The Legacy of George Foreman

TafadzwaIs
Apr 8, 2025
4 min read

Updated: Nov 15, 2025

The world of boxing took a significant turn on Friday, March 21st, 2025. Unlike his career hits, this one is the announcement of his passing away at age 76.

Early Years

Whether Foreman is remembered as a boxing legend, an entrepreneurial success or even, as Trump stated, "a great person", Foreman has built a reputation that precedes the passing of an athlete but that of a man who made earth just that bit better.

George Foreman was born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. Foreman did not begin his early years as a role model, having been associated with bullying, thieving and having street bouts without much concern regarding his education. Following this, he was then enrolled on the Lyndon B. Johnson Job Corps program which allowed him to gain employment skills. This is where fate met destiny as one of the program's councillors' was a skilled boxing coach (guiding fellow legends such as; Sugar Ray Leanard). Doc Broaddus set the fighter's destiny in motion by encouraging Foreman to take up boxing and eventually pursue the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, bringing home his first gold medal.

On the Boxing Path…

Foreman's professional career took off from that point on being ranked the no.1 challenger from the WBA and WBC titles whilst accruing his win record as well as knockout record. The unofficial boxing 3-man standoff began with Foreman's heavyweight championship against Joe Frazier in 1973. To many's surprise, he forced the upset with a knockout. Then defending the title twice to lose it to boxing icon Muhammed Ali in 2024, the fight Ali coined as 'The Rumble in the Jungle', one of the biggest events in boxing history.

Foreman's Faith and Its Impact

"When I found Jesus Christ, I learned to be a better athlete. I didn't have to go out there and knock them out in the first round. I've learned to be patient, skillful in the ring. At the same time, I wanted to prove to other boxers that you can take off this killer instinct stuff, you can be a great athlete, a great boxer, and love your brother." Foreman said in an interview with the 700 Club.

The above quote comes from prior to Foreman's first retirement, with his last match losing to Jimmy Young he recalled, "I went back to my dressing room, fighting for my life, and that's when I heard the Voice. I was trying to make a deal. I knew I was about to die. I said, 'I'm still George Foreman. I can give money to charity and cancer.' And the Voice said, 'I don't want your money; I want you!' Tears fell. I was scared. I'd never heard anyone turn down money. There I was fighting for my life with something that you couldn't deal with. That changed my life forever."

Having left the sport for a decade, Foreman used that time to utilise his minister ordainment to preach in Houston, founding The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the George Foreman Youth and Community Center.

Back in the Ring

In the eyes of many, Foreman's informidable nature came from his return from retirement in 1987 to reclaim the title in 1994, defeating Michel Moorer becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history which holds to this day. The success must've been flowing as this is the year the infamous Foreman Grill was introduced.

It was known that George loved the grill season, reportedly eating burgers before or after fights. In an X.com response to a fan who asked, "How many burgers would you eat after a fight George?" he corrected the fan stating, "You mean “how many days I’d eat burgers after a fight.” Inventor of the grill, Chinese home electronic company Tsann Kuen were based in Chicago at the time attempting to stay competitive when their general manager and inventor of the Foreman Grill, Michael Boehm, wanted a face to put alongside the product. In comes George Foreman. Foreman was reportedly chosen due to his love of burgers.

The grill performed so well that it outpaced competitors in the market, while at the same making iterations to the product to keep it competitive today. With more than 100 million units sold worldwide, the quote still rings true - "It's so good, I put my name on it!".

In perspective, Foreman's profit-share deal goes down as one of the earliest and most lucrative deals compared to other athletes' brand deals including the likes of Tiger Wood, Lebron James and adversary Muhammed Ali.

Another one of his brand deals that isn't often promoted is the success Foreman brought by promoting the then-Houston brand Meineke Car Care Centers (now Meineke), helping grow its brand both nationally and internationally.

Later Years

Following up on the success of the grill, Foreman defended his title in 1995, then retired after a loss to Logan Paul's boxing coach, Shannon Briggs. His life was far from over further pursuing his spiritual calling where he preached at The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Outside this, he spent a great time with family at their ranch in Marshall, Texas.

Future

Foreman's passing has left echoes in the boxing world. As with most legends of the sport, they're either irreplaceable or there exists a significant difference to any comparisons. The heavyweight division has a huge shoe to fill in the heavy hitter George Foreman considering his resume and durability. Foreman is placed 3rd of all-time hardest punchers in heavyweight history by premier boxing champions, overtaken by Deontay Wilder and Earnie Shavers purely based on knockout rate. For those who want to see the story, Affirm Films released the biographical film - Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World (released 2023).

Glossary

Boxing... an individual sport where opposing players try to score points by landing and avoiding punches in a match of multiple rounds.

Championship... a contest where a champion is decided, where a player/ team earns the title of champion for a given period.

Knockout (aka 'KO')... when a boxer is knocked down and cannot get up by the count of 10.

Olympics... the world's only truly global, multi-sport, celebratory athletics competition. With more than 200 countries participating in over 400 events across the Summer and Winter Games, held once every four years.