speaker along with Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell at a business meeting of the American General Insurance company at the Southampton Princess Hotel this morning.

Foreman, 46, became the oldest person to win one of boxing's coveted titles in a bout against Michael Moorer last November and retained the crown in a controversial fight against Germany's Axel Shulz in April.

Heavy security is certain to blanket Foreman's visit here. The champion is on the Island with his brother Roy, who serves as the boxer's manager.

Foreman exorcised the ghosts of Muhammad Ali in a spectacular fight against Moorer, when his sledgehammer right pulled off one of pro boxing's biggest upsets.

Moorer was clearly ahead throughout the bout but Foreman fashioned a devastating knockout in the 10th round.

The boxer-turned-preacher-turned-actor-turned champion lost to Ali in October, 1974 and never got the rematch he so desperately wanted.

When he lost to Jimmy Young in 1977 Foreman retired to become a preacher. He launched his comeback in 1987 ostensibly to earn money for a Houston youth centre and then faced Evander Holyfield in 1991 but lost on points.

The 256-pound behemoth, known for his outrageous statements during interviews, hadn't fought for 17 months when he beat Moorer. He earned $1 million in that bout.

His prize winnings were substantially more -- $10 million -- when he fought Shulz, claiming a controversial majority decision although most felt that Shulz was the better of the fighters.

After that bout, Foreman, whose lifetime record is 74-4 with 68 KOs, said: "I'm going to fight until I can't fight anymore.'' In an interview on Wednesday in Atlanta Foreman said that he was considering only two potential opponents for a defence of his title, and Evander Holyfield wasn't one of them.

Shulz and Moorer were the only fighters he might accept for what could be his final IBF title defence. Foreman said Shulz and Moorer were deserving of rematches.

A bout with either would be a marketable event.

Asked if he would fight Holyfield, Foreman replied: "No. Not at all.'' "He can move away from me and outpoint me. Pop, pop, pop. He knows how to fight me. Dirty rat.

"I won't fight Holyfield. It's cut and dried. Period. Now, if you give me 25 million dollars, we can move the period over a little bit,'' he said, knowing that it is unlikely he could secure a guarantee higher than $15 million.

HEAVY HITTER -- George Foreman, world heavyweight boxing champion, will be guest speaker at an insurance meeting at the Southampton Princess this morning.