George Foreman
| George Foreman | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | George Edward Foreman |
| Nickname(s) | Big George The Heywood Giant[1] |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 6 ft 3½ in (1.92 m) |
| Reach | 82 in (208 cm) |
| Nationality |  American |
| Birth date | January 10, 1949 |
| Birth place | Marshall, Texas, United States |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 81 |
| Wins | 76 |
| Wins by KO | 68 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur.
His most notable fights in his early career were his knockout against Joe Frazier in 1973 and his loss to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He later became the oldest man ever to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world when, at age 45, he knocked out Michael Moorer, age 26, to reclaim the title he held 20 years earlier. He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine.[2] Nicknamed "Big George"[3] he is now a successful businessman and an ordained Christian minister who has his own church.
Foreman has 11 children, and each of his five sons are named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red", and "Little George". He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.
Foreman is ranked #9 on Ring magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". He is also well-known for the eponymous George Foreman Grill.
Contents |
Early life
George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas with six siblings[4]. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman's nickname was "Monkey", and later "Moorehead", as a result. Foreman was interested in football but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games.
Professional career
| Olympic medal record | ||
| Men's Boxing | ||
|---|---|---|
| Gold | 1968 Mexico City | Heavyweight |
Foreman had an amateur record of 22-4, losing twice to Clay Hodges (also defeated by Max Briggs in his first ever fight). Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).
In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden, and George Chuvalo, whom he defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three.
In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round in Oakland, California, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA and WBC.
In 1972, his string of wins continued with a series of five consecutive bouts in which he defeated each opponent within three rounds.
The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier
Still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously-unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier[5] and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.
The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in sport: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.
Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion.[6] According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.
Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican heavyweight champion José Roman. Roman was not regarded as a top contender, and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout. Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward boxing style and crab-like defense, who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali while defeating him on points a year earlier. Norton's ability to "take a punch", however, was suspect, and Foreman put him to the test. In an astonishing display of aggression and punching power, Foreman knocked out Norton in just two rounds scoring three knockdowns all in the second round. The win made Foreman 40–0 with 37 knockouts.
"Rumble in the Jungle"
Foreman's next title defense, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle.
During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regime, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box."[1] Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Nevertheless, Foreman was a heavy favorite, due in large part to the fact that Frazier and Norton had given Ali four difficult fights, lasted the distance in all, and won two of them, while Foreman had scored TKOs over both in the second round.
When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman's neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary trick, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.
In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali's chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly-confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. Late in the eighth round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw. An overwhelmed Foreman was thrown off balance and fell to the floor. He managed to regain his feet, but the referee ended the fight at the count of 8. Foreman later said that he was not hurt but more shocked that an opponent had knocked him down, which had never previously happened to him. It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali would remain the only boxer to defeat him by a knockout.
Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as had rematches Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman.[2]
First comeback
Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he announced a comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron Lyle, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1975. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round , and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring as "The Fight Of The Year."
For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, Foreman-Frazier II was fairly competitive as long as it lasted, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.
Retirement and rebirth
1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was Jimmy Young, who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.
Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to Christianity. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church[7] in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his parishioners. He also opened a youth center[8] that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.
Second comeback
In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography he stated that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created. His stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson.[3] For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California, where he beat journeyman Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121 kg) for the fight, and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement", although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).
By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills to mufflers on TV. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.
Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper, who would go on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield.
In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well-regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice, and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.
Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down, and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was Ring Magazine's "Round Of The Year."
A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win.
In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman, and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.
Regaining the Title
In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles.
Having lost his last fight against Morrison he then decided to go and take a massive shift, simply due to the amount of body shots he had taken and been inactive since, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.
Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round, and hit Moorer with a number of long-range jabs. Then, suddenly, a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.
In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight crown; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.
Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson. The WBA organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker, and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the lineal heavyweight champion.
In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC decided to match him against Shannon Briggs in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner.[9] Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.
Second retirement
Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterward. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.
Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent, never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.
Boxing record
As of November 1997, Foreman has compiled a professional record of 76 wins and 5 losses.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Date | Round | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 76–5 | Shannon Briggs |
MD | 22 November 1997 | 12 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
lost Lineal World Heavyweight Title |
| Win | 76–4 | Lou Savarese |
SD | 26 April 1997 | 12 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
Defends WBU heavyweight title & gives up IBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 75–4 | Crawford Grimsley |
UD | 3 November 1996 | 12 |  Chiba, Japan |
Defends WBU heavyweight title, stripped of IBF heavyweight title, vacant IBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 74–4 |  Axel Schulz |
MD | 22 April 1995 | 12 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Defends IBF heavyweight title, stripped of WBA heavyweight title & Wins vacant WBU heavyweight title |
| Win | 73–4 | Michael Moorer |
KO | 5 November 1994 | 10 set for 12 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Wins WBA heavyweight title & IBF heavyweight title, oldest boxer to win the Heavyweight Championship |
| Loss | 72–4 | Tommy Morrison |
UD | 7 June 1993 | 12 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
For vacant WBO heavyweight title |
| Win | 72–3 |  Pierre Coetzer |
TKO | 16 January 1993 | 8 set for 10 | Reno, Nevada |
|
| Win | 71–3 | Alex Stewart |
MD | 11 April 1992 | 10 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 70–3 | Jimmy Ellis |
TKO | 7 December 1991 | 3 set for 10 | Reno, Nevada |
|
| Loss | 69–3 | Evander Holyfield |
UD | 19 April 1991 | 12 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
For WBC heavyweight title, WBA heavyweight title & IBF heavyweight title |
| Win | 69–2 | Terry Anderson |
KO | 25 September 1990 | 1 set for 10 |  London, United Kingdom |
|
| Win | 68–2 |  Ken Lakusta |
KO | 31 July 1990 | 3 set for 10 | Edmonton, Alberta |
|
| Win | 67–2 |  Adilson Rodrigues |
KO | 16 June 1990 | 2 set for 10 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 66–2 | Mike Jameson |
KO | 17 April 1990 | 4 set for 10 | Stateline, Nevada |
|
| Win | 65–2 | Gerry Cooney |
TKO | 15 January 1990 | 2 set for 10 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
|
| Win | 64–2 | Everett Martin |
UD | 20 July 1989 | 10 | Tucson, Arizona |
|
| Win | 63–2 | Bert Cooper |
RTD | 1 June 1989 | 2 set for 10 | Phoenix, Arizona |
|
| Win | 62–2 | JB Williamson |
TKO | 30 April 1989 | 5 set for 10 | Galveston, Texas |
|
| Win | 61–2 | Manoel De Almeida |
TKO | 16 February 1989 | 3 set for 10 | Orlando, Florida |
|
| Win | 60–2 | Mark Young |
TKO | 26 January 1989 | 7 set for 10 | Rochester, New York |
|
| Win | 59–2 | David Jaco |
TKO | 28 December 1988 | 1 set for 10 | Bakersfield, California |
|
| Win | 58–2 |  Tony Fulilangi |
TKO | 27 October 1988 | 2 set for 10 | Marshall, Texas |
|
| Win | 57–2 | Bobby Hitz |
TKO | 10 September 1988 | 1 set for 10 | Auburn Hills, Michigan |
|
| Win | 56–2 |  Ladislao Mijangos |
TKO | 25 August 1988 | 2 set for 10 | Fort Myers, Florida |
|
| Win | 55–2 |  Carlos Hernandez |
TKO | 26 June 1988 | 4 set for 10 | Atlantic City, New Jersey |
|
| Win | 54–2 | Frank Lux |
TKO | 21 May 1988 | 3 set for 10 | Anchorage, Alaska |
|
| Win | 53–2 | Dwight Muhammad Qawi |
TKO | 19 March 1988 | 7 set for 10 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 52–2 |  Guido Trane |
TKO | 5 February 1988 | 5 set for 10 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 51–2 | Tom Trimm |
KO | 23 January 1988 | 1 set for 10 | Orlando, Florida |
|
| Win | 50–2 | Rocky Sekorski |
TKO | 18 December 1987 | 3 set for 10 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 49–2 | Tim Anderson |
TKO | 21 November 1987 | 4 set for 10 | Orlando, Florida |
|
| Win | 48–2 | Bobby Crabtree |
TKO | 15 September 1987 | 6 set for 10 | Springfield, Missouri |
|
| Win | 47–2 | Charles Hostetter |
KO | 9 July 1987 | 3 set for 10 | Oakland, California |
|
| Win | 46–2 | Steve Zouski |
TKO | 9 March 1987 | 4 set for 10 | Sacramento, California |
|
| Loss | 45–2 | Jimmy Young |
UD | 17 March 1977 | 12 |  San Juan, Puerto Rico |
|
| Win | 45–1 | Pedro Agosto |
TKO | 22 January 1977 | 4 set for 10 | Pensacola, Florida |
|
| Win | 44–1 | John Dino Denis |
TKO | 15 October 1976 | 4 set for 10 | Hollywood, Florida |
|
| Win | 43–1 | Scott LeDoux |
TKO | 14 August 1976 | 3 set for 10 | Utica, New York |
|
| Win | 42–1 | Joe Frazier |
TKO | 15 June 1976 | 5 set for 12 | Uniondale, New York |
|
| Win | 41–1 | Ron Lyle |
KO | 24 January 1976 | 5 set for 12 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Loss | 40–1 | Muhammad Ali |
KO | 30 October 1974 | 8 set for 15 |  Kinshasa, Zaire |
Loses WBC heavyweight title & WBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 40–0 | Ken Norton |
KO | 26 March 1974 | 2 set for 15 |  Caracas, Venezuela |
Defends WBC heavyweight title & WBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 39–0 | Jose Roman |
KO | 1 September 1973 | 1 set for 15 | Tokyo, Japan |
Defends WBC heavyweight title & WBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 38–0 | Joe Frazier |
TKO | 22 January 1973 | 2 set for 15 |  Kingston, Jamaica |
Wins WBC heavyweight title & WBA heavyweight title |
| Win | 37–0 | Terry Sorrell |
KO | 29 October 1972 | 2 set for 10 | Salt Lake City, Utah |
|
| Win | 36–0 |  Miguel Angel Paez |
KO | 11 May 1972 | 2 set for 10 | Oakland, California |
|
| Win | 35–0 | Ted Gullick |
KO | 10 April 1972 | 2 set for 10 | Inglewood, California |
|
| Win | 34–0 | Clarence Boone |
KO | 7 March 1972 | 2 set for 10 | Beaumont, Texas |
|
| Win | 33–0 | Joe Murphy Goodwin |
KO | 29 February 1972 | 2 set for 10 | Austin, Texas |
|
| Win | 32–0 | Luis Faustino Pires |
TKO | 29 October 1971 | 5 set for 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 31–0 |  Ollie Wilson |
KO | 7 July 1971 | 2 set for 10 | San Antonio, Texas |
|
| Win | 30–0 | Leroy Caldwell |
KO | 21 September 1971 | 2 set for 10 | Beaumont, Texas |
|
| Win | 29–0 | Vic Scott |
KO | 14 September 1971 | 1 set for 10 | El Paso, Texas |
|
| Win | 28–0 | Gregorio Peralta |
TKO | 10 May 1971 | 10 set for 15 | Oakland, California |
|
| Win | 27–0 | Stanford Harris |
KO | 3 April 1971 | 2 set for 10 | Lake Geneva, Wisconsin |
|
| Win | 26–0 | Charlie Boston |
KO | 8 February 1971 | 1 set for 10 | Saint Paul, Minnesota |
|
| Win | 25–0 | Mel Turnbow |
TKO | 18 December 1970 | 1 set for 10 | Seattle, Washington |
|
| Win | 24–0 | Boone Kirkman |
TKO | 18 November 1970 | 2 set for 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 23–0 | Lou Bailey |
TKO | 3 November 1970 | 3 set for 10 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
|
| Win | 22–0 | George Chuvalo |
TKO | 4 August 1970 | 3 set for 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 21–0 | Roger Russell |
TKO | 20 July 1970 | 1 set for 10 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|
| Win | 20–0 | George Johnson |
KO | 16 May 1970 | 7 set for 10 | Inglewood, California |
|
| Win | 19–0 | Aaron Eastling |
TKO | 29 April 1970 | 4 set for 10 | Cleveland, Ohio |
|
| Win | 18–0 | James J Woody |
TKO | 17 April 1970 | 3 set for 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 17–0 | Rufus Brassell |
TKO | 30 March 1970 | 1 set for 10 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 16–0 | Gregorio Peralta |
UD | 17 April 1970 | 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 15–0 | Jack O'Halloran |
KO | 16 February 1970 | 5 set for 10 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 14–0 | Charley Polite |
KO | 6 June 1970 | 4 set for 10 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 13–0 | Gary Hobo Wiler |
TKO | 18 December 1969 | 1 set for 10 | Seattle, Washington |
|
| Win | 12–0 | Levi Forte |
UD | 16 December 1969 | 10 | Miami Beach, Florida |
|
| Win | 11–0 | Bob Hazelton |
TKO | 6 December 1969 | 1 set for 6 | Las Vegas, Nevada |
|
| Win | 10–0 | Max Martinez |
KO | 18 November 1969 | 2 set for 10 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 9–0 |  Leo Peterson |
KO | 5 November 1969 | 4 set for 8 | Scranton, Pennsylvania |
|
| Win | 8–0 |  Roberto Davila |
UD | 31 October 1969 | 8 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 7–0 | Vernon Clay |
TKO | 7 October 1969 | 2 set for 6 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 6–0 | Roy Wallace |
KO | 23 September 1969 | 2 set for 6 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 5–0 | Johnny Carroll |
KO | 18 September 1969 | 1 set for 8 | Seattle, Washington |
|
| Win | 4–0 | Chuck Wepner |
TKO | 18 August 1969 | 3 set for 8 | New York City, New York |
|
| Win | 3–0 | Sylvester Dullaire |
TKO | 14 July 1969 | 1 set for 6 | Oxon Hill, Maryland |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Fred Askew |
KO | 1 July 1969 | 1 set for 6 | Houston, Texas |
|
| Win | 1–0 | Don Walheim |
TKO | 23 June 1969 | 3 set for 6 | New York City, New York |
See also
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- Notable boxing families
- George Foreman Grill
References
- ↑ IMDB: George Foreman Biography
- ↑ "About.com: Boxing". http://boxing.about.com/od/history/a/ring_80_best.htm.
- ↑ "George Foreman bio". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286040/bio.
- ↑ "George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down", 2002
- ↑ http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=561&more=1
- ↑ http://www.yuddy.com/celebrity/george-foreman/bio
- ↑ "George Foreman's church". http://www.georgeforeman.com/preacher.html.
- ↑ "George Foreman Youth Center, Houston, Texas". http://www.georgeforeman.com/youthcenter.html.
- ↑ "After controversial loss to Shannon Briggs, George Foreman says he'll retire from boxing". Jet. 1997. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n4_v93/ai_20064179/.
External links
- George Foreman - IBHOF Biography
- Professional boxing record for George Foreman from BoxRec
- George Foreman's Amateur Boxing Record
- Official Site of the George Foreman Grill
- StartupStudio - Interview with George Foreman about his entrepreneurial success
- George Foreman at the Internet Movie Database
- George Foreman Media Appearances
- George Foreman at TV.com
- George Foreman at TVLand.com
- George Foreman Quotes
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Forest Ward |
United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion 1968 |
Succeeded by Earnie Shavers |
| Preceded by Joe Frazier |
World Heavyweight Champion January 22, 1973 – October 30, 1974 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Ali |
| Preceded by Michael Moorer |
IBF Heavyweight Champion November 5, 1994–1995 Stripped |
Succeeded by Michael Moorer Filled vacancy |
| WBA Heavyweight Champion November 5, 1994–1995 Stripped |
Succeeded by Bruce Seldon Filled vacancy |
|
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by Muhammad Ali |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year 1976 |
Succeeded by Carlos Zarate |
| Preceded by Michael Jordan |
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year 1994 |
Succeeded by Cal Ripken, Jr. |
|
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