(ThyBlackMan.com) The boxing world has lost a titan. George Edward Foreman Sr., a two-time heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medalist, preacher, entrepreneur, and proud Houston native, has died at the age of 76. Foreman passed peacefully on Friday, March 21, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones, his family confirmed in an emotional Instagram post.
“Our hearts are broken,” the family wrote. “With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025… A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.”
Those of us who covered the sport remember George Foreman not only for his thunderous punches and stoic ring presence but also for his wide smile, generous spirit, and ability to reinvent himself at every stage of his life. From gold medalist to world champion, from minister to grill mogul, Foreman carved out a legacy that transcended boxing.
Born to Battle: A Proud Houstonian
Foreman never forgot his roots. Raised in the rough and tumble Fifth Ward of Houston, Texas, he knew adversity from a young age. He openly spoke about his troubled youth, run-ins with the law, and struggles to find purpose — all of which were foundational in his transformation.
“I love this city,” Foreman told the Houston Chronicle back in 2016. “I really do.” And Houston loved him right back.
The turning point came when Foreman joined Job Corps and was introduced to boxing. Under the mentorship of Doc Broadus, he began to train seriously and honed a style that would strike fear into the hearts of opponents for years.
Gold in Mexico: The Rise of a New Heavyweight Star
At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Foreman announced himself to the world in grand fashion. The 19-year-old bulldozer mowed through the heavyweight competition, culminating in a gold medal win over Soviet boxer Jonas ?epulis. After the referee stopped the contest, Foreman raised an American flag in the ring — a moment that etched itself into Olympic history.
This was no boy in the ring. This was a man with a mission.
The Destruction of Joe Frazier
In 1973, George Foreman shocked the world with his brutal, one-sided knockout of Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica. Coming into the fight, Frazier was the undefeated heavyweight champion who had beaten Muhammad Ali two years earlier. But Foreman made him look like an amateur.
Foreman dropped Frazier six times in just two rounds before the referee mercifully stopped the bout. The world had a new champion. He didn’t dance like Ali or have Frazier’s relentless bob-and-weave. No, Foreman stood still — cold, calm, and collected — and simply punished anyone who dared to trade leather.
Foreman successfully defended the heavyweight title twice, destroying Ken Norton and José Roman. At the time, few believed he could be beaten.
Rumble in the Jungle: The Night Ali Shook the World
But that all changed on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire. In the famed “Rumble in the Jungle,” Foreman met Muhammad Ali in one of the most iconic matches in sports history.
Ali employed a strategy that no one saw coming — the infamous “rope-a-dope.” Leaning on the ropes, he absorbed punishment and taunted Foreman to punch himself out. And it worked. In the eighth round, Ali delivered a shocking combination that floored the exhausted champion. Foreman had lost.
That fight would haunt him for years. But it also planted the seeds for his eventual redemption.
The Preacher’s Path: Faith, Family, and Forgiveness
Following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman had what he described as a near-death experience in the locker room. He claimed he saw visions of hell and salvation. That moment changed everything.
He walked away from boxing and devoted himself to Christianity. He returned to Houston, became an ordained minister, and opened the George Foreman Youth and Community Center in 1984 in the Aldine area. There, he worked with troubled youth, offering them what he once lacked — guidance, hope, and love.
“I found something better than boxing,” Foreman once said. “I found God.”
To fans, it seemed the story had ended — boxer becomes preacher, retires in peace. But George Foreman was never finished.
The Greatest Comeback in Sports History
Ten years after retiring, at the age of 38, Foreman returned to the ring. Many scoffed. They said he was too old, too heavy, too slow. But the George Foreman of the 1990s didn’t need to convince anyone. He believed in himself, and that was enough.
He battled his way back up the ranks, facing younger, faster opponents, and nearly captured the title in a controversial decision loss to Evander Holyfield in 1991. But Foreman kept going.
Then, in 1994, at the age of 45, Foreman stunned the world by knocking out undefeated heavyweight champion Michael Moorer to reclaim the title. He became the oldest man in boxing history to win a recognized heavyweight belt.
He didn’t even sit down in his corner between rounds — not because he was trying to prove a point, but because he didn’t need to. Big George still had power, still had will, and still had heart.
Beyond the Ring: The George Foreman Brand
While Foreman will always be known for his fists and faith, many younger fans remember him for something else entirely — the George Foreman Grill.
In a stroke of marketing genius, Foreman partnered with Salton, Inc. to promote the “Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine.” The product exploded in popularity, selling over 100 million units worldwide. Foreman’s endorsement deal reportedly earned him over $200 million.
It was a perfect extension of his larger-than-life persona — wholesome, strong, friendly, and trustworthy.
A Man of the People
Through every phase of his life, George Foreman remained down to earth. Whether in the pulpit, on TV, in the gym, or at his ranch outside Houston, he was known as approachable, kind, and generous.
The boxing community revered him. The fans adored him. And his family — which includes 10 children, five of whom he named George — always remained at the center of his world.
World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman posted:
“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, Husband, father, grand and great grandfather and the best friend you could have. His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”
Honoring the Fighter, the Father, the Faithful
Today, the boxing world mourns not just a champion, but a man who defied the odds time and time again. He overcame poverty, lost it all, found peace, and came back — stronger than ever.
George Foreman’s career record stands at an astonishing 76 wins (68 by knockout) and just 5 losses. But his legacy cannot be confined to numbers.
He was a man who walked away from fame to find his soul, and then returned to the spotlight not for glory, but for something greater — to prove that second chances are real, and that faith is power.
What Big George Meant to Boxing
Boxing has always been about more than just punches. It’s about heart, redemption, the will to keep going when every odd is stacked against you.
George Foreman represented all of that.
His story is a reminder that greatness isn’t about staying undefeated — it’s about standing up again and again. Whether it was after a loss to Ali, a crisis of faith, or the naysayers calling him washed up in the ’90s, Foreman never stopped fighting — for his family, for his faith, for his name.
His death leaves a massive void in the sport. But his life? It will be celebrated as one of the greatest sagas in boxing history.
Final Thoughts from the Boxing Community
Tributes have poured in from every corner of the boxing world.
Lennox Lewis said, “George showed us that power isn’t just physical — it’s spiritual. Rest easy, champ.”
Mike Tyson posted, “He was one of the reasons I fell in love with boxing. A giant in every way.”
And Oscar De La Hoya summed it up best: “There will never be another Big George.”
Rest Well, Big George
George Foreman wore many titles in his life: Champion. Preacher. Father. Businessman. But above all else, he was a fighter — in every sense of the word.
As the final bell tolls, we say goodbye not just to a boxer, but to an icon who reminded us that life, like boxing, is about how you fight your way through — with grace, strength, and faith.
Rest in power, champ.
Staff Writer; Jamar Jackson
