Shannon Briggs, Tommy Morrison, Evander Holyfield, Jimmy Young, and Muhammad Ali are the five boxers who have beaten Foreman. Another stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson. His last bout was on December 6, 2012, in Cancn, Mexico. [10] He is currently 160 in professional boxing as of December 2012. With Foreman's popularity at an all-time high coupled with the fact that he could possibly become the oldest Heavyweight champion in boxing history, anticipation for the bout was high. [16] epulis' face was already bleeding in the first round from Foreman's punches, and had to take a standing eight count early in the second round. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. "Why I Don't Believe Those Who Say They Picked Foreman Over Frazier", Underestimating Muhammad Ali was the mistake of a lifetime, George Foreman says, "From the Vault: The poetry of the Rumble in the Jungle", "Flashback: Ali, Foreman 'Rumble in the Jungle', "Foreman claims he was drugged before loss to Ali boxing ESPN", "Tuesday Night Fight Talk: Did Ali duck Foreman rematch? For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of George Foreman's losses". Both the boxers were of the same height but Foreman had a 6 cm reach advantage over Schulz. George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949)[2][3] is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. Foreman lost to Morrison via 12 round unanimous decision. New England heavyweight John Dino Denis fought a number of great fighters during his 13-year pro career, including George Foreman and Gerry Cooney - Denis lost the big ones yet he always gave. [11] In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138 million. [10] Outside boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. He is now on a 20-fight winning streak. Of his total 76 wins, 68 of them were via KO (89.5%). After knocking-out opponents, Foreman would walk over to his corner and begin to taunt Ali, to which Ali responded by yelling advice to Foreman's opponents mid fight. [12], George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he said later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). On January 22, 1973, in his 38th professional fight, a 24-year old George Foreman (37-0, 34 KO) had his first world title fight against an undefeated fellow American boxer Joe Frazier for Frazier's WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight belts. By his own admission in his autobiography, George was a troubled youth. In February 1967, he knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division. Foreman defended his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. He is now on a 22-fight winning streak, with six back-to-back KO wins. He is now on a two-fight winning streak. Foreman was the taller of the two by 3 cms and also had a 11 cm reach advantage. As Foreman began to tire, his punches began to lose power and became increasingly wild. When Foreman regained the heavyweight title at age 45, he was the oldest world heavyweight champion. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. I say to them, 'If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together! Foremen was met with jeers all throughout the night as the crowd grew increasingly displeased at Foreman's defeats of his first three opponents, of which defeated all by knockout. After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Frazier was 29 years old with a record of 29-0. He won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967, by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament. The ring ropes were unusually loose, and Foreman later charged that Angelo Dundee (Ali's longtime trainer) had loosened them as part of Ali's tactic to lean back and away from the wild swings before clinching Foreman behind the head; Dundee stated that not only did he tighten the ropes because they were so loose due to the heat, Ali came up with the "rope-a-dope" strategy entirely on his own. [2], He made his professional debut stopping Clyde Weaver at 1:16 of the first round. On April 26, 1997, a 48-year old George Foreman (75-4, 68 KO) fought an undefeated fellow American boxer Lou Savarese, who was 31 years old with a record of 36-0. After a lightning two-punch flurry squared him up, Ali ended the bout with a combination of solid left hook and straight right flush to the jaw that sent Foreman windmilling hard to the canvas,[29] the first time he had been down in his career. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.. After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing . BoxRec ID: 90. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela, he faced the highly regarded future hall-of-famer Ken Norton (who was 302), a boxer noted for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style, crab-like defense, and heavy punch (a style Foreman emulated in his comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali in a points victory a year earlier. Of his total 68 KO wins, 56 were in the early rounds, 10 in the mid rounds, and two in the later rounds. He was a undisputed heavyweight world champion, and has won five world titles at heavyweight. For all the details about Foreman's world title wins and defenses refer to "George Foreman World Titles". Big George not only found fame and considerable fortune selling his grills, but he also later became an expert analyst for HBO Boxing. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). While in the ring, Foreman began to verbally spar with Ali, who was commentating ring-side with Howard Cosell. The 6-foot 3-inch (1.9-metre), 218-pound (98.9-kg) Foreman first captured the professional heavyweight belt by knocking out Joe Frazier in two rounds at Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973. He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. George Foreman ( Big George) is a retired American professional boxer. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting and became an ordained minister, initially preaching on street corners before becoming the minister of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston[35] and devoting himself to his family and his congregation. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. [49][50], His seven daughters are Natalia, Leola, Freeda, Michi, Georgetta, Isabella, and Courtney. Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterwards. On January 24, 1976, a 27-year old George Foreman (40-1, 37 KO) fought fellow American boxer Ron Lyle, who was 34 years old with a record of 31-3-1. Frazier was on a one-fight losing streak. The strategy paid off and he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman knocked out 68 of his 81 opponents. [15], Foreman won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Down goes Frazier!" On October 25, 1990, Evander Holyfield defeated James "Buster" Douglas by third round knockout to become the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. 2003 fand Foreman Aufnahme in die International Boxing Hall of Fame. The event was initially meant to bolster support for Foreman's comeback, though the public was now even more unsure of his abilities. Foreman had five losses. Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. Other analysts have commented that Foreman has a great combination of strength, speed, and agility. For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Out of 12 wins this year, Foreman scored a combined 10 KOs and TKOs. Outside boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold more than 100 million units worldwide. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Both the boxers were of the same height and same reach. I have interviewed Chuck Wepner who fought both George Foreman and Sonny Liston and he always claimed that Liston hit harder. Frazier at this point was 323, having lost only to Foreman and Ali twice, and Foreman was 411, with his sole defeat at the hands of Ali. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2003. This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 22:35. Ten years later he announced a comeback, and in 1994 at age 45 won the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championship titles by knocking out 26-year-old Michael Moorer. BoxRec: George Foreman support wiki forum login search: allfightersofficialsmanagersmatchmakerspromoters ratings schedule results date champions locate people locate events titles score follow George Foreman 16 0 0 15 KOs 0 KOs wiki Box-pro Boxing Pro 16 Since ending his 10-year retirement in 1987, Foreman was a perfect 24-0, with 23 of his wins coming via knockout. Chuvalo was on a six-fight win streak with 51 KO wins. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africathe fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box. During training there in mid-September Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. Evidence later surfaced that Foremans promoter, Bob Arum, had paid bribes to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in order to manipulate the rankings and permit Foreman a chance at a title fight. George Foreman Boxer Stats - BoxStat.co Stance: Orthodox Age: 74 Date Of Birth: 10 Jan 1949 Height: 6.30 ft (1.92 m) Reach: 78.35 inches (199 cm) Country: United States Universal ID : 3125 edit details george foreman opponents MD Shannon Briggs (30-1-0) Sat, 22 Nov - 1997 round 12 of 12 . While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. "He went on to become a nondenominational Christian minister and founded the George Foreman Youth and Community Center in Houston.". ref: Eddie Cotton Calvin Claxton 116-112 Larry Layton 117-113 Steve Weisfeld 114-114 . He suffered his first loss against Muhammad Ali via 8th round KO on October 30, 1974, which ended his 40-fight win streak. George Edward Foreman sex male alias Big George nationality USA stance orthodox height 6 3 / 191cm reach 78 / 199cm residence Houston, Texas, USA birth place Marshall, Texas, USA Box-pro 81 bouts date w-l-d last 6 result 1997-11-22 Shannon Briggs 29 1 0 Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman, billed as The Sunshine Showdown, was a professional boxing match in Kingston, Jamaica contested on January 22, 1973, for the WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight championships. He lay flat on the canvas as the referee counted him out. Prior to his match with Douglas, Holyfield delayed a potential fight with Mike Tyson, instead agreeing to face 42-year-old George Foreman for the titles should he defeat Douglas. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing and won a gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Ali later said he was "out on his feet" twice during the bout. In 2016, the company received a series-A investment from Breakaway in the form of $4 million and soon after announced the opening of another location in Boston. Foreman's next title defense, on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison, a young prospect known for his punching power. His daughters from separate relationships were Freeda, Michi, and Georgetta. On August 4, 1970, a 21-year old George Foreman (21-0, 18 KO) fought Canadian boxer George Chuvalo, who was 32 years old with a record of 59-15-2. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Since then, EverybodyFights has opened 5 locations and plans to open over 20 new locations by 2020 for growth in other major cities across the U.S. "His Father in His Corner, George Foreman III Is Set for Boxing Debut", "George 'Monk' Foreman III set for boxing debut", "Georges I, II, IV and V Get Ringside Seats", George Foreman III aims to make his own name in the ring, "Company to Harness and Leverage Power of George Foreman Brand", "Foreman throws weight behind healthy dining concept", "George Foreman III stops Weaver in first round of pro debut", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Foreman_III&oldid=1147841237, This page was last edited on 2 April 2023, at 14:35. Background [ edit] Cooney was knocked down twice and Foreman scored a devastating KO. Updates? [1][2], Foreman earned his BA from Rice University where he studied Business and Sports Management,[3] and went on to serve as the business manager of his father's empire[4] and executive vice president of George Foreman Enterprises, Inc.[5][6], Foreman starred on the E! Foreman attended Fay School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He was 46 years and 169 days old, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion in history. Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper, who went on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield. But, Foreman scored 68 KOsnearly double the 37 Ali posted against only five losses. He would catch me with the jab as I was coming forward and it was so difficult to counter that punch. Several great fighters would comment later that in his prime, Foreman was thehardest-hittingfighterin boxing history, according to The Sweet Science. This round was ultimately named "Round of the Year" by The Ring magazine. He has been stopped once and lost four times via decision. Re: George Foreman/Exhibitions/sparring partners(1970-1977) Post by Caractacus 20 Nov 2018, 23:41. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for updates and announcements. Wepner was on a one-fight losing streak, and was the taller of the two by 5 cms but Foreman had a 3 cm reach advantage over Wepner. George Foreman's professional boxing career spanned more than 28 years from 1969 to 1997. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. In March 1995 Foreman was stripped of his WBA title for refusing to fight their contender, and he resigned his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with IBF contender Axel Schultz. He now holds the WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight world-champion belts. Foreman badly hurt Young in round seven, but was unable to land a finishing blow. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 84%. Foreman retired from professional boxing with a record of 76-5, which included 68 knockout wins and one loss via knockout, and five title wins. By his last professional fight on November 22, 1997, Foreman's boxing record stood at 76-5 (68 KO wins, 1 KO loss). Moorer was on a 35-fight win streak with 30 KO wins. Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds (the three-knockdown rule was not in effect for this bout). He went on to win 39 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 36 wins via stoppage. [4], The fight was a huge success financially, becoming for a time the highest-grossing boxing match of all time. The show was co-produced by actor and former boxer Tony Danza.[39]. Foreman had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. In another remarkable run, Foreman did not lose a single professional fight during the three years from 1988 to 1990, winning most of his fights by knockout. Despite his age, the outspoken Foreman remained confident that he could dethrone Holyfield and in the months before the fight often said as much in the media. Foreman was the taller of the two by 9 cms and also had a 14 cm reach advantage. His last professional fight was a non-title bout against fellow American boxer Shannon Briggs on November 22, 1997. Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame. 01-24-Ron Lyle, Las Vegas, W KO 506-15-Joe Frazier, Uniondale, W TKO 508-16-Scott LeDoux, Utica, New York, W TKO 310-15-John (Dino) Dennis, Hollywood, Florida, W TKO 4, After a loss in March, Foreman hung up his gloves for the first time when he had "areligious awakening," according to Bio. event bout wiki. On March 17, 1977, a 28-year old George Foreman (45-1, 42 KO) fought fellow American boxer Jimmy Young, who was 28 years old with a record of 20-5-2. After amassing a record of 320 (29 KO), he was ranked as the number-one challenger by the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council. George Foreman is an American boxer, who competes in the heavyweight division. He is now on a eight-fight winning streak, with eight back-to-back KO wins. George Foreman vs. Shannon Briggs was a professional boxing match contested on November 22, 1997, for the Lineal heavyweight championship. Foreman is now on a four-fight winning streak. Foreman made his professional boxing debut against Don Waldhelm at the age of 20 on June 23, 1969, defeating Waldhelm via 3rd round KO. [9] He won his third pro fight on September 26, 2009, at the Coushatta Casino in Kinder, Louisiana, against Marvin Ray Jones by TKO in the first round. Foreman is now on a 38-fight winning streak, with 22 back-to-back KO wins. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and exhibited increasing confidence as the fight progressed. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year. Foreman later attributed his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO. (Still in attendance) (Graduated 1979) Author has 342 answers and 173.3K answer views 2 y As a child, Foreman watched his father train and sat ringside when his father was doing color commentary. Holyfield went from undisputed cruiserweight. . But Ali also fought formidable opponents, such as Ron Lyle, and gave rematches to the still-dangerous Frazier and Ken Norton, the only two men to have ever beaten him. He always loved boxing, but never got involved with the sport until his early teens. Morrison was on a eight-fight win streak with 32 KO wins. Foreman lost to Briggs via 12 round majority decision. Foreman defeated Qawi via 7th round TKO. He is 74 years old, and will be turning 75 in 8 months and 8 days. Evander Holyfield is adamant George Foreman and Riddick Bowe hit harder than heavyweight rival Mike Tyson did during his illustrious boxing career. He dropped the WBA belt rather than face his mandatory title defense soon after, and following a single IBF title defense on June 28, 1995, Foreman renounced his title the last major belt he ever held. The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany; Foreman refused the terms and was stripped of his remaining title, yet continued to be recognized as the Lineal Heavyweight Champion.[42]. In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring. He floored Weaver twice: first with a left to the chin, then with a left to the body, before the referee called a halt to the match. The results include boxing acronyms, with "W" for a win, "L" for a loss, KO for knockout and TKO for a technical knockout, where the referee ends the bout when one fighter is unable to continue. Best I Faced : George Foreman Best boxer: Muhammad Ali. Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, oldest world heavyweight champion in history, Tropworld Casino and Entertainment Resort, "Professional boxing record: George Foreman", "Ring Magazine's 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years", "George Foreman Leaves HBO Sports After Twelve Great Years", "Millionaire High School Dropouts Page 2 of 2", "Houston Sport Hall of Fame 2019: George Foreman. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. [43] Like Foreman's fight with Schulz, the decision was highly controversial, but this time the decision went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a majority decision. He went on to pursue his own professional boxing career in 2009 and finished with a perfect 16-0 record. In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout).