Known as a hard-punching boxing champion, ‘Big’ George Foreman grew up in poverty in the small town of Marshall, Texas. The fifth of seven children, his father, a railroad worker, and his mother, a homemaker, worked hard, but due to a lack of finances, they moved to Houston into what was known as the fifth ward, a rough area.
George would drop out of school, and the streets would lead him astray. He found himself in pool halls and gambling houses. He found himself in fights all the time due to his size. He was rebellious at home and, for days, would disappear.
In 1965, at the age of fifteen, he joined the Job Corps, where George met a supervisor and boxing trainer, Doc Broadus, who found in him not only strength but aggression. George, at first, wasn’t interested in boxing but found it was an outlook for his anger, a way to focus his energy. Under Broadus he learned discipline.
In just three years George found himself a rising start in the boxing world. In 1968 he would represent the United States in the Olympics in Mexico. He won the Gold Medal and in walking around the ring waving an American flag was iconic.
It led him into a professional boxing career under trainer Dick Sadler and legendary promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank. He would turn pro in June of 1969, winning his first thirty-seven fights, thirty-four by knockout, including stoppage over Canadian George Chuvalo, 59-15-2, and a decision over South American contender Gregorio ‘Goro’ Peralta, 74-5-8, both at Madison Square Garden.
In January of 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, George would stop champion unbeaten, 29-0, and former Olympic Gold Medalist ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier in two rounds, having him down six times. After knockout defenses over Joe ‘King’ Roman, 44-7-1, in Tokyo in the first round and future champion Ken Norton, 30-2, coming off splitting in two fights with Ali, Caracas, Venezuela, stopping him in two rounds, he faced former champion Muhammad Ali, 44-2, in Zaire, Africa, losing his title being stopped in eight rounds.
Foreman returned with wins over Ron Lyle, 31-3-1, in a fight Ring Magazine called the 1976 bout ‘The Fight of the Year.’ For four rounds, they exchanged punch after punch until he stopped Lyle in the fifth round. Then, the return match with Frazier dropped him twice in the fifth before stopping him.
Then, after scoring three knockouts, he faced Philly’s Jimmy Young, 20-5-2, in San Juan, PR, getting dropped in the twelfth and final round, losing a decision in June of 1977, and retiring from the ring. In his dressing room, he saw a vision of Jesus Christ, which would eventually lead him into the ministry.
George would return to the ring after an absence of nearly ten years, winning twenty-four fights in a row, facing champion Evander ‘The Real Deal Holyfield, 25-0, in Atlantic City, losing by decision.
After winning three fights George would lose to Tommy ‘The Duke’ Morrison, 36-1, in Las Vegas. Somehow, in spite of coming off a loss in November of 1994 he would fight for the world title at age 45 against WBA and IBF champion Michael ‘Double M’ Moorer, 35-0, in Las Vegas. Behind on all scorecards he knocked Moorer out in the tenth round for the title.
George was stripped of his WBA title when he refused to fight Tony ‘TNT’ Tucker. He returned to the ring in April of 1995, winning a controversial majority decision over Germany’s Axel Schulz, 21-1-1, in Las Vegas, adding the vacant WBU title. He was then stripped of his IBF title for refusing to give Schulz a rematch.
In November of 1996, George returned to the ring in Japan, defeating Crawford ‘The Terminator’ Grimsley, 20-0, over 12 rounds, adding the IBA belt. In April of 1997, he won a split decision over Lou Savarese, 36-0, in Atlantic City.
In November, George’s career came to an end, losing a controversial decision to Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs, 29-1, in Atlantic City. His final record was 76-5 with 68 knockouts.
George would go on to make a fortune by selling the George Foreman Grill.
