Sparring partner of late boxing icon George Foreman reflects on legend's comeback

    HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Not many people can say they've been in the ring with George Foreman, but Brent Bowers can.

For five years, he served as the boxing legend and Houston native's sparring partner.

It's a union that came about purely by chance. In 1986, Bowers was working at a League City boxing club.

"One of the referees came and told me that George Foreman's brother was looking for a sparring partner," Bowers said.

Bowers jumped at the opportunity. At that time, Foreman was already an Olympic gold medalist and had reigned for a year as boxing's heavyweight champion.

Foreman lost that title during a famous 1974 match with Muhammad Ali, and his boxing career appeared to be over when Bowers met him.

"People thought I was nuts. Man, you gonna spar that old man? You know, when he got bruises all over him. I said, 'Well, he's gonna be the heavyweight champ of the world one day.' They just laughed and laughed at me," Bowers recalled.

The naysayers were proved wrong when Foreman reclaimed the heavyweight champion title at the age of 45 during a 1994 matchup with Michael Moorer.

"To me, George is the greatest fighter of all time because of him coming back at that age and never went down," Bowers said.

At that time, Bowers was no longer sparring with Foreman, but the two remained close until Foreman's death on Friday.

"Friends and family told me, they said, 'Brent, you wouldn't like the George Foreman before. He was a mean guy. Thought more of a dog than he did a human being,'" Bowers said.

But Bowers said religion changed Foreman. During his hiatus from boxing, he became an ordained minister and began preaching at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in East Aldine in 1980.

It was at the church that Bowers says he last saw Foreman two months ago, delivering his Sunday sermon as usual.

Foreman was 76 years old.