Undefeated George Foreman was just months away from getting his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship but first he needed to get through Argentina Heavyweight Champion, Miguel Angel Paez, as they fight for the lightly regarded Pan American Heavyweight title. More info below...
Miguel Angel Paez had fought exclusively in Argentina since his debut in 1961 were he started as a middleweight. He didn't have much stand out success but won more than he lost and in 1965 he won the vacant Argentina Light Heavyweight title. He lost the belt in his first defence however to the much more experienced Andres Selpa, whom he had drawn with in a previous fight. But then in 1967 Paez would win the title back from Selpa over 12 rounds. The pair had their fourth and final fight together in 1968 but this time the South American Light Heavyweight title was up for grabs. Paez would win by KO in Rd 11 and Selpa retired from the sport directly afterwards. Although being the South American Light Heavyweight Champion, Paez would unsuccessfully defend his Argentina Light Heavyweight title in Nov of 1968, giving it up over 12 rounds to Avenamar Peralta. The loss to Peralta also resulted in Paez vacating the South American Light Heavyweight title in 1969. In 1970 Paez would pick up the biggest win of his career against Oscar Bonavena by way of DQ after being punched below the belt, but he was holding his own by all accounts until that point anyway. In 1971 Paez would win the Argentina Heavyweight title from Eduardo Corletti by 11th Rd TKO and then defended it successfully against Santiago Alberto Lovell in February 1972, forcing Lovell to retire on his stool after 10 rounds. Paez held a respectable 48-15-13 record heading in to face Foreman.
Foreman was undefeated in 35 fights, 32 by way of KO, and he was the number 2 ranked heavyweight in the USA. He had made short work of some talented fighters and was viewed as near unstoppable. He had the heaviest hands in the division, a rock solid jaw, endless aggression and he was big, often having the height and reach advantage over his opponents earning him the nickname, Big George.
The fight between Foreman and Paez was part of a benefit event for the Special Olympics and the Pan American Heavyweight title was up for grabs. Paez had never fought outside of Argentina before and the fight had already been delayed by a month as he could not get a passport. Paez was seen a deceptively talented boxer with a decent right hand but outside of that, he wasn't expected to give Foreman much trouble... and he didn't. Foreman bullied Paez in the first round (as he did with most of his opponents) and pushed him to the canvas twice resulting in a warning from the ref. Paez tried to keep his distance in Rd 2 but Foreman pushed him back against the ropes and then started unloading with heavy hooks to Paez's head and body. Paez tried to roll with them and block what he could but eventually he was overwhelmed and took a knee. Paez got up at the count of 7 but Foreman quickly drove him back against the ropes and dropped him for a second time on both knees where Paez would be counted out.
After the loss to Foreman, Paez's career went downhill and he suffered a series of losses in 1973 that resulted in him being stripped of the Argentina Heavyweight title. Paez took a year off from the sport in 1975 but then returned in 1976 with decent success, albeit against poor opposition. Then, in 1978, Paez won the recently created Argentina Cruiserweight title to add to his list of Argentinian championships he had held. His last fight was in 1980 when he lost the Argentina Cruiserweight title over 12 rounds against the inaugural Argentina Cruiserweight Champion, Juan Carlos Sosa, who had originally held it in 1977. Paez retired with a 59-22-16 record.