R.I.P. Mac Foster

[holmcall]

The Fresno Bee

Mac Foster, a former heavyweight boxer from Fresno who fought Muhammad Ali in 1972, died this morning at age 68.

Mr. Foster fought from 1966 to 1976 and was 30-6 as a professional, with all of his victories by knockout.

He lost to Ali in a 15-round decision on April 1, 1972, in Tokyo.

[Violent Demise]

68 years old, huh? Not to bad. Lived a pretty full life. Either way, may he rest in peace. He'll go down as a guy who didn't quite live up to his hype. But he had some good wins. Beat Cleveland Williams twice. And retired Zora Folley. I believe Ali once referred to him as a man who couldn't fight. But man could he punch. It's said he floored Sonny Liston once in sparring.

[holmcall]

The Fresno Bee

Mac Foster, a former heavyweight boxer from Fresno who fought Muhammad Ali in 1972, died this morning at age 68.

Mr. Foster fought from 1966 to 1976 and was 30-6 as a professional, with all of his victories by knockout.

He lost to Ali in a 15-round decision on April 1, 1972, in Tokyo.

How is my man, VD? Yeah, Quarry broke Mac's bubble.

[holmcall]

More information on the passing of Mac Foster.

Big Mac "The Knife" Foster of Fresno, the son of Mississippi sharecroppers, rose to No. 1 heavyweight contender in 1970 when Americans still ruled boxing and Fresno was a hotbed for the sport.

The 6-foot-2 Vietnam veteran with a devastating left hook at one point won 24 straight bouts by knockout and punched it out with Muhammad Ali for 15 rounds in a non-title setback in Tokyo in 1972.

On Monday, Mr. Foster died from congestive heart failure. He was 68.
"Mac inspired me. He was my role model," said younger brother Keith Foster, a Fresno deputy police chief. "He had a gracious smile and joyful attitude, and he was a leader in boxing, the service and the community."

Mr. Foster carved out an 11-year record of 30-6 in professional boxing, including 18 victories at Selland Arena. All his victories were by knockout. He rubbed elbows with Rocky Marciano and was taken out on the town in New York City by Jack Dempsey, two legends of the sport.

SPECIAL TO THE BEE
Local fighter Mac Foster plays with the crowd while on his way from Fresno to Houston for a fight against Cleveland Williams in 1969. Foster, who was a No. 1 contender for the heavyweight title and went 30-6 in his career in the 1960s and ’70s, died from congestive heart failure Monday at age 68.

On the night of June 17, 1970, Mr. Foster carried a 24-0 record into a bout against Jerry Quarry at New York's Madison Square Garden. A victory likely would have earned him a championship bout against Joe Frazier. Instead, Quarry won by knockout in the sixth round, sending Mr. Foster's career toward retirement. He won only six of his final 11 bouts -- the end a 10-round decision loss to Stan Ward on Feb. 26, 1976, at the Civic Auditorium in San Jose.

"It's all about timing. Mac felt it wasn't in the cards to fight for the championship. He had no regrets," Keith Foster said. "He was proud of the relationships he made and that he earned the respect of boxing's greatest. He walked away with his head held high."

After boxing, Mr. Foster volunteered his time and coached the sport. He approached then-Mayor Alan Autry about starting a foundation to serve youth through boxing. His poor health prevented a youth center from getting off the ground.

"The concept was a good one -- boxing to build character, not just knockouts," Autry said. "If you met Mac, you'd never know he was a boxer. He was a gentle soul, a great patriot who loved his country, and he had such a good, peaceful heart."

Mr. Foster was born in Alexandria, La., but grew up in Fresno the third oldest in a family of 11 children to strict parents Irwin Sr., who became a nurse, and mother Annie Hughes. He picked grapes and cotton as a youth.Fresno State offered Mr. Foster a track and field scholarship out of Washington High to throw the shot put and discus. But he volunteered for the Marines and served two tours in Vietnam.

Finding his sport
If not for his big mouth, Mr. Foster might never have taken up boxing.
"Mac attended a military boxing match and said too loud, 'I can lick anyone on the team,' " nephew Wesley Flowers said. "A sergeant heard him boasting and said, 'You're going to join the team.' So, on a dare, he did and wound up winning 14 service titles."

After the war, Mr. Foster turned pro and followed in the footsteps of two other Fresno boxers who made it big -- Young Corbett III, a world welterweight champion, and Wayne Thornton, a No. 1 light heavyweight contender.

He trained with Thornton and Gabe Terronez under Pat DiFuria Sr. at the Merced Street Gym. DiFuria said it was difficult to find Mr. Foster quality opponents. He wasn't nationally known and fighters feared his powerful punch.

"He put me in the hospital twice," said brother and sparring partner Clyde Foster. "The first time with a body shot. I woke up with tubes up my nose. The second time on the chin."

Mr. Foster once knocked out future heavyweight champion Sonny Liston during a sparring round.

Training before his fight against Ali, Mr. Foster punched a heavy bag off its chain and across the room. Fight odds that day were 5-to-1 for Ali. Next day, they closed to 3-to-2.

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman once told Mr. Foster that he owed his second-round knockout of Ken Norton in 1974 to the Fresno boxer who sparred with Norton in training camp.

"Mac beat the heck out of Norton. They called a halt to the sparring because it was getting too rough," said Flowers.

Tribute years later
In 2003, Foreman got the chance to thank Mr. Foster in person when they met at Selland Arena, where Floyd Mayweather Jr. was defending his World Boxing Council lightweight championship.

Flowers recalled: "George told my uncle, 'Nobody, and I mean nobody, wanted to fight you.' "

Quarry echoed that sentiment some time after he beat Mr. Foster. They were in a restaurant outside Palm Springs after a training session together.
"Mac shouts, 'Jerry, I want a rematch.' " Clyde Foster said. "Jerry pauses for a long time, takes out his front teeth and yells back, 'I want the world to know, they don't make enough money to fight you again. I've never been hit that hard in my entire life.' "

Mr. Foster is survived by his wife, Yolanda, and nine children, 13 brothers and sisters, and stepmother Dorothy Foster.

THE REPORTER CAN BE REACHED AT JDAVIS@FRESNOBEE.COM OR (559) 441-6401 .
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