A boxer's beliefs play a huge part in his career. When a fighter doesn't believe he can win, he begins to resemble a mouse in a snake's cage. He circles the outside of the ring in fear of his opponent's inevitable attack. But what about a fighter who believes that the creator of the world is on his side? This belief has been held by many great champions. Still, most sports reporters avoid discussing religion.
A-rod's relationship with Madonna is more publicized than his relationship with Joe Girardi, but religion is usually an ignored aspect of an athlete's personal life. Nevertheless, many legendary fighters like George Foreman and Muhammad Ali were more than willing to express their views to the public. Other fighters were religious, but kept their beliefs more private. After researching the faiths of various fighters from a secular perspective, I found that religion has had a surprisingly large and interesting impact on boxing.
Searching for religious boxers, I had to look no further than two of the most famous and charismatic people to ever step in the ring- Ali and Foreman. Ali's religion continuously shaped his image and career. He missed three years of fighting in his prime by refusing the draft for his beliefs, which he continued to express despite the controversy behind the Nation of Islam group that he belonged to. When Ali regained his title by beating Foreman, he credited his faith as a source of power when he proclaimed,
"I proved that Allah is god, Elijah Muhammad is a messenger, and I have faith in them, and regardless to the world and the pressure…if you believe in him… even George Foreman will look like a baby." [1]
Foreman's religion also caused him to leave the sport, and later served as a source of strength. Sitting in the dressing room after losing a tune-up for an Ali rematch, he experienced a hallucination that caused a spiritual awakening:
"So as I laid on the table, I'm coming back into my body; and I told one of my doctors to move his hand because the thorns are making me bleed on his hand. And blood started running down my face. And I told the other one to move his hand because on my hands and on my feet there was blood. All of the places where Jesus had blood when he died." [2]
Foreman believes that God demonstrated his might and tested his faith by showing him death, which informed him that his new life mission was to serve god as a minister. Like Ali, Foreman attributes his faith for bringing him success in his comeback, which he discusses in his book, "God in My Corner"
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