Julius OkorieOlympic Gold Medalist and two time World heavyweight champion, George Foreman, has passed on.
Foreman, who battled Muhammad Ali in the iconic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974, was aged 76. A family announcement on Instagram, announced the passing of the boxing legend, who clinched Olympic gold in heavyweight boxing in 1968 in Mexico.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe statement, posted on Foreman’s account, read: ‘Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announced the passing of our beloved, George Edward Foreman St. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones.
“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.
“Humanitarian, an Olympian, and two time heavyweight champion of the world, 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.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”
He is one of the great second acts in sports after reclaiming the heavyweight crown after coming out of retirement.
He fought in two of the most iconic boxing events of all time, taking on Joe Frazier in ‘The Fight of the Century’ in 1971 and then Muhammad Ali in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974.
An intimidating, thunderous puncher who lost his first title to Ali in that iconic fight, ‘Big George’ was a more rotund, jovial figure when he knocked out Michael Moorer for his second crown two decades later.
He is famous for his work outside of the ring thanks to the George Foreman Grill, which has sold over 100 million units since its launch in 1994. In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138 million.
Soon after his birth in Marshall, Texas in 1949, his family moved to Houston where he and his six siblings were raised by a single mother. Growing up poor in the segregated American South, Foreman dropped out of junior high school and used his size and fists in street robberies.
READ ALSO: Shocker: Tyson Fury Dumps All-British Bout Against Joshua, Retires From Boxing
The Job Corps, part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ‘Great Society’ reforms, ‘rescued me from the gutter,’ Foreman later wrote. Through the program, 16-year-old Foreman moved out of Texas and was encouraged to channel his rage and growing bulk into boxing.
At age 19 and in his 25th amateur fight, Foreman captured the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Turning pro, he won 37 straight matches on his way to face reigning champion Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, winning by technical knockout in round two.
Foreman defended the belt twice more before meeting Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in one of the most celebrated boxing matches in history.
Ali had been stripped of his crown seven years prior for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War and came into the match a heavy underdog against the bigger, younger champion. But for seven rounds, Ali lay against the ropes and fended off Foreman’s clubbing blows, tiring and knocking him out in the eighth round.
‘I was one strong heavyweight punching fighter,’ Foreman told Reuters in 2007. ‘I was one punching machine, and that was the first time I delivered everything I had and nothing worked.’
The loss devastated Foreman. He took a year off before returning to the ring and then, after a second professional loss, retired in 1977 to become an ordained minister in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Foreman’s last match was in 1997, ending his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.
Foreman was married four times in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he married for the fifth time to Mary Joan Martelly, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons – all called George – five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
![Abandoned Promise: How UNIZIK's Neglect Of Ifite-Ogwari Campus Threatens Nigeria's Food Security [Video]](https://www.primebusiness.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/UNIZIK-Ifite-Ogawari-Campus-Faculty-of-Agriculture-480x384.jpg)
