“Big” George Foreman, one of the most influential and recognizable boxers of all time, died Friday, his family announced on his social media account.
He was 76.
Foreman, who captured an Olympic gold medal in 1968, is a two-time heavyweight champion and Hall of Fame boxer.
He’s perhaps best known for the historic Rumble in the Jungle bout with Muhammad Ali in 1974 in Zaire, a fight Foreman lost in an upset via eighth-round KO. It’s arguably the most famous fight of all time and the “When We Were Kings” documentary that chronicled the fight won an Oscar for best documentary feature.
Foreman made history. He fought five more times after he lost the heavyweight championship to Ali at age 25, including another fifth-round TKO victory over Joe Frazier (whom he stopped in two rounds to first win the title) and a fifth-round KO of Ron Lyle in a classic.
After that fifth fight at 28, Foreman shockingly announced his retirement and began a career as an ordained minister in his native Texas.
Foreman returned to the sport after a 10-year absence and a self-described religious awakening.
He then pulled off one of the most spectacular knockouts in boxing history in 1994, flooring Michael Moorer – 19 years his junior – with one perfect combination to claim Moorer’s two heavyweight belts.
Foreman’s transformation into an inspirational figure was complete, and he fought only four more times before moving onto his next career as a genial businessman, pitchman and occasional actor.
He was best known as the face of the George Foreman Grill, a rudimentary cooking machine which sold more than 100 million units and made him much wealthier than his sport ever did.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
