It’s Not Same Old Story When Foreman’s in Ring

Sugar Ray Leonard launches a comeback at 40 and finds himself blasted by criticism. Roberto Duran fights into his 40s and is treated with nothing but disdain. Larry Holmes, 47, keeps getting into the ring but is largely ignored.

Then, there’s George Foreman. No matter how old he gets, no matter how bad his opponents become, no matter how much his skills erode, he is still lovable George. The crowds still adore that beaming smile, the shiny bald head and the body that makes Foreman look like the doughboy in those baking commercials. Nobody cries that, at 48, he’s too old to fight, that he’s in danger of getting brain damage if he keeps trading punches with fighters young enough to be his sons, or grandsons.

In fact, Foreman, who will fight Lou Savarese tonight at the Atlantic City Convention Center, is far more popular now than he was almost a quarter of a century ago, when he was at the peak of his skills.

The George Foreman who fought Muhammad Ali in Zaire in 1974 was the most feared fighter of his time. A year earlier, Foreman had demolished Joe Frazier in two rounds, hitting Frazier so hard that Frazier hit the canvas and bounced. Ken Norton couldn’t make it through the second round against Foreman.

Ali, many thought, was like a steer heading to the slaughterhouse.

Yet Ali was clearly the emotional favorite. In the recent Oscar-winning documentary, “When We Were Kings,” Ali’s appeal to the masses is obvious. And Foreman comes across as the surly villain of the piece, a man with little to say, and little apparent interest in playing the role of American ambassador. Long before he fell in the ring, Foreman lost the public-relations battle to Ali. Foreman in Zaire doesn’t seem to have a clue how to market himself.

Hard to believe?

It certainly is for anyone who has seen the second half of Foreman’s career. After a 10-year retirement, he came back as a marketing whiz. Whether it’s playing in a sitcom or doing commercials or acting as a boxing commentator for HBO, Foreman has made a fortune.

But he could never put the gloves down. At first, his goal was to recapture the heavyweight crown he had lost in Kinshasa.

That mission was accomplished when Foreman, at 45, knocked out Michael Moorer, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion.

That should have been enough, but Foreman decided to stick around for his dream match against Mike Tyson.

That mission probably will not be accomplished. After he beat Moorer, Foreman, who has no problem taking punches in order to deliver the knockout blow, figured he had a puncher’s chance against Tyson. But now, even though Evander Holyfield showed the world that Tyson was mortal, Foreman has passed the point where he can trade blows with someone who has Tyson’s power.

So why keep on fighting?

“I want to fight into my 50s,” Foreman said. “I like what I’m doing at this age. I really like it.”

And if he does fight that long, be assured it will be to the applause of the crowd. The man never seems to wear out his welcome.

Of course, it helps that he doesn’t slur his words or show any sign of brain damage. That, however, can be misleading. Blows to the head have a cumulative effect. And once the damage begins to show, it is too late to reverse it.

It also helps that Foreman is fighting opponents like Savarese, 31, who is 36-0 with 30 knockouts, but only four of his first 30 opponents had winning records. Others included John Jackson (4-54-2), Andre Crowder, (6-37-3, including 32 consecutive losses) and Max Key (8-20, including losses in 17 of 18 fights). Savarese’s biggest victory was over Buster Mathis Jr., whom Savarese knocked out in the seventh round.

Now he becomes the 80th opponent of Foreman (75-4, 60 knockouts), but probably not the last. If a 63-year-old woman can give birth, and 50-year-old golfers can be reborn on the senior tour, George Foreman figures he’s still a kid at 48.

HAS THE PROFESSOR’S CLASS BEEN CANCELED?

Has Oscar De La Hoya dumped his guru?

Several of those close to De La Hoya, among them promoter Bob Arum, expressed disappointment at the plan designed by trainer Jesus Rivero for De La Hoya’s fight against Pernell Whitaker two weeks ago. Even though De La Hoya won a unanimous decision, winning easily on all three judges’ scorecards, many thought the fight was much closer.

One source said that Rivero has been fired.

De La Hoya was vacationing in Mexico and unavailable for comment.

QUICK JABS

Oliver McCall has agreed to pay a $250,000 fine for refusing to fight in his heavyweight title match against Lennox Lewis in Las Vegas in February. But nothing will be paid until the matter of McCall’s $3-million purse, still on hold, is resolved. . . . Oops Department: Michael Katz of the New York Daily News was reported in The Times to have scored the De La Hoya-Whitaker fight 114-113 in favor of De La Hoya. That was indeed Katz’s score, but he had Whitaker winning.