George Foreman, the former heavyweight boxing champion turned business entrepreneur who was part of some of the sport’s most memorable matches and moments, died Friday at the age of 76, his family announced.
“Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones,” Foreman’s family announced on Instagram.
“A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose,” his family continued in the post.
No cause of death was given.
“George was a great friend to not only myself but to my entire family. We’ve lost a family member and are absolutely devastated,” Top Rank president Bob Arum said in a statement.
Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas, but grew up in Houston’s Fifth Ward, and was raised alongside his six siblings by a single mother. Foreman was open about his troublesome childhood. He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and became a “mugger and brawler.”
An Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion, Foreman competed between 1967 and 1997. He learned to box at age 16, won Olympic gold at 19. He stopped Frazier in an upset in Jamaica in January 1973 to win the belt, with his knockout inspiring Howard Cosell’s iconic call: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”
AP Photo 
In 1974, he tried to defend his title in Zaire in one of the most famous fights in history. The “Rumble in the Jungle,” against Muhammad Ali.
Foreman described the fight to CBS Mornings in 2016 as a “strange” experience.
“I thought I’d knock him out in one or two rounds, but about the third round, I’d hit him, and he fell on me. I thought, ‘That’s it.’ And he started screaming, ‘That all you got, George?! Show me something!’ And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said at the time.
Foreman said he and Ali, who died in 2016, became lifelong friends after the fight.
Ed Kolenovsky / AP 
Exhausted and disillusioned, Foreman stopped fighting in 1977 and largely spent the next decade as a preacher after his religious awakening. He returned to boxing in 1987 in his late 30s, and he racked up a lengthy series of victories before losing to Evander Holyfield in a title fight in 1991.
In 1994, more than 20 years after he beat Frazier for the title, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer and became the oldest world champion in boxing history at 45 years old.
Foreman quit the ring for good in 1997, although he occasionally discussed a comeback. He settled into a life as a boxing analyst for HBO and as a pitchman for the grills that grew his fame and fortune. A biographical movie based on his life was released in 2023.
Foreman had 12 children, including five sons who are all famously named George Edward Foreman.
“Legendary boxing champion, life-changing preacher, husband, father, grand- and great-grandfather and the best friend you could have,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote on social media. “His memory is now eternal, may Big George rest in peace.”
