Deontay Wilder helped by George Foreman after Tyson Fury loss who ‘knew how he felt after Ali’ humbling
DEONTAY WILDER found a shoulder to cry on in George Foreman after his defeat at the hands of Tyson Fury in their second fight.
The Bronze Bomber, who is back in action against Robert Helenius this weekend, was comprehensively beaten in his rematch with the British star after their first fight was controversially deemed a draw.
And Foreman was a shoulder to cry on for Wilder, with the boxing legend able to relate thanks to his shock defeat against Muhammad Ali in 1974 classic "The Rumble in the Jungle".
The American Hall of Famer was 40-0 when he headed to Zaire for the eagerly-anticipated fight, but was humbled by Ali in one of the sport's most-famous encounters.
In 2019, Foreman told SunSport he still has "nightmares" about the defeat which left him utterly "devastated".
Wilder had a similar record too, sitting at 42-0-1 - with his only blemish the draw with Fury until those recent humblings.
"ONLY I UNDERSTAND"
During a grilling from TMZ, Foreman, 73, revealed: "I had a nice conversation with Wilder, nice conversation with him.
"We talked because I was in a position where I lost unexpectedly with the title in Africa.
"Only I know what he's going through.
"He's gonna have to live with [the Fury loss] but I can show him how to live with that and come back better. We talked a lot on those lines."
Wilder quickly activated his rematch clause to ensure he would have another crack at Fury - with many pundits believing it to be a mistake.
Despite the criticism, Foreman was adamant Wilder could not only beat Fury in the third and final fight of their trilogy, but do it easily.
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The boxing legend-turned-grill-flogger added: [He can] Not only beat him, [he] can do it easily.
"Give him another chance. He'll show you."
However, Foreman's prediction was wrong. Fury was the victor in a spectacular trilogy bout.