994, the boxing world witnessed a clash that would be forever etched in its annals as “One For The Ages.” The stage was the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where George Foreman, at the age of 45, stood on the cusp of creating boxing history. With an impressive record of 72 wins and just 4 losses, Foreman aimed to become the oldest man ever to hold the world heavyweight crown. He wasn’t just chasing titles; he was chasing a dream and defying time itself. Michael Moorer, the reigning WBA and IBF champion, held the coveted lineal title after his shocking upset victory over Evander Holyfield earlier that year.

Despite being the favorite according to Vegas bookmakers with 2-1 odds, expert opinion seemed to overwhelmingly favor Moorer. HBO commentator Larry Merchant famously quipped that Foreman’s chances were as remote as a “gazillion-to-one” to win the fight. Foreman proved everybody wrong by knocking Moorer down on the canvas in the 10th round. After the phenomenal victory, commentator Jim Lampley couldn’t hold back and started screaming, “It happened! It happened!” Recently, he recalled the story behind this famous phrase himself, and how George Foreman had forecasted his win on that fateful night.

Jim Lampley recalls the night George Foreman envisioned his victory

In a recent interview with Dan Canobbio, the legendary commentator Jim Lampley talked about how he never thought George Foreman could take down Michael Moorer. So, during the pre-fight meals or rehearsal, he knew he had to kill his curiosity himself. So, he stated that he pulled Foreman aside and asked, “How are you gonna beat Moorer? What in the world can you do to be better at beating Moorer than Holyfield was.”

That’s when Foreman revealed his secret to Lampley. He said, “Jim you watch. There will come a moment late in the fight when he will come and stand in front of me and let me knock him out.” Now, at this point, Lampley said that if anybody would rewind the tape, they’d get to know that this is exactly what happened. So it was like a miracle when Foreman perfectly executed what he had in his mind.

For that reason, even the commentary came from the actual shock and surprise, and a legendary moment was created. To this day, Lampley feels proud of that moment.

Jim Lampley talks about his famous phrase

Lampley mentioned that he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Moorer on the canvas. It was something that was right out of a dream. He said, “It’s stunning, it’s exactly what happened.” Lampley talked about how he could never predict this. So, he started telling the story again.

He talked about what took place in his mind before uttering the famous two words. He said, “What came to me was George telling me over and over what was going to happen and my line was ‘It happened! It happened!’ That’s the best. I’m very proud of that.” Well, this line will always go down in the boxing commentary Hall of Fame. It’s art created out of impulse.

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Foreman created history that night, and people still remember that iconic fight that set the tone for the sport in the coming years. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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