George Edward Foreman Sr. was born to JD and Nancy Foreman on January 10, 1949, in the town of Marshall, Texas. An impoverished youth, Foreman often bullied younger children and didn't like getting up early for school. Foreman became a mugger and brawler on the hard streets of Houston’s 5th ward by age 15.
George Foreman, from Thug to Boxer
George attended the Lyndon Johnson's Job Corps program, which helped troubled kids. Foreman traveled to California, where he met Job Corps counselor and boxing coach Doc Broaddus, who encouraged Foreman to become a fighter.
After only 24 amateur fights, the culmination of his amateur boxing career came at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, where he won a gold medal. George got extra attention when he brandished an American flag after his win; "I wanted everyone in the world to know I was an American," he later explained, "and proud of the opportunity that I was given to do what I had done."
Foreman Becomes Heavyweight Champ
In 1969, Foreman turned professional. Within two years, Foreman was ranked the No. 1 challenger by the WBA and WBC; by 1972, Foreman's impressive record was 37 wins (most by knockout) and no losses.
Foreman became the heavyweight champion on January 22, 1973 after knocking out the great Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica. An unprecedented TV audience watched Foreman become the champ -- the fight was HBO Boxing's first-ever broadcast.
In the summer of 1974 George Foreman lost his title in what is considered one of the greatest fights of all time, the much-hyped "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire. After taking 1975 off, Foreman returned to boxing, winning a number of fights before losing by decision to Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico in 1977. It was in his dressing room after the fight that Foreman had a religious experience; he then gave up boxing and became a born-again Christian.
George was ordained a minister and began preaching in his hometown of Houston, Texas. In 1984, he founded the George Foreman Youth and Community Center, a non-denominational place for kids who need direction like he once did. In order to continue his positive work in the community, in 1987 Foreman decided to return to boxing!
Many people doubted George’s ability, but he proved his detractors wrong when he kept winning fights into his 40s; in 1991 he had a shot at the title, but lost to champ Evander Holyfield by decision.
The loss made George stronger! In 1994 Foreman took on the new champ Michael Moorer, and knocked him out in the 10th round; Foreman became, at 44, the oldest fighter ever to win the heavyweight crown.
George Foreman & the Lean Mean Grilling Machine
By the time Foreman retired from boxing (again) in 1999, he was well on his way to a second career as a businessman. Since the early 1990s, Foreman had discovered his talent for salesmanship, and by the end of the decade, he was making millions off of infomercials marketing the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine which has sold over 100 million units to date.
George has now successfully launched a line of environmentally safe cleaning products which can be seen at www.letgeorgecleanit.com, an exclusive line of personal care products, a health shake called George Foreman’s Life Shake, a prescription shoe for diabetics to prevent amputations, a restaurant franchise called UFood Grille, 10 books, and the list continues to build.
When not promoting his products, George tends to his ministry and charitable work, including most recently his “Knock-Out Pediatric Cancer” initiative. www.knockoutpediatriccancer.com He spends free time with his family or with his horses on his ranch in Marshall.
The Event
