About
George Foreman is an American former professional boxer known for his two heavyweight championship wins and creating the popular George Foreman grill.
Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas, where he spent his teenage years as a gang member and high school dropout. Joining the Job Corps in 1965, Foreman was connected to boxing trainer Doc Broaddus, who encouraged him to use his fighting skills in the ring instead of the streets. Three years later, Foreman was competing for the U.S. Olympic boxing team in Mexico City, where he won the gold medal in the heavyweight boxing division.
Following the 1968 Olympics Foreman went professional, and was a force to be reckoned with at 6 foot 3 and 218 pounds. After 37 professional wins, Foreman fought heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, against whom he claimed a decisive victory and took home the heavyweight crown. Foreman’s only defeat by knockout in his entire professional career occurred in 1974 at the hands of Muhammad Ali, and after suffering another major loss in 1977 against Jimmy Young, he retired from boxing and became a Christian minister.
Ten years after his religious awakening, Foreman returned to the ring and regained his mojo through a series of formidable fights against the likes of Steve Zouski and Evander Holyfield. In 1994, Foreman defeated Michael Moorer in the 10th round, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history at 45 years old. Foreman lost his final fight against Shannon Briggs in 1977, but finished his career with a record of 76 wins and only five losses. In 2003, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Foreman’s career has been long and successful since he left boxing. In the years following, he continued to preach at the church he started in Houston, joined HBO Sports as a boxing broadcaster, and earned millions of dollars in revenue for his famous George Foreman grill. Foreman currently stars in NBC’s Better Late Than Never alongside William Shatner, Henry Winkler, and Terry Bradshaw. He is also a widely sought after public speaker, and is regularly booked for corporate events.
