MacArthur "Mac" Foster (June 27, 1942 – July 19, 2010) was a 20th-century American

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

professional boxer. He competed from 1966 to 1976, winning 30 of his 36 professional bouts, with all his victories achieved by knockout. He stopped heavyweight contenders Thad Spencer, Cleveland Williams, whom he defeated twice, and

Zora Folley Zora "Bell" Folley (May 27, 1931 – July 7, 1972) was an American heavyweight boxing, boxer who was a top 10 contender for eleven years in a row from 1956 to 1966 and a nine-time top 5 contender throughout his career, reaching a peak as number ...

. Foster went the distance against

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

in April 1972, losing by a 15-round unanimous decision.

Early life

Foster was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, the third of eleven children, of a

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

sharecropping Sharecropping is a legal arrangement in which a landowner allows a tenant (sharecropper) to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on that land. Sharecropping is not to be conflated with tenant farming, providing the tenant a ...

family. He spent his childhood years in

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where his father found employment as a nurse. Foster picked grapes and cotton as a youth.

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

offered him a track and field scholarship out of Washington High School, but he declined the opportunity, choosing instead to enlist with the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

. Whilst serving with the Marines he won fourteen amateur boxing titles, and was deployed for two combat tours in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. After a discharge from the Marines with the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

, Foster turned professional, becoming the third

boxer of note ( Young Corbett III was a world welterweight champion and Wayne Thornton rose through the rankings to become a number one heavyweight contender in 1970). He trained with Pat DiFuria at the Merced Street Gym.

Boxing career

Standing at 6 ft 2" in height and known as "Big Mac The Knife from Fresno", Foster made his professional debut in 1966, winning his first 24 fights by

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

, and was named ''The Ring''s Progress of the Year for 1969. Britain's ''Boxing Illustrated'' wrote, "He could certainly whack!" Whilst being employed as a

sparring Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. It can encompass a range of activities and techniques such as punching, kicking, grappling, throwing, wrestling or submission work dependent on style. Although the precise form varies, ...

partner for

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( – December 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Big Bear", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1962 after k ...

, Foster was reputed to have knocked down the former world champion, causing Liston two days later to work Foster over during another sparring session before handlers could intervene between the two men to stop it.

Big fights

In 1969 Foster knocked out contender Thad Spencer in the first round, and twice knocked out a past his prime Cleveland Williams. By 1970 Foster was ranked as the world's number one heavyweight contender and seemed set for a title shot, but his 24–0 winning streak came to an end when as favourite he was stopped in six rounds by the more experienced

Jerry Quarry Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was a popular figure in boxing, featured on the cover ' ...

in June 1970. After the Quarry fight, Foster knocked out ageing and by then unranked

in one round.

Versus Muhammad Ali

In April 1972 Foster faced

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in a rare 15-round, non-title bout. Although he defied Ali's prediction of a fifth-round stoppage by lasting the distance, Foster lost a clear decision to the former champion, winning just two rounds, one round, and no rounds on the three judges' respective scorecards. Foster had never been in a professional fight longer than eight rounds before facing Ali.

Last fights

Foster followed up his loss to Ali with knockouts of journeymen Sam McGill and Charles Williams. He was then outpointed by Bob Stallings,

Joe Bugner József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian born British– Australian former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division and actor. He holds triple nationality, originally being a citizen of Hungary and a nat ...

, and Henry Clark in consecutive bouts. Foster served as

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...

's sparring partner for Foreman's world title bout with

Ken Norton Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American actor and professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981. He was awarded the World Boxing Council, WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978, after winning a ...

in 1974. He retired from boxing in 1976 after losing his fourth consecutive decision, this time to prospect Stan Ward. Foster's final record was 30–6, with all 30 of his wins coming by knockout.

Later life

After retiring, Foster volunteered his time as boxing coach for youth.

Death

Foster died at the age of 68 of

MRSA Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...

on Monday, July 19, 2010. His body was buried at the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in

Santa Nella, California Santa Nella is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Merced County, California, Merced County, California, United States. It is located west-northwest of Los Banos, California, Los Banos at an elevation of . As of the 2020 ...

Personal life

He married Yolanda, the marriage producing four children, Gregory, Joshua, Nathaniel and Nicole.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 30 Wins (30 knockouts), 6 Losses (1 knockout, 5 decisions) , - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , -align=center , Loss , 30–6 , align=left, Stan Ward , UD , 10 , February 26, 1976 , align=left, San Jose Civic Auditorium,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 30–5 , align=left, Henry Clark , UD , 10 , May 30, 1974 , align=left,

Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, often shortened to the Oakland Coliseum, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It serves as part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, located next to Oakland Arena. In 2 ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 30–4 , align=left,

, PTS , 10 , November 13, 1973 , align=left, Empire Pool, Wembley, London , align=left, , - , Loss , 30–3 , align=left, Bob Stallings , SD , 10 , June 30, 1973 , align=left, Aragon Ballroom,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 30–2 , align=left, Charles "Hercules" Williams , KO , 10 , May 3, 1973 , align=left,

, align=left, , - , Win , 29–2 , align=left, Sam McGill , TKO , 9 , April 11, 1973 , align=left, Aragon Ballroom,

, align=left, , - , Loss , 28–2 , align=left,

, UD , 15 , April 1, 1972 , align=left, Nihon Budokan,

, align=left, , - , Win , 28–1 , align=left, Giuseppe Ros , KO , 8 , December 26, 1971 , align=left, Hallenstadion,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 27–1 , align=left, Billy Joiner , KO , 5 , July 29, 1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 26–1 , align=left, Mike Boswell , TKO , 4 , March 25, 1971 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 25–1 , align=left,

, KO , 1 , September 29, 1970 , align=left, Selland Arena,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, align=left, , - , Loss , 24–1 , align=left,

, KO , 6 , June 17, 1970 , align=left,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 24–0 , align=left, Jack O'Halloran , KO , 1 , April 9, 1970 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 23–0 , align=left, Jimmy Rossette , KO , 4 , March 24, 1970 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 22–0 , align=left, Bob Felstein , KO , 2 , December 16, 1969 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 21–0 , align=left, Cleveland Williams , KO , 3 , November 18, 1969 , align=left,

Sam Houston Coliseum Sam Houston Coliseum was an indoor arena located in Houston, Texas. Early years Located at 801 Bagby Street in Downtown Houston, the Coliseum and Music Hall complex replaced the Sam Houston Hall, which was a wooden structure that had been erected ...

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 20–0 , align=left, Cleveland Williams , TKO , 5 , September 13, 1969 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 19–0 , align=left, Roger Russell , TKO , 3 , August 19, 1969 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 18–0 , align=left, Thad Spencer , KO , 1 , May 20, 1969 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 17–0 , align=left, Roger Rischer , KO , 4 , January 21, 1969 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 16–0 , align=left, Joe Hemphill , TKO , 3 , November 27, 1968 , align=left, Silver Slipper,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 15–0 , align=left, Tommy Fields , TKO , 5 , August 16, 1968 , align=left, Centennial Coliseum,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 14–0 , align=left, Tommy Burns , KO , 1 , August 8, 1968 , align=left, Seattle Center Arena,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, align=left, , - , Win , 13–0 , align=left, Curtis Bruce , TKO , 3 , July 9, 1968 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Sonny Moore , KO , 2 , April 2, 1968 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Steve Grant , TKO , 2 , February 27, 1968 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Hubert Hilton , TKO , 5 , January 23, 1968 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Roy Wallace , KO , 7 , November 28, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Ray Junior Ellis , KO , 2 , October 11, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Floyd Joyner , TKO , 7 , August 29, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Lino Armenteros , KO , 3 , June 13, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Lou Phillips , KO , 3 , May 9, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, L.J. Wheeler , TKO , 6 , March 14, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Sam Wyatt , KO , 1 , February 6, 1967 , align=left, Selland Arena,

, align=left, , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Leroy Birmingham , KO , 1 , January 5, 1967 , align=left, Olympic Auditorium,

, align=left, , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Jimmy Gilmore , KO , 3 , November 28, 1966 , align=left,

, align=left,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Mac 1942 births 2010 deaths Boxers from California Boxers from Virginia Heavyweight boxers Sportspeople from Fresno, California United States Marines Sportspeople from Alexandria, Virginia American male boxers African-American boxers 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen