Legendary American heavyweight boxer George Foreman has died at the age of 76, his family has confirmed.
Nicknamed “Big George,” Foreman built a remarkable career in the sport, earning Olympic gold in 1968 and securing the world heavyweight title twice—his second victory, at age 45, making him the oldest champion in history, according to the BBC.
He first claimed the heavyweight title in 1973 after defeating Joe Frazier but lost it the following year in the iconic “Rumble in the Jungle” bout against Muhammad Ali.
Over his professional career, Foreman amassed an impressive 76 wins, including 68 knockouts—nearly double the total achieved by Ali. After retiring from boxing in 1997, he found success outside the ring, most notably by lending his name to a popular grill, a move that ultimately proved more lucrative than his boxing career.
Announcing his passing on Instagram, his family wrote: “Our hearts are broken. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.”
The statement continued: “A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected—a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name—for his family.”
Born in Marshall, Texas, on January 10, 1949, Foreman grew up in a segregated America with six siblings, raised by a single mother. His early life was marked by struggles, including school dropout and involvement in street crime, before he found discipline and purpose in boxing.
At just 19 years old, he won gold at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City and turned professional shortly after, embarking on an astonishing 37-match winning streak. Over the course of his career, he suffered only five losses.
His 1974 showdown against Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), remains one of boxing’s most legendary encounters. At the time, Foreman was the favorite, with many expecting him to dominate Ali.
“Oh, he’s not going to last one round,” Foreman recalled experts predicting in an October 2023 interview with BBC World Service Newshour. Despite typically feeling nervous before fights, he said that night was the “most comfortable” he had ever felt.
However, Ali employed his now-famous “rope-a-dope” strategy, allowing Foreman to exhaust himself with a relentless barrage of punches before counterattacking in the eighth round to secure a knockout victory.