George Foreman

For the electric grill, see George Foreman Grill. For other people named George Foreman, see George Foreman (disambiguation).

George Foreman
Foreman in 2016
Born
George Edward Foreman

(1949-01-10) January 10, 1949 (age 75)
Marshall, Texas, U.S.
Other namesBig George
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height6 ft 4 in (193 cm)[1]
Reach79 in (201 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights81
Wins76
Wins by KO68
Losses5
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City Heavyweight

George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949)[2][3] is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997 and was nicknamed "Big George". Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all-time, he is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.

After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Having turned professional the next year, he won the world heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973. He defended the belt twice before suffering his first professional loss to Muhammad Ali in the iconic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.[4] Unable to secure another title opportunity, Foreman retired after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977.

Following what he referred to as a born again experience, Foreman became an ordained Christian minister.[5][6] Ten years later he announced a comeback, and in 1994 at age 45 won the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championship titles by knocking out 26-year-old Michael Moorer. He dropped the WBA belt rather than face his mandatory title defense soon after, and following a single successful title defense against Axel Schulz, Foreman relinquished his IBF title as well on June 28, 1995. At 46 years and 169 days old, he was the oldest world heavyweight champion in history.[7] Foreman is the oldest to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship of major honors and the second-oldest in any weight class after Bernard Hopkins (at light heavyweight). He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and 5 losses.

Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization rates Foreman as the eighth-greatest heavyweight of all time.[8] In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring.[9] The Ring ranked him as the ninth-greatest puncher of all time.[10] He was a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for 12 years until 2004.[11] Outside boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide.[12] In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138 million.[13]

  1. ^ a b HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the Michael Moorer fight.
  2. ^ Porter, David L. (1995). African-American Sports Greats: A Biographical Dictionary. ABC-CLIO. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-313-28987-3. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  3. ^ "Amateur Accomplishments". BoxRec.com. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  4. ^ Christopher, Paul J.; Smith, Alicia Marie (August 2006). Greatest Sports Heroes of All Times: North American Edition. Encouragement Press, LLC. pp. 75–81. ISBN 978-1-933766-09-6.
  5. ^ "The Conversion of George Foreman: Packing a Wallop in the Pulpit". The New York Times. August 8, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2024. Then a "giant hand" plucked him into consciousness. Foreman found himself on a locker room table, surrounded by friends and staff members. He felt as if he were physically filled with the presence of a dying Christ. He felt his forehead bleed, punctured by a crown of thorns; his wrists, he believed, had been pierced by nails of the cross. "I knew that Jesus Christ was coming alive in me," Foreman said. "I ran into the shower and turned on the water and — hallelujah! — I was born again.
  6. ^ Oden, John E. (September 29, 2009). Life in the Ring. Hatherleigh Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1578263493. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  7. ^ "Professional boxing record: George Foreman". BoxRec.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  8. ^ "Heavyweight. IBRO All Time Ratings". Ibroresearch.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  9. ^ Eisele, Andrew (February 22, 2018). "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years". Boxing.about.com. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  10. ^ Eisele, Andrew. "Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers". Boxing.about.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  11. ^ "George Foreman Leaves HBO Sports After Twelve Great Years". PR Newswire. December 4, 2003. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  12. ^ "History of the George Foreman Grill". georgeforemancooking.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  13. ^ Coster, Helen (January 30, 2010). "Millionaire High School Dropouts Page 2 of 2". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.