By James Slater: The unlikely ring return of Scott Harrison, the former WBO featherweight champ who this past Friday fought for the first time in over six years, got me thinking. Harrison, at age 34, faces a long road if he’s to stick with it in his mission to become a champion all over again. But there have been unlikely comebacks before – and some of them have actually worked.
No comeback was more amazing and defiant of the odds than that of heavyweight legend George Foreman. Big George came back at age 38 (not that much older than Harrison), after having had a full decade in the wilderness (but to be fair, Harrison faces a tougher task than did “The Punching Preacher,” as unlike George, he has endured time in jail, alcohol problems and other media-reported, maybe exaggerated, indiscretions) and he somehow managed to regain his old crown.
Harrison may or may not look at Foreman’s astonishing run of success as motivation, but the tough Scot could do far worse than to take a few pages out of the “Comeback King’s” book on how to do it all over again when at an advanced age.
Foreman never actually went about preaching about boxing and comebacks when he was “defying all logic,” as one U.K paper reported it when George snatched back the heavyweight title at age 45, yet he did operate whilst sticking to a number of rules.
These are Foreman’s comeback rules: six golden rules that he obeyed, well, religiously when making it back:
1: Don’t rush.
Foreman went right back to basics, not only in his fighting style, but with his calibre of comeback opposition. Facing nondescript guys with poor to average records, Foreman started his comeback the exact same way a young fighter would start out his pro career: by taking learning (or in his case-re-learning!) bouts against guys he is pretty sure he can defeat. Sure, the critics moaned out loud and urged Foreman to face a top-10 guy (as soon as his second year back), but George knew he’d been away forever and he also knew that there was no sense in trying to do things all at once (Harrison take note: one win back does not make you ready to face the Ricky Burns-Kevin Mitchell winner. Come to think of it, three or four comeback wins might not be enough – six years is a long time in this sport).
2: Stay busy.
Foreman didn’t push himself too hard by rushing in with a ranked foe, yet he did push his body hard by both working out constantly in the gym (no problem for Harrison, who looked in magnificent shape on Friday night, up at lightweight) and by fighting extremely regularly. Shifting the rust can be the toughest obstacle for any come-backing fighter; especially one who has been away for six years or more. George got his timing back with a succession of fights against fighters who had all manner of styles.
3: Don’t try and force things you cannot possibly do.
George wasn’t about to try and throw as many punches as he was able to do in his youth, nor was he going to try and fight at such a fast pace. Foreman understood the limitations of his ageing body, and he worked with what he had left. Also, the older Foreman was no longer obsessed with getting the KO.
4: Employ a self-deprecating sense of humour.
Foreman, a snarling, ultra-serious and moody figure in his prime years, learnt how to smile and even to laugh at himself in his comeback. The critics failed in their attempts to upset George with a stinging joke or three, as Foreman constantly beat them to it with the humour. If a particularly rude “expert” wanted to lay into Foreman with a “fat joke,” or an “old geezer” gag, Foreman had, to his dismay, already come out with the putdown himself. “Someone told me I only fight a guy if he’s on a respirator,” George said one time. “That’s a lie – he has to be at least eight days off the respirator!” Harrison may never come close to enjoying as sunny a persona as Foreman, but he is smiling a lot more today, as was noted before the BoxNation cameras on Friday.
5: Forget being a body beautiful.
“People who expect George to be the body beautiful he was in the 1970s can forget it,” said Foreman mentor, advisor and co-trainer, the legendary Archie Moore in the 1987/88 timeframe. Foreman may have been chiselled in the ’70s but he was anything but during his comeback. It didn’t matter. Foreman wasted no time or energy trying to look good to please his critics. George was in great shape and he knew so. That was all that mattered. As for Harrison, this may be one rule he can afford to ignore, as again, he looks to be in as good a physical shape as ever. Amazing.
6: Keep your old team around you.
Stick with what you know and with who you know – and who you can trust. Harrison is wise to stay with his father/trainer and motivator, and Foreman knew he had to retain the services of Archie Moore, Charlie Shipes and others when he launched his own comeback campaign. Foreman did add the services of Angelo Dundee later on in his quest, but George knew Angie well already.
Above all in making a successful ring return, a fighter must have the sheer nerve, the sheer self belief and the utterly strong mind of a George Foreman. This, of course, is something nobody can help any fighter with. Can Scott Harrison, a seemingly strong-minded warrior, achieve what Big George did? The 34-year-old has many people who believe he can indeed.