It's not that difficult to imagine a parallel universe where George Foreman ranks as the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, rather than Muhammad Ali. If Foreman could have stayed mentally strong enough to regroup and keep winning the fights that would have forced Ali to give him a rematch, I believe he would have won the second time.

From there, it's not hard to imagine him continuing to reign into the mid 1980s, after turning back Larry Holmes in what would have been among the great heavyweight title clashes of all time. And behind any such wild, speculative fiction rests the solid reality of Foreman's brutal right hand.

Aside from Ali, and Jimmy Young, Foreman crushed the best fighters from the best era in heavyweight history. He stunned much of the boxing world in January 1973, when he smashed world champion Joe Frazier in a mere two rounds, knocking him down six times along the way.

Frazier did little better in a 1976 rematch, going down in five. In March 1974, Foreman stopped Ken Norton in two.

But to me, perhaps, Foreman's most amazing knockout was the one he delivered as a 44-year-old man, against world champion Michael Moorer in 1994. Trailing hopelessly on the cards, Big George caught up to the younger man in Round 10.

The effortless form of that punch is as surprising as the result. It barely looks like Foreman has exerted any energy when he turns over on the punch and sends Moorer tumbling to the canvas, completely separated from his wits.

And it proved for all time that the punch is indeed the last thing to go on a great champion.