George Foreman
Encyclopedia
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight
Boxing
Champion, Olympic gold medal
ist, ordained
Baptist minister, author
and successful entrepreneur
. He is credited as being one of the hardest hitters in boxing history.
His most notable fights in his early career were his knockout (TKO-2) against Joe Frazier
in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973 and his loss to Muhammad Ali
(KO by 8) in "The Rumble in the Jungle
" in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974. He later became the oldest man to win a world championship when, at age 45, Foreman knocked out (KO-10) Michael Moorer
, age 26, on November 5, 1994 to reclaim the title he held more than 20 years earlier. Foreman remains the oldest heavyweight, as Bernard Hopkins
won the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship at age 46 in 2011. He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine
. He is now a successful businessman and an ordained Christian minister who has his own church.
Foreman is ranked #9 on Ring magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". He is also well-known for the George Foreman Grill
.
. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas
, with six siblings. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown
, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division
at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games
. By his own admission in his autobiography George was a troubled youth.
of Donald Walheim
in New York
. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).
In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta
, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden
although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo
, was defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite
in four rounds and Boone Kirkman
in three.
In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round in Oakland, California
, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA
and WBC
.
In 1972, his string o
. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali
, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis
and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena
and Jerry Quarry
. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.
The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica
, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing
's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell
became one of the most memorable in all of sports: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.
Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston
, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.
Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican
heavyweight champion José Roman
. Roman was not regarded as a top contender, and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout.
, Venezuela
, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton
who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali
while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.
George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 40–0 with 37 knockouts.
, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle
.
During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regimen, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box." Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout. Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.
When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. This was deliberate to unsettle Foreman. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. Ali was never conventional stylewise. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman's neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary trick, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope
" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.
In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali's chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. "You picked the wrong place to get tired," he'd whisper. But Foreman's corner would tell him to "keep hitting Ali, he's tiring", which was not true; Ali had great reserves. Late in the eight round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden big flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw. Foreman was definitely stunned and fell. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8, but with a glazed look, and the referee waved the fight over. Foreman later said that he was not hurt but more shocked that an opponent had knocked him down, which had never previously happened to him. . It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali
remains the only boxer ever to defeat him by knockout.
Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as had rematches Joe Frazier
and Ken Norton
, and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner
, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman. Ali on the other hand would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.
, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali
in 1975, via 11-th round TKO. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round , and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches looking crude. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring
as "The Fight Of The Year."
For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier
in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux
in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.
, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico
a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young
, who had beaten Ron Lyle
and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.
Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience
. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club
and the Trinity Broadcasting Network
, and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.
. For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California
, where he beat journeyman
Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121.1 kg) for the fight, and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi
.
Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement", although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).
By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills
to muffler
s on TV. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.
Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper
, who would go on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield
.
In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney
in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice, and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.
Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield
, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down, and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was Ring Magazines "Round of the Year."
A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart
, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson
. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win.
In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe
. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison
, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman, and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.
had beaten Holyfield for the IBF
and WBA
titles.
Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.
Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada
, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round, and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.
In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight crown; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.
Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson
(the youngest ever heavyweight champ). The WBA
organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker
. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker, and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz
of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF
title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the lineal heavyweight champion
.
In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese
, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC
decided to match him against Shannon Briggs
in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis
. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner. Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.
in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.
Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent (rumored to be the now late Trevor Berbick
), never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.
, George IV, George V, and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red", and "Little Joey". He has two daughters, Freeda George and Georgetta. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship, Natalia, Michi and Leola. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.
. who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill.
The George Foreman grill
has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.
|align="center" colspan=8|76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=000090&cat=boxer
|-
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|Loss
|76–5
|align=left|
Shannon Briggs
|MD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|76–4
|align=left| Lou Savarese
|SD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|75–4
|align=left| Crawford Grimsley
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|74–4
|align=left|
Axel Schulz
|MD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|73–4
|align=left| Michael Moorer
|KO
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|72–4
|align=left| Tommy Morrison
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|72–3
|align=left|
Pierre Coetzer
|TKO
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|71–3
|align=left| Alex Stewart
|MD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|70–3
|align=left| Jimmy Ellis
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|69–3
|align=left| Evander Holyfield
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|69–2
|align=left| Terry Anderson
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|68–2
|align=left|
Ken Lakusta
|KO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|67–2
|align=left|
Adilson Rodrigues
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|66–2
|align=left| Mike Jameson
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|65–2
|align=left| Gerry Cooney
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|64–2
|align=left| Everett Martin
|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|63–2
|align=left| Bert Cooper
|RTD
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|62–2
|align=left| J. B. Williamson
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|61–2
|align=left| Manoel De Almeida
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|60–2
|align=left| Mark Young
|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|59–2
|align=left| David Jaco
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|58–2
|align=left|
Tony Fulilangi
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|57–2
|align=left| Bobby Hitz
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|56–2
|align=left|
Ladislao Mijangos
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|55–2
|align=left|
Carlos Hernandez
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|54–2
|align=left| Frank Lux
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|53–2
|align=left|
|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|52–2
|align=left|
Guido Trane
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|51–2
|align=left| Tom Trimm
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|50–2
|align=left| Rocky Sekorski
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|49–2
|align=left| Tim Anderson
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|48–2
|align=left| Bobby Crabtree
|TKO
|6
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|47–2
|align=left| Charles Hostetter
|KO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|46–2
|align=left| Steve Zouski
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|45–2
|align=left| Jimmy Young
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|45–1
|align=left| Pedro Agosto
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|44–1
|align=left| John Dino Denis
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|43–1
|align=left| Scott LeDoux
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|42–1
|align=left| Joe Frazier
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|41–1
|align=left| Ron Lyle
|KO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|40–1
|align=left| Muhammad Ali
|KO
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|40–0
|align=left| Ken Norton
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|39–0
|align=left| Jose Roman
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|38–0
|align=left| Joe Frazier
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|37–0
|align=left| Terry Sorrell
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|36–0
|align=left|
Miguel Angel Paez
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|35–0
|align=left| Ted Gullick
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|34–0
|align=left| Clarence Boone
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|33–0
|align=left|
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|32–0
|align=left| Luis Faustino Pires
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|31–0
|align=left| Ollie Wilson
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|30–0
|align=left| Leroy Caldwell
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|29–0
|align=left| Vic Scott
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|28–0
|align=left| Gregorio Peralta
|TKO
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|27–0
|align=left| Stamford Harris
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|26–0
|align=left| Charlie Boston
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|25–0
|align=left| Mel Turnbow
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|24–0
|align=left| Boone Kirkman
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|23–0
|align=left| Lou Bailey
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|22–0
|align=left| George Chuvalo
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|21–0
|align=left| Roger Russell
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|20–0
|align=left| George Johnson
|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|19–0
|align=left| Aaron Eastling
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|18–0
|align=left| James J. Woody
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|17–0
|align=left| Rufus Brassell
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|16–0
|align=left| Gregorio Peralta
|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|15–0
|align=left| Jack O'Halloran
|KO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|14–0
|align=left| Charley Polite
|KO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|13–0
|align=left| Gary Hobo Wiler
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|12–0
|align=left| Levi Forte
|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|11–0
|align=left| Bob Hazelton
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|10–0
|align=left| Max Martinez
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|9–0
|align=left|
Leo Peterson
|KO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|8–0
|align=left|
Roberto Davila
|UD
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|7–0
|align=left| Vernon Clay
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|6–0
|align=left| Roy Wallace
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|5–0
|align=left| Johnny Carroll
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|4–0
|align=left| Chuck Wepner
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|3–0
|align=left| Sylvester Dullaire
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|2–0
|align=left| Fred Askew
|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|1–0
|align=left| Don Waldheim
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
Boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Champion, Olympic gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist, ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
Baptist minister, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and successful entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He is credited as being one of the hardest hitters in boxing history.
His most notable fights in his early career were his knockout (TKO-2) against Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973 and his loss to Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
(KO by 8) in "The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire . It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali...
" in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974. He later became the oldest man to win a world championship when, at age 45, Foreman knocked out (KO-10) Michael Moorer
Michael Moorer
Michael Lee Moorer is a retired American boxer who is a former light heavyweight and heavyweight World Champion.-Biography:Moorer is a native of Monessen, Pennsylvania, which is in Southwestern Pennsylvania.-Professional career:...
, age 26, on November 5, 1994 to reclaim the title he held more than 20 years earlier. Foreman remains the oldest heavyweight, as Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins
Bernard Hopkins Jr, known as The Executioner is an American boxer and the current Ring Magazine and WBC light heavyweight champion...
won the WBC Light Heavyweight Championship at age 46 in 2011. He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
. He is now a successful businessman and an ordained Christian minister who has his own church.
Foreman is ranked #9 on Ring magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". He is also well-known for the George Foreman Grill
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
.
Early life
George Foreman was born in Marshall, TexasMarshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas
Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas
The Fifth Ward is a historical political district and a community of Houston, Texas, United States, northeast of Downtown. It is bounded by the Buffalo Bayou, Jensen Drive, Liberty Road, and Lockwood Drive....
, with six siblings. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown
Jim Brown
James Nathaniel "Jim" Brown is an American former professional football player who has also made his mark as an actor. He is best known for his exceptional and record-setting nine-year career as a running back for the NFL Cleveland Browns from 1957 to 1965. In 2002, he was named by Sporting News...
, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division
Boxing at the 1968 Summer Olympics
-Medal table:- Light Flyweight :-First Round:* Tahar Aziz def. David Nata , 4:1* Hubert Skrzypczak def. Mohamed Sohem , 5:0* Joseph Donovan def. György Gedó , TKO-2...
at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
. By his own admission in his autobiography George was a troubled youth.
Professional career
Foreman had an amateur record of 22-4, losing twice to Clay Hodges (also defeated by Max Briggs in his first ever fight). Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockoutKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
of Donald Walheim
Donald Walheim
Donald Waldhelm was a professional heavyweight boxer. He was best known for being George Foreman's first professional opponent....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).
In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta
Gregorio Peralta
Gregorio Manuel Peralta , better known as Gregorio "Goyo" Peralta, was a top Argentine boxer. Peralta enjoyed success as a both a light heavyweight and a heavyweight, one of a select group Latin American Heavyweights to attain world-class status...
, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo
George Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, CM is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked down in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He is often considered to have had the greatest chin in the history of boxing and to be one of its most durable fighters...
, was defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite
Charlie Polite
Charlie Polite is an American boxer, born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall.Born in Garnet, SC, raised in Springfield, MA, he was described as an "odd American journeyman."- Boxing career :...
in four rounds and Boone Kirkman
Boone Kirkman
Daniel Victor "Boone" Kirkman is a former amateur and professional Heavyweight boxer. He fought during the same era as George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, which has been credited as being one of the greatest heavyweight eras of all time.-Early life:Kirkman was born in Vallejo,...
in three.
In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
and WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
.
In 1972, his string o
The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier
Still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Joe FrazierJoe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis
Jimmy Ellis
James Albert "Jimmy" Ellis is a retired boxer from Louisville, Kentucky. He fought in what some consider to be the greatest heavyweight era of all-time, which included Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Jerry Quarry, Floyd Patterson, Oscar Bonavena, Earnie Shavers and George Chuvalo among...
and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Bonavena
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena was a heavyweight professional boxer with a career record of 58 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw. A rugged, wild-swinging puncher, he was nicknamed "Ringo" because of his Beatles haircut, and enjoyed professional success in both Argentina and the United States...
and Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry , nicknamed "Irish" or “The Bellflower Bomber,” was an Irish-American heavyweight boxer. Quarry was rated by Ring Magazine as the most popular fighter in the sport, 1968–1971, and was one of the biggest stars of arguably the greatest era in the history of the heavyweight division.-...
. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.
The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing
HBO Boxing
HBO World Championship Boxing is a sports television series, premiering in January 1973 that has shown a number of significant boxing events in the last three decades....
's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell
Howard Cosell
Howard William Cosell was an American sports journalist who was widely known for his blustery, cocksure personality. Cosell said of himself, "Arrogant, pompous, obnoxious, vain, cruel, verbose, a showoff. I have been called all of these...
became one of the most memorable in all of sports: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.
Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston
Sonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.
Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
heavyweight champion José Roman
Jose King Roman
José "King" Roman is a Puerto Rican former boxer who was Puerto Rico's regional heavyweight champion. He is better known as "Joe King Roman."-Pro career:...
. Roman was not regarded as a top contender, and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout.
Title defense versus Ken Norton
Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.
George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 40–0 with 37 knockouts.
"Rumble in the Jungle"
Foreman's next title defense, against Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
(now the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire . It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali...
.
During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regimen, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box." Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout. Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.
When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. This was deliberate to unsettle Foreman. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. Ali was never conventional stylewise. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman's neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary trick, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope
Rope-a-dope
The Rope-a-dope is a boxing fighting style commonly associated with Muhammad Ali in his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match against George Foreman.-Technique:...
" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.
In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali's chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. "You picked the wrong place to get tired," he'd whisper. But Foreman's corner would tell him to "keep hitting Ali, he's tiring", which was not true; Ali had great reserves. Late in the eight round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden big flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw. Foreman was definitely stunned and fell. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8, but with a glazed look, and the referee waved the fight over. Foreman later said that he was not hurt but more shocked that an opponent had knocked him down, which had never previously happened to him. . It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
remains the only boxer ever to defeat him by knockout.
Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as had rematches Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
and Ken Norton
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
, and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner
Chuck Wepner
Charles "Chuck" Wepner is a former heavyweight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey. As a tough but journeyman boxer he went 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight. Wepner is credited as the inspiration for Rocky Balboa. Wepner also appeared in the book Operation Bullpen...
, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman. Ali on the other hand would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.
First comeback
Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he announced a comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron LyleRon Lyle
Ron Lyle was an American professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He is considered to have been one of the best contenders of his era. He was a crowd-pleasing power puncher.-Early life:...
, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
in 1975, via 11-th round TKO. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round , and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches looking crude. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
as "The Fight Of The Year."
For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux
Scott LeDoux
Alan Scott LeDoux, "The Fighting Frenchman," was a politician, professional heavyweight boxer, professional wrestler and referee.-Boxing:...
in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.
Retirement and rebirth
1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young
Jimmy Young (boxer)
Jimmy Young was a fast highly skilled Philadelphia heavyweight boxer who had his greatest success during the 1970s, when he most notably beat George Foreman, and many fans felt also Ali . He also fought many top names...
, who had beaten Ron Lyle
Ron Lyle
Ron Lyle was an American professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He is considered to have been one of the best contenders of his era. He was a crowd-pleasing power puncher.-Early life:...
and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.
Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience
Near death experience
A near-death experience refers to a broad range of personal experiences associated with impending death, encompassing multiple possible sensations including detachment from the body; feelings of levitation; extreme fear; total serenity, security, or warmth; the experience of absolute dissolution;...
. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club
The 700 Club
The 700 Club is the flagship news talk show of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing in syndication throughout the United States and Canada. In production since 1966, it is currently hosted by Pat Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, Kristi Watts, and Gordon P. Robertson, two of whom will host on any...
and the Trinity Broadcasting Network
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.
Second comeback
In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography he stated that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created. His stated ambition was to fight Mike TysonMike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
. For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, where he beat journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121.1 kg) for the fight, and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Dwight Muhammad Qawi
Dwight Muhammad Qawi is a former world boxing champion in the light heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions...
.
Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement", although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).
By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
to muffler
Muffler
A muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
s on TV. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.
Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper
Bert Cooper
Bertram Cooper , also known as Smokin' Bert Cooper is a heavyweight boxer, most famous for his devastating punching power and several wild brawls in the 1990s.-Pro career:...
, who would go on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
.
In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney
Gerry Cooney
Gerry Cooney is a retired Irish-American professional boxer from Huntington, New York best known for his loss to Larry Holmes and defeat of aging ex-champion/contender Ken Norton.-Life before boxing:...
in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice, and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.
Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down, and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was Ring Magazines "Round of the Year."
A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart
Alex Stewart
Alex Stewart is a professional boxer, who represented Jamaica at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.-Amateur career:...
, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win.
In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe
Riddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...
. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison
Tommy Morrison
Tommy David Morrison is an American heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion. He lost only three out of a total of 52 professional fights. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke," is based on disputed claims that he is a grandnephew of Hollywood star John Wayne...
, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman, and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.
Regaining the Title
In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael MoorerMichael Moorer
Michael Lee Moorer is a retired American boxer who is a former light heavyweight and heavyweight World Champion.-Biography:Moorer is a native of Monessen, Pennsylvania, which is in Southwestern Pennsylvania.-Professional career:...
had beaten Holyfield for the IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
and WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
titles.
Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.
Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round, and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.
In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight crown; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.
Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
(the youngest ever heavyweight champ). The WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker
Tony Tucker
Tony Craig Tucker is a retired professional heavyweight boxer. Tucker fought professionally from 1980 to 1998. Nicknamed "TNT," he won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games, and was briefly a world heavyweight champion as a professional.-Amateur career:Tucker had a notable amateur career,...
. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker, and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz
Axel Schulz
Axel Schulz is a retired German heavyweight boxer.-Amateur career:From 1982 Schulz boxed for the army sports club Vorwärts in Frankfurt , later becoming the East German youth champion...
of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the lineal heavyweight champion
Lineal championship
In professional boxing, the lineal championship of a weight class is a notional world championship title. It is initially held at some moment in time by a boxer universally acclaimed as the best in the class. Another boxer can win the lineal championship only by defeating the reigning lineal...
.
In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese
Lou Savarese
Lou Savarese is an Italian-American boxer, and a former professional boxer from Houston, Texas, United States.-Amateur career:...
, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
decided to match him against Shannon Briggs
Shannon Briggs
Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner. Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.
Second retirement
Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterward. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry HolmesLarry Holmes
Larry Holmes is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin....
in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.
Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent (rumored to be the now late Trevor Berbick
Trevor Berbick
Trevor Berbick was a Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight championship in 1986 , before losing it to 20-year old Mike Tyson, via 2nd-round TKO...
), never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.
Family
Foreman has 10 children, and each of his five sons is named George: George Jr., George IIIGeorge Foreman III
George Edward "Monk" Foreman III is an American boxer, business executive, and television personality. He is the son of former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman.-Early life:...
, George IV, George V, and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red", and "Little Joey". He has two daughters, Freeda George and Georgetta. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship, Natalia, Michi and Leola. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.
Entrepreneurship
When Foreman came back from retirement he argued that his success was due to his healthy eating which made him a perfect fit for Russell Hobbs IncRussell Hobbs Inc
Russell Hobbs, Inc. is a United States company based in Florida that manufactures home appliances, most notably the George Foreman grill and Russell Hobbs appliances. It is owned by Spectrum Brands....
. who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill.
The George Foreman grill
George Foreman Grill
The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.
Amateur Accomplishments
- Won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967 by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament.
- Won the San Francisco Examiner's Golden Gloves Tournament in the Junior Division in February 1967.
- February 1967: Knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division.
- February 1968: Knocked out L.C. Brown to win the San Francisco Examiner's Senior Title in San Francisco.
- March 1968: Won the National AAU Heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio vs. Henry Crump of Philadelphia, PA in the final.
- July 1968: Sparred 5 rounds on two different occasions with former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny ListonSonny ListonCharles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
. - September 21, 1968: Won his second decision over Otis Evans to make the U.S. boxing team for the Mexico City Olympic Games.
- Foreman had a 16-4 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. He knocked out Russia's Ionas Chepulis to win the Olympic Games Heavyweight Gold Medal. He was trained for the Olympic Games by Robert (Pappy) Gault.
- Amateur Record: 22-4
Professional boxing record
|-|align="center" colspan=8|76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=000090&cat=boxer
|-
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-align=center
|Loss
|76–5
|align=left|
Shannon BriggsShannon Briggs
Shannon "The Cannon" Briggs is an American heavyweight boxer and actor. He is the former Lineal and WBO heavyweight champion.-Early life:...
|MD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|76–4
|align=left|
Lou SavareseLou Savarese
Lou Savarese is an Italian-American boxer, and a former professional boxer from Houston, Texas, United States.-Amateur career:...
|SD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|75–4
|align=left|
Crawford Grimsley|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|74–4
|align=left|
Axel SchulzAxel Schulz
Axel Schulz is a retired German heavyweight boxer.-Amateur career:From 1982 Schulz boxed for the army sports club Vorwärts in Frankfurt , later becoming the East German youth champion...
|MD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|73–4
|align=left|
Michael MoorerMichael Moorer
Michael Lee Moorer is a retired American boxer who is a former light heavyweight and heavyweight World Champion.-Biography:Moorer is a native of Monessen, Pennsylvania, which is in Southwestern Pennsylvania.-Professional career:...
|KO
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|72–4
|align=left|
Tommy MorrisonTommy Morrison
Tommy David Morrison is an American heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion. He lost only three out of a total of 52 professional fights. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke," is based on disputed claims that he is a grandnephew of Hollywood star John Wayne...
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|72–3
|align=left|
Pierre CoetzerPierre Coetzer
Pierre Coetzer is a former Heavyweight boxer from Pretoria, South Africa. Coetzer’s most notable fights were probably those against Johnny DuPlooy, Riddick Bowe, Frank Bruno and George Foreman....
|TKO
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|71–3
|align=left|
Alex Stewart|MD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|70–3
|align=left|
Jimmy Ellis|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|69–3
|align=left|
Evander HolyfieldEvander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from the United States. He is a former undisputed world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"...
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|69–2
|align=left|
Terry Anderson|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|68–2
|align=left|
Ken Lakusta|KO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|67–2
|align=left|
Adilson Rodrigues|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|66–2
|align=left|
Mike Jameson|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|65–2
|align=left|
Gerry CooneyGerry Cooney
Gerry Cooney is a retired Irish-American professional boxer from Huntington, New York best known for his loss to Larry Holmes and defeat of aging ex-champion/contender Ken Norton.-Life before boxing:...
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|64–2
|align=left|
Everett MartinEverett Martin
Everett Wayne Martin , also known as Bigfoot Martin is a former professional boxer. He is a journeyman heavyweight best known for his performances against more notable contenders.-Pro Boxing Career:...
|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|63–2
|align=left|
Bert CooperBert Cooper
Bertram Cooper , also known as Smokin' Bert Cooper is a heavyweight boxer, most famous for his devastating punching power and several wild brawls in the 1990s.-Pro career:...
|RTD
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|62–2
|align=left|
J. B. WilliamsonJ. B. Williamson
J. B. Williamson was a professional boxer in the light heavyweight division.Williamson turned pro in 1979 after a successful amateur career and won the Vacant WBC Light Heavyweight Title in 1985 in a decision over Prince Mama Mohammed. He lost the title in his first defense against Dennis Andries...
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|61–2
|align=left|
Manoel De Almeida|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|60–2
|align=left|
Mark Young|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|59–2
|align=left|
David JacoDavid Jaco
David Jaco is a retired heavyweight boxer. He spent his career as a journeyman fighting boxers to build up their career records. He retired in 1994 with 24 wins , 25 losses , and 1 draw.-Career:...
|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|58–2
|align=left|
Tony Fulilangi|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|57–2
|align=left|
Bobby Hitz|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|56–2
|align=left|
Ladislao Mijangos|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|55–2
|align=left|
Carlos Hernandez|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|54–2
|align=left|
Frank Lux|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|53–2
|align=left|
|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|52–2
|align=left|
Guido Trane|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|51–2
|align=left|
Tom Trimm|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|50–2
|align=left|
Rocky SekorskiRocky Sekorski
Rick Sekorski, alias Rocky Sekorski, is a retired heavyweight professional boxer from Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Professional career:Sekorski made his professional debut on January 21, 1981, with a four-round decision win against Rick Kellar. He won his first 13 professional matches, losing for the...
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|49–2
|align=left|
Tim Anderson|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|48–2
|align=left|
Bobby Crabtree|TKO
|6
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|47–2
|align=left|
Charles Hostetter|KO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|46–2
|align=left|
Steve Zouski|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|45–2
|align=left|
Jimmy YoungJimmy Young (boxer)
Jimmy Young was a fast highly skilled Philadelphia heavyweight boxer who had his greatest success during the 1970s, when he most notably beat George Foreman, and many fans felt also Ali . He also fought many top names...
|UD
|12
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|45–1
|align=left|
Pedro Agosto|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|44–1
|align=left|
John Dino DenisJohn Dino Denis
John Dino Denis, born on 22 April 1951, is an American Boxer. His first professional boxing fight came at the age of 21, in 1972.- Boxing career :...
|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|43–1
|align=left|
Scott LeDouxScott LeDoux
Alan Scott LeDoux, "The Fighting Frenchman," was a politician, professional heavyweight boxer, professional wrestler and referee.-Boxing:...
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|42–1
|align=left|
Joe FrazierJoe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|41–1
|align=left|
Ron LyleRon Lyle
Ron Lyle was an American professional boxer in the heavyweight division. He is considered to have been one of the best contenders of his era. He was a crowd-pleasing power puncher.-Early life:...
|KO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Loss
|40–1
|align=left|
Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
|KO
The Rumble in the Jungle
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on October 30, 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire . It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali...
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|40–0
|align=left|
Ken NortonKen Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|39–0
|align=left|
Jose Roman|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|38–0
|align=left|
Joe FrazierJoe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|37–0
|align=left|
Terry Sorrell|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|36–0
|align=left|
Miguel Angel Paez|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|35–0
|align=left|
Ted GullickTed Gullick
Ted Gullick was a boxer from the United States. He was a highly regarded Heavyweight prospect in the early 1970s. Gullick stood slightly over 6 feet and in his prime weighed 195 lbs...
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|34–0
|align=left|
Clarence Boone|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|33–0
|align=left|
|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|32–0
|align=left|
Luis Faustino Pires|TKO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|31–0
|align=left|
Ollie Wilson|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|30–0
|align=left|
Leroy Caldwell|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|29–0
|align=left|
Vic Scott|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|28–0
|align=left|
Gregorio PeraltaGregorio Peralta
Gregorio Manuel Peralta , better known as Gregorio "Goyo" Peralta, was a top Argentine boxer. Peralta enjoyed success as a both a light heavyweight and a heavyweight, one of a select group Latin American Heavyweights to attain world-class status...
|TKO
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|27–0
|align=left|
Stamford Harris|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|26–0
|align=left|
Charlie Boston|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|25–0
|align=left|
Mel Turnbow|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|24–0
|align=left|
Boone KirkmanBoone Kirkman
Daniel Victor "Boone" Kirkman is a former amateur and professional Heavyweight boxer. He fought during the same era as George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, which has been credited as being one of the greatest heavyweight eras of all time.-Early life:Kirkman was born in Vallejo,...
|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|23–0
|align=left|
Lou Bailey|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|22–0
|align=left|
George ChuvaloGeorge Chuvalo
George Louis Chuvalo, CM is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer who was never knocked down in ninety-three professional fights between 1956 and 1979. He is often considered to have had the greatest chin in the history of boxing and to be one of its most durable fighters...
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|21–0
|align=left|
Roger Russell|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|20–0
|align=left|
George Johnson|TKO
|7
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|19–0
|align=left|
Aaron Eastling|TKO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|18–0
|align=left|
James J. Woody|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|17–0
|align=left|
Rufus Brassell|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|16–0
|align=left|
Gregorio PeraltaGregorio Peralta
Gregorio Manuel Peralta , better known as Gregorio "Goyo" Peralta, was a top Argentine boxer. Peralta enjoyed success as a both a light heavyweight and a heavyweight, one of a select group Latin American Heavyweights to attain world-class status...
|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|15–0
|align=left|
Jack O'HalloranJack O'Halloran
Jack O'Halloran is an American ex-boxer and actor.-Boxing:O'Halloran was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fighting as "Irish" Jack O'Halloran out of Boston, Massachusetts, he was a heavyweight boxing contender active from 1966 to 1974...
|KO
|5
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|14–0
|align=left|
Charley Polite|KO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|13–0
|align=left|
Gary Hobo Wiler|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|12–0
|align=left|
Levi Forte|UD
|10
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|11–0
|align=left|
Bob Hazelton|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|10–0
|align=left|
Max Martinez|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|9–0
|align=left|
Leo Peterson|KO
|4
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|8–0
|align=left|
Roberto Davila|UD
|8
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|7–0
|align=left|
Vernon Clay|TKO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|6–0
|align=left|
Roy Wallace|KO
|2
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|5–0
|align=left|
Johnny Carroll|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|4–0
|align=left|
Chuck WepnerChuck Wepner
Charles "Chuck" Wepner is a former heavyweight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey. As a tough but journeyman boxer he went 15 rounds with world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 fight. Wepner is credited as the inspiration for Rocky Balboa. Wepner also appeared in the book Operation Bullpen...
|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|3–0
|align=left|
Sylvester Dullaire|TKO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|2–0
|align=left|
Fred Askew|KO
|1
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
|Win
|1–0
|align=left|
Don Waldheim|TKO
|3
|
|align=left|
|align=left|
|-align=center
See also
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- Notable boxing familiesNotable boxing familiesThis is a list of boxing families with two or more notable boxers. Many families have had multiple members become famous in the sport of boxing with some having had multiple world champions.-Argentina:The Corros:*Hugo, world Middleweight champion...
- George Foreman GrillGeorge Foreman GrillThe George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, commonly known as the George Foreman Grill, is an indoor, electrically-heated grill manufactured by Russell Hobbs Inc.. It is promoted by George Foreman, a former champion boxer. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George...
External links
- George Foreman - IBHOF Biography
- George Foreman's Amateur Boxing Record
- Official Site of the George Foreman Grill
- StartupStudio - Interview with George Foreman about his entrepreneurial success
- George Foreman at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- George Foreman at TVLand.com
- George Foreman Quotes