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American boxing legend George Foreman has died at the age of 76, his family has announced. Richard Aylmer-Hall/PA Wire/dpa
Former German heavyweight boxer Axel Schulz has paid tribute to American great George Foreman who has died at the age of 76.
Foreman controversially beat Schulz on points in a 1995 bout in Las Vegas during Foreman's second term in the sport.
"George was something special. It was a shock when I got the news this morning. (Muhammad) Ali or Foreman, those are names that will always remain," Schulz said on Saturday.
Schulz, 56, said he had planned a meeting with Foreman around the 30th anniversary of their bout.
He said he had originally "rejected fighting Foreman" but was convinced by his coach Mafred Wolke, who like Foreman won Olympic gold in 1968, with Wolke saying "you will beat that old man."
Schulz named the April 1995 fight "the greatest thing" and revealed that Foreman told him at a later meeting "you would have had to knock me out" to win the fight.
Schulz said the bout made him popular in the United States.
Foreman's family said early Saturday that he died the previous day surrounded by his family.
Foreman beat Joe Frazier in 1973 to win the heavyweight title, and lost it a year later to Ali in the famous Rumble In the Jungle bout in Kinshasa in what was then Zaire.
His second title came at age 45 in 1994 with a knockout win over Michael Moorer. He retired for good in 1997 with 76 wins from 81 bouts, including 68 knockouts.
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