Foreman exchanging blows with Muhammad Ali in his famous rumble in the jungle fight
George Foreman, the legend of the heavy weight of boxing, has died at 76his family said.
Known as Big George in the ring, the American competed for decades since the 1960s, winning gold in the Olympic Games and numerous title belts, including the world title of heavyweight twice.
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Born in George Edward Foreman on January 10, 1949 in Marshall, Texas, his amateur boxing career reached his maximum point in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, where he won a gold medal and a small American flag after his victory.
In his autobiography, he said he was stirring the flag “both for me and for the country.”
“I was letting everyone knew who he was and at the same time saying he was proud to be American.”
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After becoming a professional in 1969, he quickly climbed the ranks. By 1972, he had a 37 -fighting winning streak, 35 of which were knockouts. His first shot in the World Heavyweight Championship occurred in 1973, when he knocked out the then un defendant world champion, Joe Frazier.
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Foreman won the title at the age of 24 and defended him successfully twice.
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Foreman then lost his heavyweight title against Muhammad Ali in his famous 1974 rumble in the jungle fight. To wear out the foreman, Ali spent eight rounds reclining on the strings, a tactic that called “Dope rope.”
Once he called the loss the “most shameful moment” of his life.
“I just couldn’t believe I had lost the world title,” he said, adding: “He went from pride to pity. That is devastating.
His opponent, said Foreman, was “the hardest human being with whom I have had an encounter.”
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A great change occurred in 1977: Shortly after losing a fight against the American boxer Jimmy Young, Foreman resigned from boxing and resorted to religion, becoming a minister ordered in 1978. Later he founded the youth and community center of George Foreman and the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He told the BBC that his defeat against Ali became the “best thing that happened to me”, since he finally led him to “send my message” through preaching.
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After almost ten years of boxing, Foreman decided to collect the gloves again in 1987 and return to the ring to raise funds for its youth center. During his successful return to sport, he won 24 games before losing to Evander Holyfield after 12 rounds in 1991.
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In 1994, he hit a new company, becoming the face of the George Foreman grill, also known as the “thin fat grill machine.” In the boxing ring, he also became the oldest heavyweight champion of 45 years that same year. He retired from boxing three years later, in 1997, accumulating an impressive record of 76 victories and 5 losses.
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Foreman had 12 children, including five children named George. He shows himself here with his son George III. Once he explained that he named themselves so that they “always had something in common.” He continued his work in the Church until his death, preaching in his ministry four times a week, according to his website.
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