George Foreman (American Professional Boxer) Biography

George Foreman is a former professional boxer. After starting off as a mugger who engaged in street fights, he went on to become a world renowned boxer. He is known for his epic fights with ace boxers like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, etc. He has a very interesting life story that involves epic victories, devastating defeats, retirements, and larger than life comebacks. He did not have a consistent boxing career; after each defeat he would isolate himself from the world of boxing. After his well-known defeat at the hands of Muhammad Ali, Foreman became a born-again Christian and devoted his life to god, charity, and his family. But just when the world had written him off, he made a massive comeback at the age of 38, proving to the world that age is just a number. His boxing career earned him a lot of respect and money and he became a successful entrepreneur. In 2002, he was rated as one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by ‘The Ring’ magazine. The magazine also ranked him the ninth greatest puncher of the century. He is also the author of multiple cookbooks and children’s books.

George Foreman Biography

Early Life

From one generation to the next, George Foreman’s legacy varies. Some may recall the 24-year-old Texan who knocked out Smokin’ Joe Frazier with a technical TKO in 1973. The same boxer who suffered his first loss to Muhammad Ali in 1974’s Rumble in the Jungle.

The Rumble was a pivotal conflict in Zaire that the Academy Award–winning film When We Were Kings centered on. George Foreman may be better known to younger audiences as the affable spokesperson for Meineke mufflers and the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine on television.

George Foreman came into this universe on January 10, 1949. Born in the Texas city of Marshall. He grew up in Houston with his six siblings. Leroy Moorehead is his biological father, but J.D. Foreman raised him.

George describes himself as a “troubled adolescent” in his autobiography. At age fifteen, he left school to become a thief. After a year, he realized he needed to make changes and convinced his mother to enroll him in Job Corps. He joined Job Corps to earn his GED and gain experience as a carpenter and bricklayer. He began boxing training following his relocation to Pleasanton, California.

George Foreman Net Worth

George Foreman, a legendary boxer and entrepreneur, earned a lot of money from his fighting career and business ventures, resulting in a net worth of $300 million in 2024.

Also Read: Michael Phelps (American Swimmer) Biography

George Foreman Awards

He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist.

Career

• In 1968, Foreman went on to win a gold medal in the ‘Summer Olympics’ in Mexico City, Mexico. It was during this time that there were riots in the US over civil rights. The African-American community was still under confusion whether or not to support the US policy. Many African-American athletes were publicly showing their contempt against the US policy. However, it did not deter Foreman from winning the medal for his country.
• In 1969, Foreman decided to take up boxing professionally and went through serious and rigorous training sessions. The same year, he took part in his first pro boxing match against Don Walheim in New York City. He won the match in a three-round knockout.1969 and 1970 were glorious years in the career of Foreman as he fought in 13 matches in 1969 and won all of them.
• In 1970, he continued winning boxing matches by knocking out 11 men in total. Despite all his wins, people criticized Foreman and said that he only won these matches because he fought against the has-beens.
• In 1973, he silenced his critics by fighting the ace champion Joe Frazier. In this epic match, Foreman sent Frazier to the mat twice by the end of the first round. By the end of the second round, Frazier was beaten.
• In 1974, Foreman participated in a match against the infamous heavyweight boxer Ken Norton. Ken Norton was notorious for his awkward boxing techniques and for breaking Muhammad Ali’s jaw. By the second round, Foreman had beaten Norton so badly that he wobbled in the ring and the referee had to intervene to stop the fight. This gave Foreman a 40-0 record with 37 knockouts.
• In the summer of 1974, Foreman suffered his first defeat. He fought against Muhammad Ali in a match that took place in Congo. It was a tough match where both the boxers fought very hard. By the eighth round, Foreman was tired and with Ali’s final blow to his head and jaw it was declared that Foreman had lost the match.
• Foreman made a comeback in 1976 in Las Vegas. He fought against Ron Lyle and after the fifth round Foreman sent Lyle to the ground and won the match. This win helped him gain confidence which he had lost after the match against Muhammad Ali.
• In 1977, Foreman won a match against Pedro Agosto in Florida, but lost a match against Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico. Foreman was tired by the second half of the fight and endured a flash knockdown at the hands of Young.
• It was in the dressing room after the fight with Jimmy Young that Foreman became ill and claimed to have suffered a near death experience. Later on, he said that it was in that moment of despair and suffering that he decided to change the ways of his life and dedicate his life to Christianity. He became a born-again Christian and stopped fighting.
• In the following years, he became an ordained minister in Houston, Texas, and devoted his life to god and his family. He also opened a youth center and shared his spiritual experience on television. He also started appearing on chat shows like ‘The 700 Club.’
• After 10 years of keeping himself away from the boxing ring, Foreman decided to make a comeback at the age of 38, surprising everyone. Despite being out of shape, he knocked out Steve Zouski in the fourth round of the match in Sacramento, California.
• In 1988, he won nine fights, notably knocking out the Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi in one of the fights.
• By 1989, Foreman had started using his popularity to sell diverse products by appearing on TV commercials. Thanks to his frequent TV appearances, he went on to become a household name in the US. In these commercials, he was portrayed as a smiling and gentle person as opposed to the image he had as a boxer.
• In 1991, Foreman fought the Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield for the world title in a pay-per-view boxing event. Although, Foreman lasted the full 12 rounds, Holyfield proved to be too strong for him and Foreman lost the match.
• In 1993, Foreman lost a match against Tommy Morrison. Morrison was more agile and younger than Foreman and he tired him out by the 12th round. Foreman was denied an opportunity to fight in another championship match after his loss to Morrison, but he took the case to the court pleading age discrimination and eventually won the case.
• In 1994, he fought against Michael Moorer in a title match in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the first nine rounds Moorer boxed well, but in the 10th round Foreman punched Moorer in the chin and the latter landed flat on his back. This win earned Foreman the championship that he had lost to Muhammad Ali 20 years ago—the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation Heavyweight title.
• In 1997, Foreman took part in a match against Shannon Briggs. The winner was to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis. By the 12th round, Briggs was declared the winner and Foreman retired for good at the age of 48.

Major Fights

• In 1974, Foreman’s match, famously promoted as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle,’ against Muhammad Ali was a historical match and an important one in the life of Foreman. At the end of the match, Foreman faced defeat for the first time in his boxing career.
• In 1987, Foreman made his comeback after 20 years of retirement from boxing. He won at the age of 38 in a match against Steve Zouski by knocking him out in the fourth round. He won the match despite being out of shape. He stated that he wanted to show everyone that age doesn’t define one’s success or failure.
• In 1994, he became the world champion by defeating Michael Moorer in Las Vegas. He won the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation, the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali in the epic ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ 20 years back.

George Foreman Record

What is George Foreman’s boxing record?

In a professional boxing career spanning 28 years and four months, George Foreman fought 81 times with 76 wins and 5 losses.

Foreman retired from professional boxing with a record of 76-5, which included five heavyweight world-title wins and three successful title defense fights. He had a 84% knockouts-to-fights ratio with 68 of his total 81 fights being knockout wins, four of which were in title fights. The only knockout loss in Foreman’s career was a 8th round KO loss to Muhammad Ali in a heavyweight title fight.

His last fight was a 12-round majority decision defeat to Shannon Briggs on November 22, 1997.

Some of Foreman’s best fights and notable victories include wins over three Hall-of-Famers (Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton), Michael Moorer, Lou Savarese, George Chuvalo, Axel Schulz, and Ron Lyle.

Personal Life & Legacy

• From 1971 to 1985, Foreman got divorced four times. It is said that one of his wives fled to Barbados with their kids but he found them and brought them back.
• He has 12 children and two adopted daughters. He adopted Isabella Brandie Lilja and Courtney Isaac in 2009 and 2012, respectively. He lives with his wife Mary Joan Martelly.

Olympics

By training with Doc Broaddus, George Foreman quickly learned all of the ins and outs of boxing. In 1968, George Foreman won a gold medal for heavyweight boxing in Mexico City. Shortly after this inspiring victory, he decided to become a professional boxer.

Early Boxing Career

George Foreman had his first professional fight in 1969 when he was 21 years old. He worked hard in his career, winning 37 matches, before becoming the heavyweight boxing champion, not once, but twice. However, he didn’t win every game he got into. He also became the heavyweight division world champion in 1973.

In 1974, he was defeated by the famous Muhammad Ali. His loss against Ali was the only time he would lose a fight by knockout in his entire boxing career. In 1977, he lost to Jimmy Young, which derailed his boxing career.

Ministry Career

In 1977, George Foreman lost a fight to Jimmy Young. After the fight, George Foreman was feeling anything but well. He claims to have had a religious reawakening. Later, he became a non-denominational Christian minister. He left the position when he resumed his boxing career and came back to the church again once his boxing career was officially over.

Late Boxing Career

In 1987, ten years after losing to Jimmy Young, George Foreman re-entered the boxing scene. He was now 38 years old and he had gained at least 50 pounds since his last fight. He had to work hard to gain back the strength in his muscles, confidence, and fans that he once had. He worked hard and was allowed to face the heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield.

George did not win, but fans and critics alike praised him for taking on the much younger challenger. He had another title fight in 1994 when he was 45 with Michael Moorer. He won this fight, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion ever.

In 1997, he lost a fight to Shannon Briggs. This would prove to be his last fight. During his boxing career, he won 76 matches, 68 of them by knocking out his opponent. In his whole career, he only lost five matches.

Family Life

George Foreman has been married five times. His past wives are Adrienne Calhoun (1971-1974), Cynthia Lewis (1977-1979), Charon Goodson (1981-1982), and Andrea Skeete (1982-1985). He was married most recently to Mary Joan Martelly in 1985. With his various wives, he has had 12 children. He has five sons, all named George and seven daughters named Freeda, Georgetta, Natalia, Leola, Michi, Courtney, and Isabella,

Advertisement and Branding

In 1994, George Foreman became the spokesperson for a grill named after him. With his endorsement, the restaurant sold like crazy and still sells well today. It is estimated that George Foreman has made millions on the grill.

George Foreman also had a clothing line, books, and a reality TV show, which he starred in with his most recent wife and ten of his twelve children.

Who are George Foreman’s ex-wives?

Over the years, Foreman has said “I Do” to five women.

His ex-wives include:

Adrienne Calhoun

• Foreman’s first marriage was to Adrienne Calhoun, the mother of his eldest daughter, Michi Foreman.
• The pair tied the knot in 1971 but divorced shortly after in 1974 because he allegedly had an affair with Pamela Clay, the mother of his eldest son, George Foreman Jr., according to Distractify.
• At this time, details on Calhoun’s personal life are unclear because she often stays out of the spotlight.

Cynthia Lewis

After Foreman’s divorce from Calhoun was finalized, he went on to welcome another daughter, Georgetta, in 1977 with his ex-girlfriend, Charlotte Gross. That same year, he tied the knot with his second wife, Cynthia Lewis, who is a former beauty queen. Foreman’s marriage to Lewis was also shortlived as the pair divorced two years later in August 1979. They never had any children together.

Sharon Goodson

Two years after his second divorce, Foreman married his third wife, Sharon Goodson.

Not much is known about Goodson’s personal life because she often stays out of the spotlight, but her marriage to the boxer only lasted one year. Foreman and Goodson never had any children together either.

Andrea Skeete

The same year that Foreman divorced Goodson, he tied the knot with his fourth wife, Andrea Skeete.

Not much is known about Skeete’s personal life, but before divorcing in 1985, she welcomed two children with the heavyweight champ, Freeda Foreman and George Foreman III.