Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman who became a business entrepreneur through his years of life died peacefully on March 21, 2025 at age 76. Family members stated that George Foreman passed away with people he loved during his peaceful last moments.
A Storied Boxing Career
George Foreman grew up in Marshall Texas where he was born on January 10th 1949 before reaching worldwide boxing success as one of the toughest combatants of his era. When he triumphed over other heavyweights to win a gold at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games he established his position as an international athlete. Once he became a professional fighter in 1969 Foreman established himself fast. Foreman delivered a historic victory for world heavyweight championship in 1973 when he conquered Joe Frazier with a knockout during the second round. The knockout win established his position as both tough and frightening in the eyes of fans.
Foreman delivered one of his most iconic moments in his professional career through his fight against Muhammad Ali in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo) which was known as the "Rumble in the Jungle". As the main contender Foreman experienced an historic setback that remains significant in boxing history.
During his short retirement period in 1977 Foreman came out of retirement for an impressive comeback in 1987. At 45 years old Foreman rose to become heavyweight champion after defeating Michael Moorer; establishing himself as the oldest person to attain this title in history. In 1997 he made his final retirement while having achieved an outstanding career result of 76 wins (68 by knockout) and five loses.
Entrepreneurial Success and Personal Life
His entrepreneurial achievements particularly the George Foreman Grill made him famous across homes worldwide after his achievements in professional boxing. During the 1990s when the grill hit the market it became a world-famous product which sold more than 100 million units globally. The commercial rights to his George Foreman grill brought him $138 million in 1999 which proved to be a historical success in sports marketing.
In addition to his athletic achievements Foreman
demonstrated a profound spiritual connection and he showed great dedication to his community. He dedicated himself to ministry work through ordained ministership after retirement then preached at his Houston Texas hometown. He was respected by everyone for being a humble and generous person while maintaining devoted attention to his family. Mary Joan Martelly remains married to Foreman while he has 12 children who survive him.
Tributes from the Boxing World
The boxing community together with many others expressed sincere memorials after learning about Foreman's death. The boxing world honors Foreman as "a man of God" according to Mike Tyson who also recognized his commitment to sport and community impact. Scoring figures from Scottie Pippen and Robert Griffin III joined in paying tribute to Foreman because they acknowledged his achievements inside and outside athletic competition. Through his path from survival in a tough environment to world-renowned success George Foreman established a permanent monument to the power of tenacity and religious dedication along with determination to reach top performance. Through his example Foreman will forever inspire upcoming generations to excel in sports and business entrepreneurship.