On January 15, 1990, a 41-year old George Foreman (64-2, 60 KO) fought fellow American boxer Gerry Cooney, who was 33 years old with a record of 28-2. Then, a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. Foreman had a life-changing year in 1977. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and suffered a knockdown in round twelve before losing by unanimous decision. Foreman defeated Frazier via 5th round TKO. After this win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three. [14] After moving to Pleasanton, California, with the help of a supervisor, he began to train. Foreman came out of retirement, and eventually reclaimed the titlein 1994 at age 45becoming theoldest heavyweight champin history. The Ring ranked him as the ninth-greatest puncher of all time. This energy transferred over to the night of the event as Foreman was met with boos from the crowd as well as antagonistic chants of "Ali! [10] He is currently 160 in professional boxing as of December 2012. 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. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman defeated Qawi via 7th round TKO. He is now on a 40-fight winning streak, with 24 back-to-back KO wins. George Edward Foreman (* 10.Januar 1949 in Marshall, Texas) ist ein ehemaliger unumstrittener Schwergewichts-Boxweltmeister, Olympiasieger und christlicher Geistlicher, der 1974 als Weltmeister berraschend von Muhammad Ali entthront wurde, aber 20 Jahre spter noch einmal Weltmeister werden konnte. By mid-bout an increasingly confident Ali began to taunt the exhausted champion relentlessly, who had been reduced to mere pawing and landing harmless rubber-armed blows. He was still capable of landing heavy single blows, however. Foreman started training for boxing in July 2009,[8] with very similar training methods to his father the "torture chamber", in which he dragged a Jeep as far as he could, dug holes, chopped wood and ran to the point of exhaustion. As a child, Foreman watched his father train and sat ringside when his father was doing color commentary. Shannon Briggs, Tommy Morrison, Evander Holyfield, Jimmy Young, and Muhammad Ali are the five boxers who have beaten Foreman. On April 11, 1992, a 43-year old George Foreman (70-3, 66 KO) fought fellow American boxer Alex Stewart, who was 27 years old with a record of 28-3. 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. [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 had his first world title fight at the age of 24 on January 22, 1973 after 37 professional fights, against Joe Frazier for the heavyweight WBA, WBC, and The Ring titles. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier[22] and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight. He would catch me with the jab as I was coming forward and it was so difficult to counter that punch. These nine fights are the highlight of his career. Both the boxers were of the same height but Foreman had a 1 cm reach advantage over Ali. Foreman had a 164 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. Controversial wrote: Today, 16:48 I saw the new "Big George Foreman" film and in the film the guy who discovered Foreman (Doc Broadus played by Forest Whitaker) told Foreman he was unbeaten as a pro when he was younger (I think he said 23 or 24 fights) but gave up boxing for another career. Foreman is a Hall of Famer. [16][17] Foreman maintained that earning the Olympic gold medal was the achievement he was most proud of in his boxing career, more so than either of his world titles.[14]. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win. George Foreman vs. Shannon Briggs was a professional boxing match contested on November 22, 1997, for the Lineal heavyweight championship. Foreman was the taller of the two by 2 cms and also had a 2 cm reach advantage. In 1976, he announced a professional comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Foreman, BlackPast.org - Biography of George Foreman, International Boxing Hall of Fame - Biography of George Foreman, George Foreman - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Though Foreman was able to stay competitive throughout the fight, Holyfield ultimately won the fight via unanimous decision, winning all three judges scorecards by scores of 116111, 115112, and 117110 (erroneously announced as '117-100" by Michael Buffer) . Foreman lost to Young via 12 round unanimous decision. Norton did not hit the canvas, but continued on wobbly legs, clearly not having recovered, and shortly he went down a further two times in quick succession, with the referee intervening and stopping the fight. As an entrepreneur, he is known for the George Foreman Grill.. After a troubled childhood, Foreman took up amateur boxing . His mother, Andrea Skeete-Foreman, never thought that he would ever become a boxer because he was so calm and would never lose his temper. Following what he referred to as a religious epiphany, Foreman became an ordained Christian minister. Andrew Eisele is a boxing writer who has covered the sport for Time, Inc. Foreman had five losses. By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills to mufflers on TV. However, their rematch began competitively, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman announced an exhibition match in 1975, billed as Foreman vs Five, where he would fight five contenders in one night. For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of George Foreman's losses". World Boxing Union (1995-2004) Heavyweight Title, vacant International Boxing Association World Heavyweight Title In this period, Foreman also starred briefly in the situation comedy George on ABC. George Edward Foreman III (born January 23, 1983) is an American entrepreneur, professional boxer, trainer/coach, founder of EverybodyFights and son of businessman and former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman. Young was on a three-fight win streak with 7 KO wins. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error, the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round and Lyle survived. Best I Faced : George Foreman Best boxer: Muhammad Ali. He was eliminated on "Hall of Fame Night" alongside George Clinton as "Gopher". In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the 10th and final round in Oakland, California, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, whom he knocked out in the second round. The following is a list of some of Foreman's most significant fights. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. 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 defeated Frazier via 2nd round TKO to become the heavyweight champion of the world. When Foreman regained the heavyweight title at age 45, he was the oldest world heavyweight champion. George Foreman/Exhibitions/sparring partners(1970-1977) 54 posts Previous; 1; 2; 3; Next; Caractacus Lightweight Posts: 14160 Joined: 13 Jun 2014, 21:47. June 15, 1976: George Foreman beats Joe Frazier via 5th round TKO. Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body in exchange for the opportunity to land a hard jolt to Foreman's head. For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Foreman weighed 267lb (121kg) for the fight and looked badly out of shape. The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: 1969. In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO title. [1] Since ending his 10-year retirement in 1987, Foreman was a perfect 240, with 23 of his wins coming via knockout. Shortly after the 1994 Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight with Mike Tyson, then the youngest heavyweight champion on record. 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 Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Foreman would then become the aggressor and continue his attack on Holyfield, landing several punches within the round's first minute. George Foreman, James Toney, Roberto Duran, who fought for decades and decades . Norton had performed well against Ali in their two matches, winning the first on points and nearly winning the second. By his own admission in his autobiography, George was a troubled youth. Background [ edit ] After capturing the WBA and IBF titles from Michael Moorer late in 1994, George Foreman would forfeit his WBA title and make only one defense of his IBF portion, narrowly and controversially defeating little-known German fighter Axel . We've had guys on Boxrec saying Sonny would stop Evander, Frazier, Foreman, Lewis,Tyson the Klitschko's etc even beat Ali if he was a little younger. Frazier was on a 29-fight win streak with 25 KO wins. After the initial victories, Foreman, now completely enraged and exhausted, was unable to beat his last two opponents, who were met with cheers and applause for lasting against the former champion. He had four previous marriages: to Adrienne Calhoun from 1971 to 1974, Cynthia Lewis from 1977 to 1979, Sharon Goodson from 1981 to 1982, and Andrea Skeete from 1982 to 1985. Foreman lost to Briggs via 12 round majority decision. The fight was named by The Ring as "The Fight of the Year". In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. George IV appeared on the second season of the reality television series American Grit, where he placed seventh. 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. Foreman defeated Norton via 2nd round TKO to retain the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. The show was co-produced by actor and former boxer Tony Danza.[39]. Foreman is a Hall of Famer. His four-fight win streak is halted with this loss. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott LeDoux in three rounds and prospect John Dino Denis in four to finish the year. Foreman's Jaw Keeps Jabbing Heavyweight Hawks Self as Next Champ, Holyfield Leans In As Foreman Chews the Fat, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Evander_Holyfield_vs._George_Foreman&oldid=1148840629, Boxing matches involving Evander Holyfield, World Boxing Association heavyweight championship matches, World Boxing Council heavyweight championship matches, International Boxing Federation heavyweight championship matches, April 1991 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 April 2023, at 16:56. Weight: 200+ lb (90,72+ kg) Height: 6 3 (191 cm) Reach: 78 (200 cm) Stance: orthodox. [citation needed]. Ali could jab going backwards or to the sides and that shot would always find you. March 19, 1988: George Foreman beats Dwight Muhammad Qawi via 7th round TKO. The event was initially meant to bolster support for Foreman's comeback, though the public was now even more unsure of his abilities. [1] Background [ edit] He is a two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. Round seven, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was expected to be The Ring's "Round of the Year",[citation needed] though no award was given in 1991.[38]. He has 15 first-round KO wins. Updates? [53][54][55] Isabella Foreman lives in Sweden, where she has blogged since 2010 under the name of BellaNeutella. He has held five world titles at the heavyweight weight division, all five of which were lineal championship wins. His five sons are George Jr., George III ("Monk"), George IV ("Big Wheel"), George V ("Red"), and George VI ("Little Joey"). [56], In recognition of Foreman's patriotism and community service, the American Legion honored him with its James V. Day "Good Guy" Award during its 95th National Convention in 2013. Having turned professional the next year, he won the world heavyweight title with a stunning second-round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973. He also hosts TV and radio sports talk shows. Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, U.S. Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, U.S. Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. Foreman lost to Ali via 8th round KO and lost the WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine heavyweight titles. August 4, 1970: George Foreman puts on the first remarkable performance of his career, defeating George Chuvalo via 3rd round TKO. Briggs was on a four-fight win streak with 24 KO wins, and was the taller of the two by 2 cms and also had a 4 cm reach advantage over Foreman. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Foreman defeated Moorer via 10th round KO to win the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles. His last bout was on December 6, 2012, in Cancn, Mexico. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay-per-view. Some of Foreman's best fights and notable victories include wins over three Hall-of-Famers (Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Joe Frazier, and Ken Norton), Michael Moorer, George Chuvalo, Ron Lyle, and Axel Schulz. 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. As part of the Job Corps, Foreman earned his GED and trained to become a carpenter and bricklayer. 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. Frazier was then the world's number-three heavyweight per The Ring. George Foreman had a total of five losses in his professional boxing career three of them in title bouts and two in non-title bouts.
