George Foreman, the former heavyweight champion who famously lost to Muhammad Ali in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” before regaining the title two decades later, passed away on Friday at the age of 76, his family confirmed.
Affectionately known as “Big George,” Foreman left school at a young age and went on to become an Olympic gold medalist and a legendary boxer.
Over his 81 professional bouts, he won 76, with 68 of those victories coming by knockout.
Besides boxing, Foreman became a household name with the “George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine” and appeared in friendly TV ads, gaining fame beyond the sport.
Foreman’s family released a statement on Instagram announcing his peaceful passing on March 21, 2025, and requested privacy as they mourned his extraordinary life.
Legendary promoter Bob Arum praised Foreman as “one of the biggest punchers and personalities the sport has ever seen.” Born in Texas on January 10, 1949, Foreman grew up in Houston under difficult circumstances.
His stepfather was often absent and struggled with alcohol. Foreman later discovered that his biological father, a decorated WWII veteran, had not been part of his life until after he won the heavyweight title.
As a teenager, Foreman got involved with crime and dropped out of school at 16. His brother Roy recalled that George was a force in his neighborhood, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds by the age of 13.
Eventually, Foreman turned to boxing, initially to prove his courage to his peers.
After just 25 fights, he became an Olympic gold medalist at the 1968 Mexico Games, winning the super-heavyweight title.
In the aftermath, he celebrated by waving the American flag in the ring, just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their black power salute.
Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing in as one of the largest and strongest heavyweights of his era, Foreman fought his way to a championship bout with Joe Frazier, defeating him in just two rounds.
He remained undefeated in 40 bouts when he faced Ali in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle.”
However, Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy wore Foreman down, and he lost the fight in eight rounds, shattering his confidence.
After failing to earn another title shot following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman retired from boxing at 28, later becoming an ordained minister.
A decade later, he returned to the sport, now with a different physique and a new motivation to raise money for his youth center. Over the next three years, Foreman won 20 of 21 bouts, many by knockout.
In 1994, at 45, Foreman made a dramatic comeback, defeating Michael Moorer to reclaim the heavyweight title, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion at the time.
He held the “lineal” championship until 1997, when he lost to Shannon Briggs and retired again at 48.
Throughout his life, Foreman was also a media personality, hosting the show “Bad Dads” in 1996, and married four times, fathering 10 children and adopting two.
He named all five of his sons George Edward, emphasizing the importance of family unity, saying, “If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together.”
