Foreman had only eighteen amateur fights before he won the Olympic gold medal as a heavyweight in 1968. He also won immediate fame by parading around the ring holding a small U. S. flag after his victory; the scene was captured on live television from Mexico City and the photo appeared in newspapers across the country.
He became a professional in June of 1969 and won his first 34 fights to gain a shot at the heavyweight championship against Joe Frazier. Thirty-one of those victories came on knockouts, 29 of them before the 6th round.
Frazier was a 3-1 favorite in their January 22, 1973, fight in Kingston, Jamaica, but Foreman knocked the champion down six times in less than two round to win the titles. After two defenses, Foreman suffered his first loss, an 8th-round knockout by Muhammad Ali on October 30, 1974, at Kinshasha, Zaire.
After a series of exhibitions in 1975, Foreman won his next five fights by knockout but he retired after losing a 12-round decision to Jimmy Young in 1977. Ten years later, he came out of retirement and knocked out thirteen opponents before meeting Evander Holyfield for the heavyweight title in 1991. Holyfield retained the championship with a 12-round decision.
Foreman briefly retired in 1993, but remained very popular because of several television commercials in which he poked fun at himself about his eating habits while selling a grill named for him.
He returned to the ring in 1994, after being away for nearly a year and half, and became the oldest champion ever in any weight division by knocking out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their IBF/WBA heavyweight title fight on Nov. 5.
However, Foreman held the joint title only briefly. Because he refused to fight top-rated contender Tony Tucker, the WBA stripped him of that title on March 4, 1995. When the IBF insisted that Foreman should give Axel Schulz a rematch, he relinquished that title.
Although he hasn't formally announced retirement, Foreman hasn't fought since losing a decision to Shannon Briggs on Nov. 22, 1997. A much-ballyhooed fight with Larry Holmes, originally scheduled for Jan. 12, 1999, was called off after a couple of postponements.
Even when not fighting, Foreman has been very much in the public eye as the TV spokesman for the George Foreman Grill. He has also served as a commentator on HBO's "World Championship Boxing." Foreman announced in February of 2004 that he wanted to come back for one more fight, in honor of the 30th anniversary of his bout with Ali.
International Boxing Hall of Fame
U. S. Olympic Hall of Fame
*Note: Foreman was stripped of the WBA title on March 4, 1995, for refusing to fight Tony Tucker, the top-rated contender. He gave up the IBF title on June 29, 1995, rather than face Axel Schulz in a rematch.
