Foreman, a titanic puncher, won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics by stopping Jonas Čepulis. He then turned professional, where he achieved the bulk of his renown.

Foreman first ascended to heavyweight glory in 1973, knocking out Joe Frazier as a heavy underdog. Foreman admitted later to a fear of Frazier, but it wasn’t evident as he delivered a frightening beating on “Smokin’ Joe” that inspired Howard Cosell’s iconic “Down goes Frazier!” call and had Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali’s trainer, crying for the referee to stop the fight. 

After six knockdowns, the referee did, and Foreman was the heavyweight champion of the world. 

“Big George” extended his undefeated reign to 40-0, at which point he faced off with Ali in Zaire in. Though he was favored, Foreman found himself outdone by Ali’s guile and durability and did not make it out of the eighth round. The loss sent him into a personal tailspin. 

He returned for a violent war against Ron Lyle in his very next bout, trading heavy knockdowns en route to a fifth-round knockout win. Just over a year later, following a loss to Jimmy Young, Foreman took his leave from the sport. 

Away from boxing, Foreman became an ordained minister and allowed the fiery disposition that consumed him in the ring to burn away. 

In 1987, ten years after his last bout, he returned – if for no reason other than he had not saved his money frugally enough.

In his second career, Foreman redefined boxing longevity in ways that are still yet to be replicated. He retained his power and possessed a new sense of calm, such that some debate whether the older version of Foreman was an even tougher out than the younger. He amazed with his chin in a 1991 summit with the younger, fresher Evander Holyfield, walking through immense punishment in a competitive loss. 

And in 1994, Foreman achieved his most improbable win of all, a tenth-round knockout of Michael Moorer. At 45 years old, Foreman was thought to be too old to remain competitive, and through the first nine rounds, looked just that. But as he told the story in HBO’s “Legendary Nights” documentary, Foreman was trying to time Moorer with a single knockout blow, and in the tenth round, he did. Jim Lampley’s call of “it happened!” remains quoted to this day and is the title of the broadcaster’s new book. 

Foreman retired for good in 1997 following a majority decision loss to Shannon Briggs – which most felt he won – but was no less successful away from the ring. He became a highly successful pitchman during his return to the ring, with his most famous product being The George Foreman Grill, which became a staple in kitchens worldwide.

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