George Foreman, who made a name to one generation with a long, storied boxing career when boxing mattered in sports, then re-invented as a pitch man and became the face of the George Foreman Grill, passed away over the weekend at age 76.
His big-ring boxing career started with an Olympic gold medal in 1968; his first pro fight was a third-round knockout against Donald Walheim on June 23, 1969. He went on to hold the WBC and and IBF world heavyweight championships, and held the WBA twice. He defeated Muhammed Ali in an epic 15-round battle in 1973, then months later defended it by knocking out Joe Frazier — the night coined by Howard Cosell with his epic call of the ending, "DOWN GOES FRA-ZHUR! DOWN GOES FRA-ZHUR!"
He fought Ali again in 1974 in Zaire, the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" when Ali employed his "rope-a-dope" technique, tired Foreman and knocked him out in the eight round to take back the title.
At age 28 in 1977, he abruptly retired, but it didn't stick. He returned to boxing in 1987 at age 38 and started a comeback. While winning easy matches early on, he came on strong to produce a return to the summit predicted by no one in the boxing circles.
A go-the-distance match in 1991 at age 42 against Evander Holyfield in Atlantic City, and a subsequent loss to Tommy Morrison the only served to set his jaw. In 1994, he got a title shot against Michael Moorer and knocked him out, again becoming the heavyweight champion of the world, this time at age 45, the oldest man to ever stand atop in the ring. Foreman retired from the ring with a 76-5 (68 KOs) record following a controversial loss to Shannon Briggs in 1997.
He'd transition to ringside as an HBO analyst, while helping launch and bought into the product the George Foreman Grill — and indoor grill that allowed for cooking both sides of food at the same time, removing the need to flip it while help removing fat and other oily liquid from things like meat.
"Put your name on something, it better be the best," he said of the product. "You only get one shot."
He sold the rights to the product in 2000 for over $130 million, endearing himself to a legion of home cooks who never knew he cooked in the boxing ring a generation prior.
George Edward Foreman was born to J.D. and Nancy Foreman on January 10, 1949, in the town of Marshall, Texas, according to the bio on his website. An impoverished youth, Foreman often bullied younger children and didn't like getting up early for school. Foreman became a mugger and brawler on the hard streets of Houston's Fifth Ward by age 15. Once he began to formally train, Foreman rapidly established an impressive amateur record, leading to his Olympic appearance. He'd go on to be enshrined in the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.
Foreman, who also went into the ministry and ranching back home in Texas after his boxing career, was married four times and had 12 children, including five sons all named George Foreman. Jr. — "George III" also entered into boxing and the business world.
