Boxer George Foreman, renowned for his remarkable comeback in sports, who reclaimed the heavyweight boxing title at the age of 45, has passed away at 76, according to his family.
“A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was held in high regard – a force for good, a man of discipline and conviction, and a guardian of his legacy, tirelessly fighting to uphold his good name for his family,” said the family in an Instagram post, reflecting on Mr. Foreman’s life.
Known for his intimidating presence and thunderous punches, Foreman lost his first title to Muhammad Ali during the legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974. “Big George” returned two decades later as a more rounded and cheerful figure when he knocked out Michael Moorer to secure his second championship.
His comeback and the wealth he accrued from selling fat-reducing electric cooking grills transformed him into a symbol of self-improvement and success.
George Foreman secured the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Having grown up in poverty in the segregated southern United States, Mr. Foreman dropped out of junior high school and resorted to street robberies using his size and strength.
The Job Corps, part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” reforms, “rescued me from the gutter,” Mr. Foreman recounted later.
Through this program, the 16-year-old Foreman moved from Texas and was encouraged to pursue boxing.
Condolences to George Foreman’s family. His contributions to boxing and beyond will be forever remembered. pic.twitter.com/Xs5QjMukqr
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) March 22, 2025
By the age of 19 and in his 25th amateur fight, Mr. Foreman won the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Turning professional, he achieved 37 consecutive victories leading up to a bout with reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, winning by technical knockout in the second round.
Foreman lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974.
Mr. Foreman successfully defended the title twice more before facing Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), in one of boxing’s most celebrated matches.
Ali had been stripped of his championship seven years earlier for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War and entered the bout as a heavy underdog against the larger, younger Foreman.
In a surprising turn, Ali leaned against the ropes for seven rounds, absorbing Foreman’s powerful punches, before knocking him out in the eighth round.
“I was a strong heavyweight punching fighter,” Foreman stated in 2007. “I was a punching machine, and that was the first time I gave it everything I had, and nothing worked.”
The loss hit Foreman hard. He took a year off to regroup before returning to the ring, but after a second professional defeat, he retired in 1977 to become an ordained minister in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A decade later, weighing in at 143kg, Mr. Foreman made an unexpected comeback to raise funds for a youth center he established in Texas.
He went on to achieve 24 consecutive victories, gradually losing weight along the way, before suffering a decision loss to Evander Holyfield in 1991.
George Foreman became wealthy through his electric cooking grill sales.
Three years later, he knocked out the unbeaten southpaw Michael Moorer, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion at 45.
Mr. Foreman’s final bout took place in 1997, concluding his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.
The boxer was married four times during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1985, he wed Mary Joan Martelly, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons, all named George, five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.
During the 1990s and after his retirement, he enthusiastically promoted various products, notably an electric grill from appliance maker Salton Inc.
In 1999, the company compensated Mr. Foreman and his partners with $137.5 million for his endorsement of the grill and related products.
