George Foreman followed up Joe Frazier domination with a controversial knockout against ‘King’ in Japan

George Foreman finished Jose Roman, but was accused of punching him when down on the mat

Foreman kicked off his reign as a defending champion on September 1, 1973, by putting his WBA, WBC, and The Ring Heavyweight belts up for grabs against Puerto Rican fighter Jose Roman.

The bout, taking place at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, didn’t last long, as Foreman finished his much smaller challenger in just 120 seconds with a first-round knockout.

The devastating fight started quickly, as Foreman pinned “King” to the ropes within the first minute, knocking him down with a series of powerful shots that the champion had become known for.

Roman sat on the mat, leaned against the ropes, and looked clearly dazed. However, Big George came in with one more right hand while his opponent was down, drawing the ire of Roman’s corner and causing controversy.

Roman bravely got back to his feet, but a massive right uppercut ended the fight with a first-round knockout to kick off Foreman’s title reign.

The challenger reportedly called Foreman the “dirtiest fighter in the world” in the post-fight interview, showing what he really thought about the champion in that bout.

George Foreman defended the belts just once more before falling to Muhammad Ali

While he seemed unstoppable in the ring, Foreman’s title reign only lasted one more defense before he was beaten in one of the all-time great boxing matches.

His next bout took place in the unusual location of Caracas, Venezuela, chosen by Don King as a way to avoid paying taxes on the fight purse for Foreman and his opponent, Ken Norton.

Foreman dominated the bout, knocking Norton down three times before the referee called for a bell exactly two minutes in the second round.

This win led Foreman towards Muhammad Ali and the famous Rumble in the Jungle bout in 1974. In one of boxing’s biggest upsets, Ali knocked out Foreman in the eighth round despite coming into the fight as a 4-1 underdog.

The bout was one of the most-watched TV events of all time, and it marked the end of Foreman’s reign as world champion.

He would not hold the gold for another 20 years, when he knocked out Michael Moorer in 1994 to become WBA and IBF Heavyweight champion at 45 years old.