George Foreman, the former heavyweight boxing champion turned commercial mogul who was involved in some of the sport’s most famous contests and moments, died on Friday at the age of 76, according to his family.
“We are heartbroken. With great sadness, we announce the departure of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” Foreman’s family said on Instagram.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose,” the family that held the position said.
No cause of death was specified.
“George was a wonderful friend to not just myself, but my whole family. “We have lost a family member and are completely devastated,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said in a statement.
Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas, but grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward. His single mother reared him and his six brothers. Foreman was frank about his troubled upbringing. He dropped out of school at 15 and became a “mugger and brawler.”
Foreman, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion, competed from 1967 until 1997. He began boxing when he was 16 years old and won Olympic gold at the age of 19. He defeated Frazier in an upset in Jamaica in January 1973 to win the title, and his knockout inspired Howard Cosell’s classic call: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”
In 1974, he attempted to defend his championship in Zaire in one of the most memorable bouts in history. The “Rumble in the Jungle” vs Muhammad Ali.
In 2016, Foreman told CBS Mornings that the fight had been a “strange” experience.
“I believed I’d knock him out in one or two rounds, but in the third round, I struck him and he collapsed on me. I thought, ‘That’s it. And he screamed, ‘That’s all you have, George?! Show me something! And I realized then that I was in the wrong place at the wrong moment.”
Foreman said that after the fight, he and Ali, who died in 2016, became lifelong friends.
Exhausted and disillusioned, Foreman gave up boxing in 1977 and spent the next decade as a preacher after his religious experience. He returned to boxing in his late 30s in 1987, and he won a string of fights until surrendering the belt to Evander Holyfield in 1991.
In 1994, more than 20 years after defeating Frazier for the championship, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer, becoming the oldest world champion in boxing history aged 45.
Foreman retired from boxing permanently in 1997, but he periodically considered returning. He settled into a life as a boxing pundit on HBO and a spokesperson for the grills that helped him gain fame and riches. A biographical film about his life was released in 2023.
Foreman had 12 children, five of whom shared the renowned name George Edward Foreman.
“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather, and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman posted on social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”