| |
 'More nuts than crooks' Foreman says boxing filled with curious characters
Posted: Saturday April 03, 1999 04:23 PM
HOUSTON (AP) -- Former heavyweight champion George Foreman says those looking for criminals in boxing may be in for some disappointment. "I think boxing is full of fools, more nuts than crooks," said Foreman. "A crook wouldn't be as stupid as the way I have seen some of these people in boxing behave." Foreman, whose comments appeared in Saturday's Houston Chronicle, has been subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Newark, N.J., investigating charges of corruption in boxing's sanctioning organizations. The panel is looking into whether sanctioning organizations extort money from boxers by selling high rankings and choice fights. Foreman is likely to testify later this month. "The government views him as a witness and a victim, and I assume they view other boxers in the same way," said Foreman's attorney, Larry Wechsler. The 51-year-old fighter was not impressed with some of boxing's cast of characters. "The sport is loaded with such silly people. When I lived on the streets as a thief, I would try to hide when I stole something," Foreman said. "When I did steal and people were looking, I would leave something to make them think it didn't happen. "To clean up boxing you've got to get honest people in there. But tell me, how do you avoid the stupid ones?"
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
