Both George Foreman and the people who admired him benefited from his life as a force for good.
George Foreman, a towering figure in boxing and beyond, passed away on March 21, 2025, at the age of 76, leaving a legacy defined by strength, faith, and an uncanny ability to rebound from life’s punches. Known as “Big George,” he was a two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medalist, a minister, and the face of a kitchen empire. His journey—from the rough streets of Houston to global icon—captures a man who turned adversity into triumph time and again.
Born January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas, and raised in Houston’s gritty Fifth Ward, Foreman’s early life was a fight for survival. A high school dropout, he found purpose in the Job Corps, where boxing unleashed his raw power. He snatched gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and, as a pro, claimed the heavyweight title in 1973 by flattening Joe Frazier in two rounds. His 1974 defeat to Muhammad Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle” tested his mettle—drained but defiant. After a spiritual epiphany in 1977, he retired to become an ordained minister, pouring a decade into his church and youth outreach.
Foreman defied logic by staging a comeback at the age of 38. In 1994, at 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer to reclaim the heavyweight crown, becoming the oldest champ in history with a record of 76-5, including 68 knockouts. His resilience shone beyond the ring with the George Foreman Grill. Launched in 1994 by Salton, Inc., it sold over 100 million units, earning him over $200 million—far more than his boxing purses. Yet, he nearly lost the branding to Hulk Hogan, who claimed Salton first pitched him the grill. Hogan opted for a meatball maker instead, leaving Foreman to seize the “Lean Mean Fat-Reducing” phenomenon after a burger demo from his wife Mary changed his mind. His charm made it a household name.
A devout Christian, husband to Mary Joan Martelly, and father to 12—including five sons named George—he lived with conviction. His family hailed him as “a force for good, a man of discipline, and protector of his legacy.” Foreman’s life inspires—a testament to faith, grit, and a grill that almost got away.
Read more about George Foreman in his autobiography.*
*Amazon.com
