George Foreman, the two-time heavyweight boxing champion who misplaced to Muhammad Ali within the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” and later grew to become a profitable entrepreneur, has died. He was 76.
Foreman died on March 21 surrounded by family members, based on a publish on his Instagram account, calling him “a devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather.”
“He lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose,” the publish mentioned. “He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name — for his family.”
George Edward Foreman was born on Jan. 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. He was a “rebellious teen” who bullied youthful youngsters and have become a mugger and brawler by the age of 15, based on his web site, earlier than discovering boxing as an outlet whereas within the Job Corps., a program that provided vocational coaching for deprived youth.
At 19, he received a gold medal within the heavyweight division on the 1968 Olympic Video games in Mexico Metropolis, and turned skilled the next yr.
“After I won the Gold Medal, I went to the White House to present President Lyndon Johnson with a plaque as a way of thanking him for creating the Job Corps,” Foreman mentioned on his web site.
In 1973, Foreman received his first heavyweight champion title by knocking out Joe Frazier in two rounds.
A yr later, Ali beat Foreman with an eighth-round knockout in Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ali used the “rope-a-dope,” a method of standing in opposition to the ropes and letting Foreman punch himself into exhaustion.
Foreman retired in 1977 following a bout with Jimmy Younger in Puerto Rico.
“In his locker room after the match, George had a deeply religious experience that changed his life forever,” based on his web site. He later grew to become an ordained minister.
In By George: The Autobiography of George Foreman, he wrote that he tapped his retirement funds to type a charitable basis that arrange the George Foreman Youth and Group Middle in Houston.
A decade after stepping away, Foreman returned to the ring and launched into one of the vital profitable sports activities comebacks.
In November 1994, about two months shy of turning 46, Foreman received the heavyweight title once more by defeating Michael Moorer and have become the oldest individual to be awarded the belt. He retired for the second time in 1997.
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Foreman had 5 sons and 7 daughters, based on Individuals journal.
“I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common,” he mentioned on his web site.
Foreman found his expertise for promoting when he was making his comeback, he advised Bloomberg Businessweek in a 2004 function. Relegated to combating second-rate fighters in tiny cities, he was requested to tape a 10-second promotion for an area TV station in Florida. He grabbed the microphone, he recalled within the article, and screamed: “I’m going to show the whole world that age 40 is not a death sentence! Watch me!” The battle offered out in seconds.
By the tip of the Nineties, Foreman was making thousands and thousands from appearances in infomercials promoting the George Foreman Lean Imply Grilling Machine. His web site says greater than 100 million items of {the electrical} equipment have been offered worldwide, and the franchise had reportedly earned the previous boxer greater than $200 million.
“I did not invent the grill,” he mentioned of the enterprise. “We made it a better looking piece of furniture.”
In 2002, Foreman was in Memphis and bumped into a bunch of preschoolers on the road, he advised Bloomberg Businessweek. Their trainer defined to the kids that Foreman had received the gold medal in heavyweight boxing on the 1968 Olympic Video games. One little boy refused to imagine it. “That’s the cooking man!” shouted the tot, referring to the promotions of his grill.
“They don’t even know me as the champion anymore,” Foreman mentioned, laughing on the reminiscence.
Tributes have poured in from athletes together with boxer Mike Tyson and basketball’s Scottie Pippen.
“His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten,” Tyson mentioned on X.
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
