George Foreman dies at 76 as the boxing community mourns the heavyweight great
The two-time heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist, George Foreman had died, aged 76.
Foreman died on Friday, 21st March, 2023, died in his home while surrounded by loved ones as posted by a verified social media account on Instagram.
He featured in an iconic fight, tagged ‘Rumbled in the Jungle’ with late boxing great, Muhammad Ali.
According to the Instagram post: “Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.
“A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”
Foreman was known to be one of the most powerful punchers in the history of boxing. He won Olympic gold and during his 25th amateur fight, he defeated one of the boxing greats, Joe Frazer.
He eventually went on to defend the heavyweight title twice before his now-iconic 1974 bout with Ali in Kinshasha, Zaire−presently Democratic Republic of Congo
Foreman also beat Soviet fighter Jonas Cepulis during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico catalysed the genesis of his professional career.
He waved a very small American flag to the four corners of the stadium, which sparked a monumental moment, noting that ten days before that day, his American teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos saluted the Black Power from the podium.
It served as an action for which Foreman held no remorse, despite criticism when he went back to the US.
He said: “When I walked into the Olympic Village, I saw a couple of athletes who looked like me.
George Foreman Dies At 76
I went to speak to them, but they couldn’t speak English. For the first time, I realized that the only thing that could identify us was our nation’s colors.
“I waved the flag so they knew I was American. Everyone started applauding, so I waved it higher.
That is the only reason I had that flag. If I had to do it all over again, I would have had two flags in my pocket.”
George Foreman Dies At 76
He continued: “I proudly walked down Lyons Avenue in the Fifth Ward [in Houston] wearing my medal.
A guy I thought was a friend walked up, looked me in the face and said, ‘How could you do what you did when the brothers [Smith and Carlos] were doing their thing?’ It … broke … my … heart. I didn’t expect that.”
Foreman became a professional boxer, and victorious in his first 37 fights before he challenged and defeated Joe Frazer in Kingston< Jamaica, in January 1973.
Despite being underrated, Foreman hit Frazer down six times in two rounds to clinch the WBA and WBC heavyweight championships, and he became world heavyweight champion.
He managed to defend the titles twice−first defeating Puerto Rico’s Jose Roman in %0 seconds and then went on to defeat American Ken Norton, who had beaten Muhammad Ali, within just two rounds−staged the “Rumble in the Jungle” bout in Zaire in October 1974.
George Foreman Dies At 76
The outcome of the event had gigantic cultural and political significance. The controversial decision to hold the bout in Zaire, with criticism over human rights abuses and corruption during the late President Mobutu Sese Seko’s administration.
The venue of the bout was cited as an avenue for Black athletes to promote African unity.
The bout itself−was said to guarantee both fighters $5million each, a huge amount considering the time and date of the bout−is tagged one of the greatest ever.
Deploying a tactic known as “rope-a-dope: “Ali was able to withstand Foreman’s punches by leaning back on the ropes, before landing a series of blows in the eighth round in what turned out to be his only knockout defeat in a 28-year professional career.
“I thought this would be the easiest $5 million I was going to pick up,” Foreman told CNN following Ali’s death in 2016.
“I hit him hard in the third round, and he looked at me as if to say, ‘I’m not gonna take it!’
“He hit me with a quick one-two, knocked me down to the canvas and my whole life changed. I was devastated. Little did I know I would make the best friend I ever had in my life.”
As a dedicated and devout Christian, Foreman turned an ordained minister after losing his second professional boxing match in 1977 and called it quit.
After a decade, despite being rusty, Foreman reignited his boxing career at 39, even went on to challenge 28-year-old Evander Holyfield in 1991 in a fight tagged, “The Battle of the Ages,” though he eventually lost by unanimous decision.
Foreman shocked the world of boxing in 1994 when he claimed the IBF and WBA heavyweight championship after defeating Michael Moorer. This happened two decades after he lost to Ali.
George Foreman Dies At 76
During an interview in 2023, Foreman said the victory meant more special than his first heavyweight title win against Frazier.
“The second time I made a point of believing it,” he said. “The first time I didn’t believe it. When you fight for the heavyweight championship of the world it does feel unbelievable, it doesn’t feel like you’re really there, it could be a dream. ‘You’re going to wake up soon, you don’t belong in the ring with these guys.’”
Foreman called it quit in1997, with a career record of 76 wins−68 by knock out−and five defeats.
An impoverished young boxer, Foreman grew up as one of seven children in the Ghetto of Fifth Ward in Houston, and frequently bullied children younger than he before he dropped out of high school.
He was employed at Job Corp at the age of 16, doing construction work and forestry−and it was there that Foreman met Job Corps counsellor and boxing trainer Doc Broaddus, who inspired Foreman to a glittering boxing career.
Aside being a successful boxer, Foreman also was a successful entrepreneur, with his “George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine” product debuting in 1994 and moving on to sell more than 100 million units worldwide.
He also established a clothing venture and a short-lived reality TV show featuring himself with his wife Mary Joan and 12 children−plus five boys named George.
Foreman never stopped preaching at his Houston church.
“My mother [Nancy] would have approved of [my ministry work] in a way she never did my boxing,” Foreman told Sorted magazine in March 2024.
George Foreman Dies At 76
In 2019, Foreman’s daughter Freeda, a former professional boxer, committed suicide. He posted the tragic incident on social media about his “first Sunday in 42 years without my Freeda”.
In 2022, Foreman was accused, by two women, of sexually abusing them when they were minors in the 1970s, as recorded by a lawsuit filed against him in Los Angeles Supreme Court.
Foreman denied the allegation, and in March 2024, a court filed a declaration requesting the one the lawsuit was kicked out.
A film about George Foreman was released, titled, “Big George Freeman.” It was released in 2023. He disclosed to CNN that recalling his past was difficult and watching his struggles while growing up bursts him to tears.
“You go through life building a big fence, bricks and everything to cover up your life, to hide your life,” he said. “Then all of a sudden, you got to reveal all those things you’re trying to hide.
“It’s not easy to tell a story about your life when you really spend a lifetime hiding your life.”
This is a developing story and more to come …………….
George Foreman Dies At 76
