The former US heavyweight boxer George Foreman is dead. The Olympic champion and multiple professional world champion died on Friday at the age of 76 with his family, as his relatives announced on Instagram.
“Our hearts are broken”it said in the message. “As a creditor preacher, devoted husband, loving father and proud grandfather and great-grandfather, his life was characterized by steadfast belief, humility and determination.” As “Philanthropist, Olympic participant and twice world champion in heavyweight” was paid to foreman.
Mike Tyson conducted
The family thanked for sympathy and prayers and asked for rest, “While we appreciate the extraordinary life of a man we were allowed to call our own.” Ex-world champion Mike Tyson complained on the X. “His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten”he wrote about his former colleague.
One of the longest careers in boxing
Foreman had one of the longest careers in the history of boxing, which he only ended in 1997. After the gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, he moved to the professional camp and wore the WBC and WBA world championship belts from 1973 to 1974. In 1973, he conquered the world championship title in heavyweight in 1973 with Joe Frazier. However, his most important fight ended in a co-defeat against Muhammad Ali on October 30, 1974 in Kinshasa, a fight that went down in boxing history as “Rumble in the Jungle”.
After returning to the ring, he declared his career in 1977 at the age of 28 after a co-defeat against Jimmy Young. Ten years later, however, he started a surprising comeback and crowned himself the oldest heavyweight world champion in history in November 1994 with a KO win against Michael Moorer at the age of 45.
Also successful as an entrepreneur in the USA
Foreman defended the belt in 1995 with a highly controversial victory against the German professional Axel Schulz. In 1997 he finally ended his career. After his first resignation in 1977, Foreman devoted himself to the Christian faith and became a preacher. He later went out of the ring after his final farewell. He also worked as a sports commentator and was happy to see on talk shows worldwide. As an entrepreneur, he managed to place the George Foreman grill in US households.