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Who is George Foreman?
George Foreman is a former professional boxer who gained worldwide recognition for his remarkable achievements in the sport, including winning an Olympic gold medal and two heavyweight world championships. Known for his powerful punches and resilience, Foreman’s career spanned decades, with a notable comeback after a 10-year retirement, during which he became the world champion again at the age of 45. Beyond boxing, Foreman transitioned into a successful entrepreneur and pitchman, notably for his eponymous line of George Foreman Grills.
Early Life and Discovery of Boxing
George Edward Foreman was born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the challenging environment of Houston’s Fifth Ward, which shaped much of his early life. A self-described “thug,” Foreman dropped out of school in the ninth grade and became involved with street gangs. However, in 1965, he joined the Job Corps, where he was introduced to boxing trainer Doc Broadus. Recognizing Foreman’s raw physicality, Broadus encouraged him to focus his energy on the sport. Foreman quickly excelled, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic boxing team for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. There, he secured the gold medal in the heavyweight division with a second-round technical knockout of Ionas Chepulis from the Soviet Union. Shortly after, Foreman turned professional.
The Rise and Fall of a Champion: Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
Standing 6 feet 3½ inches tall and weighing 218 pounds, Foreman was a fearsome presence in the ring, renowned for his overwhelming power. His ferocity and strength helped him win his first 37 professional bouts, eventually earning a title fight against reigning heavyweight champion “Smokin'” Joe Frazier on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica. Though considered an underdog, Foreman stunned the boxing world by knocking Frazier down six times in two rounds to claim the heavyweight title.
However, Foreman’s reign was short-lived. On October 30, 1974, he faced Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali, using his renowned “rope-a-dope” strategy, allowed Foreman to tire himself out by absorbing punches against the ropes before taking control of the fight. In the eighth round, Ali knocked Foreman out, marking the first and only knockout loss of Foreman’s career.
Foreman’s impact on boxing and his comeback story are remembered as some of the sport’s most inspiring chapters, securing his place as one of the all-time greats.
The George Foreman Grill and Other Ventures
George Foreman, a well-known commercial pitchman, became synonymous with the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, which debuted in 1994. Despite retiring from boxing for the second time, Foreman remained active in various ventures. He continued his pastoral duties at his church in Houston and joined HBO Sports as a boxing analyst. In December 1999, Foreman struck a lucrative deal with Salton, Inc., the manufacturer of the Foreman Grill, who paid him $137.5 million in cash and stock for the rights to his name and image.
In October 2017, Foreman revealed the origins of his iconic grill, explaining that the idea came to him after his knockout loss to Muhammad Ali. Foreman claimed to have had a hallucination in which a talking piece of meat demanded to be grilled.
In addition to the grill, Foreman has expanded his entrepreneurial portfolio, including launching a clothing line, authoring several books, and starring in the 2008 reality TV show Family Foreman, which featured his wife, Joan, and their 10 children, including five sons named George. Prior to his marriage to Joan, whom he wed in 1985, Foreman had been married four times.
George Foreman’s Net Worth
As of September 2022, George Foreman’s net worth was estimated at $300 million, making him one of the wealthiest figures in boxing, behind only Floyd Mayweather Jr. A significant portion of his wealth stems from his endorsement of the George Foreman Grill, which he claimed had earned him over $200 million, with monthly earnings sometimes reaching as high as $8 million.
Foreman’s Marriages and Children
Foreman has been married five times and has 12 children. His first marriage was to Adrienne Calhoun in 1971, but they divorced in 1974. He married Cynthia Lewis, a former Miss Black Teenage America, in 1977, but their marriage ended in 1979. Allegations of abuse were made by Lewis, but Foreman did not directly address these claims in his autobiography.
Following his marriage to Lewis, Foreman married Sharon Goodson in 1981, but the marriage lasted less than a year. He then married Andrea Skeete in 1982, but that relationship also ended in divorce by 1985. Foreman married his current wife, Mary Joan Martelly, in 1985, and they remain together.
Foreman has five sons, all named George, and five biological daughters—Michi, Natalia, Leola, Georgetta, and Freeda—along with two adopted daughters, Isabella and Courtney. Tragically, his daughter Freeda, who had a brief career in professional boxing, passed away in 2019. His son, George Foreman III, also pursued boxing, maintaining an undefeated record of 16-0 with 15 knockouts. He later became a trainer and co-founded the EverybodyFights gym chain.
Recent Years
In 2016, Foreman ventured back into reality TV with Better Late Than Never, a travel series where he, along with William Shatner, Henry Winkler, and Terry Bradshaw, explored foreign cultures and checked off items from their bucket lists.
Foreman’s life and career were portrayed in the 2023 biographical drama Big George Foreman, starring Khris Davis as Foreman and featuring Academy Award winner Forrest Whitaker as Foreman’s trainer, Broadus.