George Foreman was never just a boxer. He was a force of nature, a man whose you could never count out and stages some of the greatest comebacks in the fighting world.
On Friday, Foreman’s family announced that the boxing star passed away at the age of 76, and with that, the world said goodbye to a legend whose reach went far beyond the ropes of the ring.
Foreman was a boxing legend before he became a household name through kitchen appliances and his booming laugh. He first stormed onto the global stage in 1968, capturing Olympic gold with the raw power and intensity that would define much of his career. Six years later, he would step into the ring for what became the most iconic boxing match ever staged: the Rumble in the Jungle.
10 bells for the great George Foreman. #KambososWyllie | Live now on DAZN pic.twitter.com/uBmT6lWhRk
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) March 22, 2025
Facing Muhammad Ali in Zaire, Foreman was the undefeated champion, the man no one thought could be stopped. But Ali, employing the now-legendary “rope-a-dope,” delivered an eighth-round knockout that stunned the world.
But that wasn’t the end of Foreman.
He returned to the ring with fury, scoring knockouts over greats like Joe Frazier and Ron Lyle, only to walk away from boxing at 28, turning instead to ministry in his home state of Texas. And then, in one of the most improbable comebacks in sports history, he returned ten years later—older, heavier, smiling more, yet still dangerous.
By 45, Foreman had stunned the world again. Against Michael Moorer in 1994, he was losing on all scorecards. But two punches changed everything. Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history, nearly 46 years old, standing tall as if time itself had lost the fight.
George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer, Round 10. Trailing on the scorecards and running out of time, a 45-year-old Foreman catches the undefeated 26-year-old heavyweight champ with a perfect right hand to regain his crown 20 years and 6 days after losing it.
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He left the ring a second time and found even more success with the George Foreman Grill, a cultural juggernaut that sold over 100 million units and turned him into an icon of everyday life. Yet, those who knew him best—like longtime HBO colleague Jim Lampley—remembered more than his punches or business savvy. They remembered a generous soul, a man who wore humility like a second skin.
Foreman punched hard, lived large, and smiled through it all. And now, the bell tolls for one of boxing’s greatest chapters.
