According to CMG Worldwide, Foreman explained his choice by saying, "The best boxer I ever saw was Joe Louis. No one has surpassed him. Well taught and gifted competitor. There’s never been a boxer better than Joe Louis. You’d take one shot from him and you were sure he’d have seven or eight more coming for you."

Muhammad Ali is seen by many as the greatest heavyweight of all time but the man himself admitted there was one rival whose style was too much for him.