Boxing has lost a legend.
George Foreman, one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, one of the sports world’s most influential people, passed away on Friday, March 21. He was 76.
Foreman’s family made the unfortunate announcement on his Instagram account.
“Our hearts are broken,” the post states. “With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. 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. 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. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”
As expected, the tributes came flooding in on social media after the news went public.
Foreman was a renaissance man. He went from being a troubled youth to an Olympic gold medalist in boxing in 1968 to becoming the WBC heavyweight champion in 1973 when he scored a historic KO win over Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.
Foreman was among the most-feared punchers in the history of boxing. His size and power led to stunning KO wins with what appeared to be glancing blows. In 1974, Foreman faced an aging but wily Muhammad Ali in the fight famously known as the Rumble in the Jungle. Ali defeated Foreman, stealing away some of the latter’s aura in the process.
In 1977, following a unanimous decision loss to Jimmy Young in Puerto Rico, Foreman retired at the age of 28.
He became a minister and shifted his attention away from boxing. Foreman returned in 1987 in what is arguably the most remarkable and successful comebacks in sports history.
Foreman, who was 38 at the time, set his sights on becoming world champion again. Early on, Foreman faced mostly unknown opponents, and he hammered them to the tune of 17 consecutive KO wins from 1987–1989.
Foreman’s popularity took off. He became a major star again and began drawing major fights en route to the championship opportunity he sought.
Amazingly, Foreman won 24 straight fights to kick off his second career before losing an all-time classic fight with Evander Holyfield in April 1991. Many believed Foreman would hang up the gloves at that point.
However, he continued on, with the fight with Holyfield only adding to his popularity. Foreman would win three straight fights before dropping another unanimous decision to the late Tommy Morrison in 1993.
Still, Foreman pressed on, and he landed a title shot against the undefeated Michael Moorer in November 1994.
I met and spoke to Foreman’s friend and HBO colleague Jim Lampley in Brooklyn earlier this month ahead of the Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach fight, and Lampley told me the story of a conversation he’d had with Big George the week before the fight.
Lampley admitted he didn’t think Foreman could beat Moorer, who had just outboxed Holyfield in his previous fight. Lampley told me Foreman said, “Jim, there will come a point in the fight when he will stop moving, stand in front of me and allow me to knock him out. And that’s exactly what happened.”
That story was the inspiration for Lampley’s book titled It Happened, which parrots his iconic call to the night Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship.
In case you haven’t seen the highlight, here it is.
Foreman was down on all of the scorecards when the knockout happened, and just short of his 46th birthday, Foreman had become the heavyweight champion. He wasn’t just the oldest heavyweight to win a world title; he was the oldest boxer to ever win a world title, and that record stood until Bernard Hopkins broke it in 2011.
The year 1994 was momentous for Foreman. He didn’t just make boxing history in 1994; Foreman also launched his world-famous and wildly lucrative grill. The grill sold more than 100 million units worldwide and made Foreman a fortune.
He sold the rights to the George Foreman Grill for $138 million in 1999.
In the ring, Foreman’s final fight happened in 1997 when he lost a majority decision to Shannon Briggs. During the latter stages of his boxing livelihood, Foreman worked as an analyst for HBO. That business relationship ended in 2004.
Foreman leaves behind a legacy of greatness, perseverance, and faith in and out of the ring. Condolences to his family and friends, and may he rest in peace.
