When George Foreman and Hayward were at the top of the boxing world

Lowell Hickey was relaxing by the pool in Kingston, Jamaica, snoozing after fighting the effects of jet lag.

He felt something tickling his feet, opened his eyes,and there was George Foreman, a few days shy of being known as the baddest man on the planet, looking down at him.

The baleful stare that was such a part of Foreman’s first act as a boxer and public personality was missing, replaced by a look of mischief.

“George had this big grin on his face,” Hickey recalled. “He...