Houston Sports - George Foreman

George Foreman

Born: January 10, 1949 (Marshall, TX)

Died: March 21, 2025 (Houston, TX)

Sport: Boxing (76-5-0, 68 KO)

As I began to think about my latest discussion point and started planning for the particular details of its format and style, it was difficult for me to decide on who deserved the honor of the first post.  Obviously it should be someone memorable, even when compared against some of the great sports figures that our great city can boast, and preferably well-loved.  And then two days ago we were stunned by the passing of one of the absolute legends in our community, a man who was quite literally larger than life: George Foreman.  With utmost respect for his legacy and sympathy to his loved ones, I now open this new topic by focusing on the amazing life of one of the best that Houston has to offer.

Houston - 1978

Born in Marshall, TX, young George grew up in the Fifth Ward neighborhood of Houston, just northeast of downtown.  He took the family name of JD Foreman, who had married George's mother, Nancy, but quickly became the product of a rough neighborhood.  Dropping out of high school at the age of 15, he described himself in terms that are all too common for tough young men in desperate situations without guidance: troubled, bully, thug, criminal.  Remarkably, his life was changed for the better the following year because of a TV commercial.  Seeing an ad for Job Corps, he had his mom sign him up and was sent to the west coast where he quickly earned his GED, began learning the skills of a carpenter, and was trained in boxing.  Not only had he been saved from a life of crime but he'd been exposed to the sport that would make him a star.

After competing for only three years, George Foreman was selected to represent his country in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.  In what was a surprise to many, he won the gold medal after a convincing victory over Russian Jonas Chepulis that saw the powerful 19-year-old batter his opponent to the point that the referee was forced to stop the match in the second round.  The following year, just like Joe Frazier had done after winning gold in the same event four years before, Foreman announced that he was going pro.  Quickly winning bouts and climbing in world rankings, he got his first chance at a world heavyweight title in 1973 against the man whose career he had copied - undefeated Joe Frazier, who had previously handed Muhammad Ali his first career loss two years before.  Just like in the Olympic gold medal bout, however, Foreman imposed his will on his opponent and won by KO in the second round after knocking Frazier to the mat six times.  He eventually compiled a professional record of 40-0 and defended his title twice before finally losing a match to Muhammad Ali in 1974's famous Rumble in the Jungle.

George Foreman won his next five fights but was not able to set up another chance at the world title, and after losing a disappointing bout in 1977 he decided to retire from boxing.  Although he appeared to have lost the sport that had made him one of the most famous athletes in the world, he found something else that would shape the rest of his life: God.  A religious experience in his dressing room led him to become an ordained minister and evangelist, founding a church in Houston in 1980.  In 1984 he also built a nearby youth center in order to provide help and direction for kids like him who needed it.  To help raise money for the center, Foreman put his boxing shorts back on in 1987 to fight again for the first time in 10 years.  Fans quickly noticed that he was not only larger, having gained 30 pounds, but also friendlier.  No longer the brooding giant of his youth, George was now a smiling, pleasant man.  But his style of wading into opponents to fire powerful straight punches was still effective, and although he lost a shot at winning a belt in 1991 by falling to Evander Holyfield, in 1994 at the age of 45 he knocked out Michael Moorer to regain a world heavyweight title for the first time in 20 years.  The following year he gave his face and name to the George Foreman Grill, which became so successful that it provided him with more money than his boxing career ever did.

At the age of 48 George Foreman fought his last fight, losing a controversial split decision against Shannon Briggs in 1996.  He spent 13 years as a boxing analyst, was inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Olympic Hall of Fame, and raised a family of 13 children.  All five of his sons famously share his name - George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI.  Known during his later years as a kind and generous man, he displayed tremendous business acumen and even performed on a few reality shows.  News of Foreman's death at a Houston area hospital at the age of 76 was met with remembrances not only from athletes, civic leaders, and celebrities, but from many average citizens who encountered him during their everyday lives.  Big George was indeed larger than life and will always remain a Houston legend.

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