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.
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George Foreman at the premiere of “Big George Foreman” held at Regal L.A. Live on April 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Mark Von Holden/Variety via Getty Images)
“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.
Kinshasa, Zaire – 1974: (L-R) George Foreman (left) and Muhammad Ali boxing at Zaire Stade du 20 Mai, The Rumble in the Jungle, October 30, 1974. (Ken Regan /Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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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.”
George Foreman during George Foreman Photocall – October 20, 2006 at Trafalgar Square in London, Great Britain. (David Lodge/FilmMagic)
Foreman became an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 when he defeated the Soviet Union’s Jonas Čepulis in that year’s Mexico City Olympics. After his victory, he wielded an America flag in the boxing ring while bowing to the crowd, in an iconic American Olympics moment.
Foreman has said that his Olympic gold is the accomplishment he is most proud of, even more than his other professional boxing titles.
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But Foreman was most prominently known for his big-ticket matches against fellow legendary boxers Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier.
Foreman officially turned pro in 1969, winning all 13 fights he participated in that year, with 11 wins coming via knockout.
George Foreman attends the Hublot x WBC “Night of Champions” Gala at the Encore Hotel on May 03, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Roger Kisby/Getty Images for Hublot)
Four years later, 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 too his first professional loss in a match to Ali in the iconic 1974 match dubbed “Rumble in the Jungle.” That match was famously fought in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Foreman then retired after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977, but returned to boxing 10 years later after a self-described religious awakening. In his second stint, Foreman went on to win the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championship titles.
In 1994, at age 45, Foreman defeated Michael Moorer, a boxer 19 years younger than him, to claim the heavyweight title. Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight champion in the history of boxing, and is the oldest boxer to ever win the world heavyweight boxing championship of major honors and the second-oldest in any weight class.
His return to boxing is considered one of the most impressive athletic comebacks in the history of American sports.
George Foreman speaks onstage during the Big George Foreman screening at Regal Atlantic Station on April 12, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Sony Pictures Releasing)
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.
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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.
The grill also was considered a tool to improve the health quality of food, as it reduce dthe fat content of hamburgers and other meats by draining away the fat into a separate reservoir.
More than 100 million units have been sold since it first launched in 1994.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
