Legendary boxer George Foreman has died at 76, according to a statement released by his family Friday night on his official social media platform. The cause of his passing was not made public by the family or loved ones.
Foreman was a two-time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in 1968, who will be remembered as one of the most feared and hardest punchers in boxing history. One of his most memorable punches was the knockout blow he delivered against Michael Moorer in 1994 when he reclaimed his title. Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history at 45.
He was inducted into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“But my life is much more than boxing – I’ve been knocked out more outside the ring than in the ring,” Foreman told USA TODAY in 2023.
He was married five times. He had 12 children, and one of them, Freeda, died in 2019 by apparent suicide.
One of his most famous fights came against the greatest, Muhammad Ali in the so-called “Rumble in the Jungle” that took place in 1974 in Zaire. He promised to kill Ali in the ring. Instead, it was Ali who gave Foreman the business with a knockout. However, Foreman kept his spirit and wit, going on to say he was less demoralized by being knocked out than failing to knock out Ali.
“I just knew no one could stand up to my punch,” Foreman told USA TODAY in 2014. “But Muhammad did. His taking those punches, I went away thinking, ‘What is going on here? That’s not supposed to happen.’ That bothered me more than anything.”
Just three years later, he walked away from the sport. But in 1979, he returned to the ring at 38 and eventually shocked the boxing world.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn 1994, twenty years after his loss to Ali, Foreman fought Moorer, then 26, for the world championship. He won by knockout in the 10th round and news of the unexpected feat elevated him to champion for the second time in his career.
He retired for good at 48 in 1997, with an outstanding record of 76-5 with 68 knockouts. But his life away from the ring marked an unbelievable 360-degree transformation in the public eye.
Foreman changed his ways from a villainous boxer who once promised to kill Ali in the ring. A few years later, Foreman went through what he called a religious awakening, and he later became a preacher and pitchman who sold millions of George Foreman Grills, at one point making $8 million a month in royalties.
And Foreman and Ali, who died in 2016, went from bitter enemies to close friends.
After becoming the oldest heavyweight champion, Foreman said he received a congratulatory letter from his old nemesis.
“Can you imagine that?” Foreman said during a 2014 interview with USA TODAY. “Who would think almost 20 years later, there’s Muhammad, my conqueror, congratulating me in fighting for the championship of the world and winning it. …
“I was pretty close to hating him; I wanted revenge. He became the best, and one of the longest friends I’ve ever had. I love him to this day.”
Foreman was born January 10, 1949, in the small town of Marshall, Texas and, by his own admission, was a troubled youth. He dropped out of school at 15. Boxing provided an outlet for him to express himself. He took up the sport at 16 and a mere three years later he won an Olympic gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
He turned pro the next year in 1969, and his power became legendary. He was known for knocking out his opponents, 10 of his first 11, and the lions’ share of his bouts ended with opponents on the canvas. In 1973, he became a heavyweight champion for the first time when he defeated Joe Frazier by second-round TKO.
His record improved to an unblemished 40-0 before Foreman suffered his first defeat, against Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle.”
The loss to Ali became a defining moment and a teaching tool, but during a 2014 interview with USA TODAY, Foreman recalled another moment with Ali.
In 1989, Foreman said, he and Ali were across the pond in England with Frazier, Kenny Norton and Larry Holmes as part of a “Champions Forever” tribute. It was five years after Ali had been afflicted and diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“He was still mouthy,” Foreman said. “And he made a statement, and it was on the front of some London paper, that ‘God is Black.’ They had a picture of him on the front page, and Frazier didn’t like it. Frazier didn’t like Muhammad.”
As a boxing analyst for HBO, Foreman further molded his likable persona, and he was engaging and readily available for interviews. Although as Mike Tyson prepared to fight YouTube sensation Jake Paul on November 15, Foreman communicated by text message.
“If he gets in shape like he’s in now, and then gets his timing back, and all the other things fall into place, he can have an opportunity to fight for the title,” Foreman said before Tyson lost to Paul by unanimous decision.
“Condolences to George Foreman’s family. His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten,” Tyson wrote on social media.
Later in his life, not everything was coming up roses. While Foreman withdrew from the public eye, lawyers were fighting on his behalf.
At the time of his death, Foreman faced civil lawsuits from three woman who said he sexually abused them in the 1970s. He vehemently denied the charges.
