Former boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World George Foreman knows a thing or two about the American dream.
Foreman became one of the all-time greats in the sport, and it all began back during the 1968 Olympic games, when a then 19-year-old Foreman defeated Ionas Chepulis of the Soviet Union to win the gold medal.
Though it wasn’t the popular thing to do at the time, Foreman proudly paraded around the ring waving the U.S. flag.
Foreman said if he had to go back and do it again, he’d wave two flags.
He echoed a similar sentiment in a recent Patriotic Twitter post, saying:
“For about 54 years, people have ask me not to keep saying “I love America” Well I do and I’m not ashamed. Don’t leave it; Love it. Happy 4th of July.”
The post came on the heals of several current American Olympic athletes disrespecting the country they represent by turning their backs on the National Anthem, and bashing the American way of life.
The Washington Examiner has more on George's patriotic message to America:
Boxing great George Foreman said he is "not ashamed" of his love for America in an Independence Day tribute, drawing a stark contrast with some professional athletes' recent protests of the U.S. flag.
"For about 54 years, people have ask[ed] me not to keep saying 'I love America,'" Foreman wrote in a tweet, accompanied by a photo of him wearing a Team USA boxing uniform and holding a U.S. flag that was taken after he won the Olympic gold medal in 1968. "Well I do and I'm not ashamed. Don't leave it; Love it. Happy 4th of July."
At 19 years of age, Foreman competed in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and nabbed the gold medal, beating Soviet boxer Jonas Cepulis to become heavyweight champion of the games. Foreman, who would later go on to become a world heavyweight champion, waved a U.S. flag as he paraded about the ring after his Olympic victory.
"I had a lot of flak," he said of the incident in a 2012 interview. "In those days, nobody was applauded for being patriotic. The whole world was protesting something. But if I had to do it all again, I'd have waved two flags."
Foreman's Sunday tribute stands in contrast to some other prominent athletes' views of the flag.
George Foreman Wins Olympic Gold
George Foreman revealed that he is constantly pressured to stop posting patriotic messages.
A defiant Foreman said that he will not stop, as he loves his country.
Our friends at the Daily Wire have more:
Boxing legend George Foreman said Sunday that he’s been pressured to stop publicly saying that he loves the United States, but will continue to do so, anyway.
“For about 54 years, people have ask me not to keep saying ‘I love America,'” Foreman posted to Twitter on Independence Day.
“Well I do and I’m not ashamed,” he wrote. “Don’t leave it; Love it.”
“Happy 4th of July,” Foreman closed the succinct post.
The former boxer used the message to caption a photo of himself with his eyes and holding the American flag after taking gold for our nation at the 1968 Olympic Games.
The post quickly went viral, racking up nearly 85,000 likes by Monday.
Back in 2017, the former world heavyweight boxing champion similarly sang a patriotic tune when he smacked anthem-kneeling former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick.
“The greatest day of my life was when I put on my colors, representing the United States in the Olympics,” said Foreman, The Daily Wire reported. “I love the United States. I love the flag. But there are a lot of people who haven’t found that reason. They don’t strive. They haven’t been brought up with people who were patriotic to even point them in the right direction.”
Several Twitter users thanked Foreman for his patriotism.
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