George Foreman, known for his boxing and business skills, left an inedible mark on our culture. He brought a big personality coupled with physical and business prowess that allowed him to continue positively impacting our world well after he left the ring. And, his famous indoor grills were pretty good, too. He held the following boxing titles: WBA heavyweight champion (2x), WBC heavyweight, IBF heavyweight champion, The Ring heavyweight champion, WBU heavyweight and IBA heavyweight. Nicknamed “Big George” he first broke onto the boxing scene in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City by winning a gold medal in the heavyweight boxing division.
His career took off after his gold medal win. Big George would reach great heights in his life, but he came from humble beginnings. Born in Marshall, Texas and coming from a large family, life was a challenge. He was a troubled teen and dropped out of school for a life crime as a mugger. His mother got through to him and convinced him to turn his life around and by age 16 he was involved in Job Corps. Job Corps is a Department of Labor program that offers vocational training for youths aged 16 to 24. Via the program, Foreman earned his GED and trained to become a carpenter and bricklayer. He moved to Pleasanton, California, and with inspiration from his hero, Jim Brown, the Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame fullback, movie star and military veteran, Foreman started to train as a boxer. He was on his path to greatness.
His win in the 1968 Summer Olympics was over by the USSR’s Jonas Cepulis. Foreman had Cepulis bleeding in the second round which led the referee to stop the fight. He considered this win to be the highest mark of his boxing career. Foreman had a strong 22-4 amateur record and turned pro in 1969. He knocked out Donald Walheim in NYC in his first pro bout. In 1969 he had 13 fights and won 11 by knockout. Foreman was a natural and trained a lot on top of his abilities. He continued knocking people down and out during the early 1970s. He compiled a 32-0 record with 29 knockouts which led to him being ranked by both the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council to be the number one challenger for the heavyweight title.
Foreman’s first world heavyweight fight was against Joe Frazier, the current champion and who was favored to beat his challenger by 3 to 1 odds. The fight took place in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973, in which Foreman consistently dominated Frazier by knocking him down six times. The referee called the fight after Frazier was pushed around all night by Foreman’s physically punishing display. Foreman defended his title against Jose Roman and Ken Norton, who was a Marine Corps veteran. By this time, Foreman’s record was 40-0 with 37 knockouts. His next bout was against the great Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Going into the fight, he was favored to beat Ali, which is surprising with Ali’s reputation and prowess. Foreman fell into Ali’s strategy of taking body shots and hanging out on the ropes to tire Foreman out. It worked and Ali knocked Foreman down in the eighth round once Foreman was tired. He lost the bout to Ali and was never able to secure a rematch.
Foreman wrapped out the 70s with more high-level boxing bouts, even fighting Joe Frazier again. By the 80s he turned his life to God and became a minister for the Church of Lord Jesus Christ in Houston. Although not officially retired, he made a comeback in 1987 after a decade out of the ring. He was 38 and ready to rumble again. He won many bouts from 1987 to 1989 showing that even at 40 he could still fight and win. Foreman went back to the big time fighting Evander Holyfield in 1991 and although he lost he went all 12 rounds with the younger champ. Big George proved he was a fighter in every decade of his life. By 1994, Foreman fought Michael Mooerer and beat him to become a heavyweight world champion again in his mid-40s. He retired again in 1998 and went on to become a boxing analyst. His boxing record was 76-5.
In retirement, Foreman worked as a preacher for a Pentecostal church in Houston and led many services a week. His business prowess was displayed in the success of his George Foreman Grills. He likely made around $200M from licensing his name for the grills and probably made more as a businessman than as a boxer. He made appearances on his own series George on ABC, the 700 Club, Trinity Broadcasting Network, The Masked Singer, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sanford and Son, Home Improvement, King of the Hill and in 2023 he had a biographical feature film made about his life titled Big George Foreman. He authored many books including By George, God in My Corner: A Spiritual Memoir and George Foreman’s Indoor Grilling Made Easy. He is survived by his wife Mary Joan Martelly and his 12 children. One of his sons, George III is a professional boxer like his dad. He passed on March 21, 2025, at a local hospital in Houston.