George Foreman

George Foreman

George Foreman poses with championship belts after regaining the undisputed Heavyweight title after defeating Michael Moorer in 1994

Biographical information

Birthname:

George Edward Foreman

Nationality:

American

Nickname:

Big George, King George, The The Heywood Giant

Height:

6'4" (1.93 cm)

Reach:

82" (206 cm)

Weight class

Heavyweight

Born:

June 30, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, United States

Boxing career information

Style/Boxing Stance:

Orthodox

Career record:

81 total bouts, 76 wins, 5 losses, 0 draw, 68 KO's, 0 no contests

George Edward Foreman (nicknamed "Big George") (born January 10, 1949) is a retired American professional boxer, former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and entrepreneur. A gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, Foreman won the World Heavyweight title with a second round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. He made two successful title defenses before losing to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He fought on but was unable to secure another title shot and retired following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 and became a Christian minister. Ten years later Foreman announced a comeback, and in November 1994, at age 45, he regained the Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Michael Moorer. He remains the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76–5, including 68 knockouts.

Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) rates Foreman as the eighth greatest heavyweight of all-time. In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring magazine. The Ring ranked him as the 9th greatest puncher of all-time. He was a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for twelve years, leaving in 2004. Outside of boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and is known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide. In 1999 he sold the naming rights to the grill for $138 million.

Early life

George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, with six siblings. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized former Cleveland Browns running back and actor Jim Brown, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. By his own admission in his autobiography, George was a troubled youth.

Professional career

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 although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo was 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.

The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier

In 1972, 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 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 HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in all of sports: "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. 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. 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.

Title defense versus Ken Norton

Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuels, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.

George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 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 regimen, 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." Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout. Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.

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, Foreman was unable to land many big punches to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual (Foreman would later charge that Angelo Dundee had loosened them), allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then grab Foreman behind the head, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also constantly pushed down on Foreman's neck, but was never warned about doing so. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary tactic, 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 occasionally counter off the ropes with blows to the face and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head. Ali would later say he was "out on his feet" twice during the bout. 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, Foreman was left off balance by a haymaker and Ali sprang off the ropes with a flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw putting Foreman down for the first time in his career. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8 but the fight was nonetheless waved off by the referee. It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali remains the only boxer ever to defeat him by 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 he had rematched Joe Frazier and Ken Norton and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman. Ali, on the other hand, would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.

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, via 11-th round TKO. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard right 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 looking crude. 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, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, 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 the skilled boxer 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 God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center 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. 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, 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 punches. Then 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 Championship; 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 youngest ever heavyweight champ). 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. 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 (rumored to be the now late Trevor Berbick), 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.

Family

Foreman has 11 children, and each of his five sons is 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 Joey." Also of issue in his marriage are two daughters named Natalia and Leola. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship: Michi, Freeda and Georgetta. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.

Entrepreneurship

When Foreman came back from retirement he argued that his success was due to his healthy eating, which made him a perfect fit for Russell Hobbs Inc., who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill. The George Foreman Grill has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, it is known that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999, in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.

Amateur accomplishments

• Won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967 by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament.
• Won the San Francisco Examiner's Golden Gloves Tournament in the Junior Division in February 1967.
• February 1967: Knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division.
• February 1968: Knocked out L.C. Brown to win the San Francisco Examiner's Senior Title in San Francisco.
• March 1968: Won the National AAU Heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio vs. Henry Crump of Philadelphia, PA in the final.
• July 1968: Sparred 5 rounds on two different occasions with former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston.
• September 21, 1968: Won his second decision over Otis Evans to make the U.S. boxing team for the Mexico City Olympic Games.
• Foreman had a 16-4 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. He knocked out Russia's Ionas Chepulis to win the Olympic Games Heavyweight Gold Medal. He was trained for the Olympic Games by Robert (Pappy) Gault.
• Amateur Record: 22-4

Professional boxing record

Career Boxing Record
76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	76–5	Shannon Briggs	MD	12	22/11/1997	Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Lost Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	76–4	Lou Savarese	SD	12	26/04/1997	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	75–4	Crawford Grimsley	UD	12	03/11/1996	Tokyo Bay NK Hall, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan	Retained Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	74–4	Axel Schulz	MD	12	22/04/1995	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained Lineal, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	73–4	Michael Moorer	KO	10 (12)	05/11/1994	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won Lineal, WBA, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Loss	72–4	Tommy Morrison	UD	12	07/06/1993	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For vacant WBO Heavyweight title.
Win	72–3	Pierre Coetzer	TKO	8 (10)	16/01/1993	Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States
Win	71–3	Alex Stewart	MD	10	11/04/1992	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	70–3	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	3 (10)	07/12/1991	Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States
Loss	69–3	Evander Holyfield	UD	12	19/04/1991	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	For Lineal, WBC, WBA, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	69–2	Terry Anderson	KO	1 (10)	25/09/1990	New London Arena, Millwall, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	68–2	Ken Lakusta	KO	3 (10)	31/07/1990	New London Arena, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win	67–2	Adilson Rodrigues	KO	2 (10)	16/06/1990	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	66–2	Mike Jameson	TKO	4 (10)	17/04/1990	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	65–2	Gerry Cooney	TKO	2 (10)	15/01/1990	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	64–2	Everett Martin	UD	10	20/07/1989	Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win	63–2	Bert Cooper	RTD	2 (10)	01/06/1989	Pride Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win	62–2	J. B. Williamson	TKO	5 (10)	30/04/1989	Moody Center, Galveston, Texas, United States
Win	61–2	Manoel De Almeida	TKO	3 (10)	16/02/1989	Atlantis Theater, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	60–2	Mark Young	TKO	7 (10)	26/01/1989	War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York, United States
Win	59–2	David Jaco	TKO	1 (10)	28/12/1988	Casa Royal Hotel, Bakersfield, California, United States
Win	58–2	Tony Fulilangi	TKO	2 (10)	27/10/1988	Civic Center, Marshall, Texas, United States
Win	57–2	Bobby Hitz	TKO	1 (10)	10/09/1988	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Win	56–2	Ladislao Mijangos	TKO	2 (10)	25/08/1988	Lee Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida, United States
Win	55–2	Carlos Hernandez	TKO	4 (10)	26/06/1988	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	54–2	Frank Lux	TKO	3 (10)	21/05/1988	Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Win	53–2	Dwight Muhammad Qawi	TKO	7 (10)	19/03/1988	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	52–2	Guido Trane	TKO	5 (10)	05/02/1988	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	51–2	Tom Trimm	KO	1 (10)	23/01/1988	Sheraton Twin Towers, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	50–2	Rocky Sekorski	TKO	3 (10)	18/12/1987	Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	49–2	Tim Anderson	TKO	4 (10)	21/11/1987	Sports Complex, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	48–2	Bobby Crabtree	TKO	6 (10)	15/09/1987	Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win	47–2	Charles Hostetter	KO	3 (10)	09/07/1987	Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California, United States
Win	46–2	Steve Zouski	TKO	4 (10)	09/03/1987	Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States
Loss	45–2	Jimmy Young	UD	12	17/03/1977	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico	1977 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	45–1	Pedro Agosto	TKO	4 (10)	22/01/1977	Civic Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, United States
Win	44–1	John Dino Denis	TKO	4 (10)	15/10/1976	Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win	43–1	Scott LeDoux	TKO	3 (10)	14/08/1976	Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York, United States
Win	42–1	Joe Frazier	TKO	5 (12)	15/06/1976	Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, United States	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	41–1	Ron Lyle	KO	5 (12)	24/01/1976	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title. 1976 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Loss	40–1	Muhammad Ali	KO	8 (15)	30/10/1974	Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Zaire	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles. 1974 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	40–0	Ken Norton	TKO	2 (15)	26/03/1974	El Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	39–0	Jose Roman	KO	1 (15)	01/09/1973	Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	38–0	Joe Frazier	TKO	2 (15)	22/01/1973	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Won The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles. 1973 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	37–0	Terry Sorrell	KO	2 (10)	10/10/1972	Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win	36–0	Miguel Angel Paez	KO	2 (10)	11/05/1972	Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States	Won Pan American Heavyweight title.
Win	35–0	Ted Gullick	KO	2 (10)	10/04/1972	Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win	34–0	Clarence Boone	KO	2 (10)	07/03/1972	Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	33–0	Joe Murphy Goodwin	KO	2 (10)	29/02/1972	Austin, Texas, United States
Win	32–0	Luis Faustino Pires	TKO	5 (10)	29/10/1971	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	31–0	Ollie Wilson	KO	2 (10)	07/10/1971	Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	30–0	Leroy Caldwell	KO	2 (10)	21/09/1971	Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	29–0	Vic Scott	KO	1 (10)	14/09/1971	El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	28–0	Gregorio Peralta	TKO	10 (15)	10/05/1971	Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States	Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	27–0	Stamford Harris	KO	2 (10)	03/04/1971	Playboy Club Hotel, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States
Win	26–0	Charlie Boston	KO	1 (10)	08/02/1971	Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Win	25–0	Mel Turnbow	TKO	1 (10)	18/12/1970	Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	24–0	Boone Kirkman	TKO	2 (10)	18/11/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	23–0	Lou Bailey	TKO	3 (10)	03/11/1970	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win	22–0	George Chuvalo	TKO	3 (10)	04/08/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	21–0	Roger Russell	KO	1 (10)	20/07/1970	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	20–0	George Johnson	TKO	7 (10)	16/05/1970	Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win	19–0	Aaron Eastling	TKO	4 (10)	29/04/1970	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Win	18–0	James J. Woody	TKO	3 (10)	17/04/1970	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States
Win	17–0	Rufus Brassell	TKO	1 (10)	31/03/1970	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	16–0	Gregorio Peralta	UD	10	16/02/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	15–0	Jack O'Halloran	KO	5 (10)	26/01/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	14–0	Charley Polite	KO	4 (10)	06/01/1970	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	13–0	Gary Hobo Wiler	TKO	1 (10)	18/12/1969	Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	12–0	Levi Forte	UD	10	16/12/1969	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	11–0	Bob Hazelton	TKO	1 (6)	06/12/1969	International Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	10–0	Max Martinez	KO	2 (10)	18/11/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	9–0	Leo Peterson	KO	4 (8)	05/11/1969	Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	8–0	Roberto Davila	UD	8	31/10/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	7–0	Vernon Clay	TKO	2 (6)	07/10/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	6–0	Roy Wallace	KO	2 (6)	23/09/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	5–0	Johnny Carroll	KO	1 (8)	18/09/1969	Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	4–0	Chuck Wepner	TKO	3 (10)	18/08/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	3–0	Sylvester Dullaire	TKO	1 (6)	14/07/1969	Rosecroft Raceway, Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States
Win	2–0	Fred Askew	KO	1 (6)	01/07/1969	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	1–0	Don Waldheim	TKO	3 (6)	23/06/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Foreman's professional debut.

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions
• Notable boxing families
• George Foreman Grill

External links

• http://www.biggeorge.com/main/index.php Official website
• George Foreman - IBHOF Biography
• 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 TV.com
• George Foreman at TVLand.com
• George Foreman Quotes