--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The time may have come to say goodbye to…" description: "\"The time may have come to say goodbye to Muhammad Ali, because very honestly, I don't think he can beat George Foreman.\" — Howard Cosell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/howard-cosell-29573_beats_the-time-may-have-come-to-say-goodbye-to_1324625.png" --- # The time may have come to say goodbye to Muhammad Ali… ![“The time may have come to say goodbye to Muhammad Ali, because very honestly, I don't think he can beat George Foreman.” quote by Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/howard-cosell-29573_beats_the-time-may-have-come-to-say-goodbye-to_1324625.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/howard-cosell-29573_beats_the-time-may-have-come-to-say-goodbye-to_1324625.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/howard-cosell-29573_beats_the-time-may-have-come-to-say-goodbye-to_1324625.png) > “The time may have come to say goodbye to Muhammad Ali, because very honestly, I don't think he can beat George Foreman.” [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A commentator suggests Muhammad Ali may be past his prime and unable to defeat George Foreman. **In simple terms:** Questioning a champion’s current ability. Key Takeaway Assess athletes’ performance realistically. Themes sports legacy competition Mood critical nostalgic Type analytical historical When to use this quote - sports analysis - broadcast commentary - historical comparison Key Concepts career trajectory age rivalry Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance respect with honest critique? - What factors determine an athlete’s decline? A Different Perspective Fans may view this as disrespectful to Ali’s legacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boxing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxing/) [Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreman/) [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muhammad/) [Saying goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-goodbye/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [In the old days, when Muhammad Ali was fighting Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, there was a lot of excitement in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladimir-klitschko/in-the-old-days-when-muhammad-ali-was-fighting-ken-norton-joe-frazier/) [Wladimir Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladimir-klitschko/) > [Look what the Rumble in the Jungle did for Zaire. No one had ever heard of Zaire until then. After Muhammad Ali fought George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/look-what-the-rumble-in-the-jungle-did-for-zaire-no-one-had-ever/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [George Foreman can knock down an oak tree ... but oak trees don't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-dundee/george-foreman-can-knock-down-an-oak-tree-but-oak-trees-don-t-move/) [Angelo Dundee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelo-dundee/) > [We like George Foreman out in the streets, we grillin' 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/we-like-george-foreman-out-in-the-streets-we-grillin-em/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [We have a George Foreman grill on the bus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-degraw/we-have-a-george-foreman-grill-on-the-bus/) [Gavin DeGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-degraw/) > [George Foreman is easier and has the bigger name and have you noticed that Foreman never calls me out or ever mentions my name?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/george-foreman-is-easier-and-has-the-bigger-name-and-have-you-noticed/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [I think George Foreman must have gained about 350 lbs and is slow as ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-think-george-foreman-must-have-gained-about-350-lbs-and-is-slow-as/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [He didn't just beat him, he obliterated Whittaker. It was really impressive. But here's the reason why I think so much of Du Plessis:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/he-didn-t-just-beat-him-he-obliterated-whittaker-it-was-really/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [All my sons are named George Foreman. They all know where they came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/all-my-sons-are-named-george-foreman-they-all-know-where-they-came/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned? Wait till I whup George Foreman's behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/you-think-the-world-was-shocked-when-nixon-resigned-wait-till-i-whup/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Fightin' George Foreman is like being in the street with an eighteen-wheeler comin' at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/fightin-george-foreman-is-like-being-in-the-street-with-an-eighteen/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [George Foreman acts more like my grandfather. He and my grandfather act just alike - they're both Christian type guys. They try to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-lewis/george-foreman-acts-more-like-my-grandfather-he-and-my-grandfather/) [Derrick Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-lewis/) > [I'm so fast I run through a hurricane and not get wet. George Foreman is gonna pay me a dept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-m-so-fast-i-run-through-a-hurricane-and-not-get-wet-george-foreman/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Why would I stand there and trade punches and try to knock out George Foreman?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-briggs/why-would-i-stand-there-and-trade-punches-and-try-to-knock-out-george/) [Shannon Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-briggs/) > [I think there's a lot of people out there who, if George Foreman had to get beat, I'm the one fighter they would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-morrison/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-people-out-there-who-if-george-foreman-had/) [Tommy Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-morrison/) ## More by Howard Cosell > [Mommy, why does daddy cuss the TV and call it Howard?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/mommy-why-does-daddy-cuss-the-tv-and-call-it-howard/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [O. J. has an uncanny instinct for sensing when to make the move, when to makethe cut. He can kill you with a headfake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/o-j-has-an-uncanny-instinct-for-sensing-when-to-make-the-move-when-to/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Unlike any other sport, the objective in boxing is chillingly simple: One man purposefully endeavors to inflict bodily harm on another man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/unlike-any-other-sport-the-objective-in-boxing-is-chillingly-simple/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Sports is human life in microcosm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/sports-is-human-life-in-microcosm/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Then there is a still higher type of courage - the courage to brave pain, to live with it, to never let others know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/then-there-is-a-still-higher-type-of-courage-the-courage-to-brave/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [After all, is football a game or a religion?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/after-all-is-football-a-game-or-a-religion/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [I'm one helluva communicator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/i-m-one-helluva-communicator/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Ladies and Gentleman, the Bronx is burning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/ladies-and-gentleman-the-bronx-is-burning/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Stand for something. Don't quest for popularity at the expense of morality and ethics and honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/stand-for-something-don-t-quest-for-popularity-at-the-expense-of/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these. Of course, I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/arrogant-pompous-obnoxious-vain-cruel-verbose-a-showoff-i-have-been/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/down-goes-frazier-down-goes-frazier-down-goes-frazier/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Sports is the toy department of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/sports-is-the-toy-department-of-human-life/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/the-ultimate-victory-in-competition-is-derived-from-the-inner/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [I was right to back Muhammad Ali, but it caused me major enmity in many areas of this nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/i-was-right-to-back-muhammad-ali-but-it-caused-me-major-enmity-in/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) > [Boxing is drama on its grandest scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-cosell/boxing-is-drama-on-its-grandest-scale/) [Howard Cosell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) [Explore all 18 Howard Cosell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-cosell/) ## More Beats quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [I usually write from the rhythm section...If a drummer got a funky beat on some things - like a half-shuffle or a shuffle or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/i-usually-write-from-the-rhythm-section-if-a-drummer-got-a-funky-beat/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [If you don't like club beats take a HIT OF E and you will love the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/if-you-don-t-like-club-beats-take-a-hit-of-e-and-you-will-love-the/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Every pitcher can beat you, it doesn't matter how good you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/every-pitcher-can-beat-you-it-doesn-t-matter-how-good-you-are/) [Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know in our region everyone is gunning to beat us. We have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-donovan/i-don-t-know-about-the-rest-of-the-world-but-i-know-in-our-region/) [Landon Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-donovan/) > [Grand business plans are all very well, but nothing beats dipping your toe in the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-bilimoria-karan-bilimoria/grand-business-plans-are-all-very-well-but-nothing-beats-dipping-your/) Baron Bilimoria Karan Bilimoria > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. 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