George Foreman, heavyweight champion, dead at 76

Heavyweight champion George Foreman has died at the age of 76, his family announced Friday.

Foreman died surrounded by loved ones, his family said.

“Our hearts are broken,” the family wrote in an Instagram post. “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.”

“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,” the post continued.

“A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name — for his family,” the post added.

His family said they “are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”

Foreman became an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 when he defeated the Soviet Union’s Jonas Čepulis in that year’s Mexico City Olympics. 

But Foreman was most prominently known for his big-ticket matches against fellow legendary boxers Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier. 

Foreman won the heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of the previously undefeated Frazier in 1973. He defended his title twice, but then infamously lost his first professional match to Ali in the iconic 1974 match dubbed “Rumble in the Jungle.” That match was famously fought in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now know as Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Foreman then retired after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, but returned to boxing in 1994 at age 45. In his comeback, Foreman won the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championship titles.  

After successful bouts in his second stint, at 46 years and 169 days old, he became the oldest world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing. Foreman is also the oldest boxer to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship of major honors and the second-oldest in any weight class. 

He then retired for good in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76 wins, with 68 coming via knockout, and just 5 losses.

In his post-boxing career, Foreman became a successful entrepreneur when he licensed his likeness to the home appliance company Salton, Inc., now known as Russell Hobbs Inc., to launch the George Foreman Grill – a portable electric grill that went on to become a common household appliance.