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Honoring the Life and Legacy of former heavyweight champion “Big” George Foreman
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WHEREAS, “Big” George Foreman was born January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas to Nancy Foreman, and grew up in poverty in Houston’s Fifth Ward; and
WHEREAS, Foreman was a troubled youth, dropping out of school at age 15 to become a mugger before moving to California and joining Jobs Corp to turn his life around, training to become a carpenter and bricklayer; and
WHEREAS, While in Jobs Corp, Foreman’s love of football made way for boxing as he took up the sport to demonstrate his bravery to his friends in Jobs Corps. He proved gifted at the sport, and a year and 25 amateur fights later he would capture Olympic gold at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City by knocking out 12-year Lithuanian veteran Jonas Čepulis; and
WHEREAS, Amidst Black Power protests in the United States, and the infamous Black Power salutes by Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith on the Olympic podiums just days earlier, Foreman would attract controversy by his waving of a tiny American flag after winning his gold medal. He defended his actions by exclaiming that he wanted the crowd to know he was a proud American, and later stated that he cherished his Olympic medal more than either of his heavyweight titles; and
WHEREAS, Foreman turned pro in 1969, and was fed a steady diet of opponents, racking up a 37-0 record with 34 knockouts by 1972. In January 1973, he received his first shot at the heavyweight title, facing Philadelphia’s reigning heavyweight champion “Smokin’” Joe Frazier in the “Sunshine Showdown” at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica; and
WHEREAS, Despite his size and reach, Foreman was a 3:1 underdog to the bobbing and weaving Frazier. However, Foreman would demolish Frazier inside of two rounds to claim his first heavyweight championship, flooring him six times as legendary sportscaster Howard Cossell famously cried “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”; and
WHEREAS, Foreman would make two defenses of the heavyweight title, including a second round obliteration of “The Fighting Marine” Ken Norton, who had split a pair of close bouts against Muhammad Ali the year prior, the first in which Norton broke Ali’s jaw; and
WHEREAS, Foreman signed to fight former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire in 1974, and was expected to dominate the former champion as he had Frazier and Norton. However, during the fight Ali peppered Foreman with quick, sharp shots before purposely leaning on the ropes and absorbing Foreman’s punches, tiring out Foreman while sneaking sharp counterpunches in. This strategy became known as the “rope-a-dope,” and Ali used it to perfection as an exhausted Foreman, who had not fought past the fourth round in years, was too tired to withstand Ali’s late surge of punches that put Foreman down in the eighth round. Failing to beat the count, Foreman was knocked out, suffering the first defeat of his career, and losing his heavyweight title to Muhammad Ali in what became forever known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”; and
WHEREAS, Failing to entice Ali into a rematch, Foreman staged an exhibition match against five men at once to rejuvenate interest in his career. This event was widely panned due to the low quality of Foreman’s selected opponents, and wound up backfiring on Foreman as he failed to defeat the final two fighters after dispatching the first three due to exhaustion, further fueling skepticism of Foreman’s abilities and ruining any chance at another fight with Ali; and
WHEREAS, Foreman’s first real professional bout since his loss to Ali was a 1976 thriller against Ron Lyle in which both men knocked each other down a total of three times. Foreman won the bout in the fifth round by knockout, then again dominated Joe Frazier in a rematch of their first fight; and
WHEREAS, Foreman’s unanimous decision loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 spelled the end of his career as he was unable to fight his way back into title contention. An episode in his dressing room where he experienced heatstroke following this fight led to him becoming a Born-Again Christian, and he quit fighting to become a preacher; and
WHEREAS, Foreman would turn heads in the sporting public in 1987 when, ten years after he retired from boxing, he announced a return to the ring to raise money for his youth center in Houston. This older, balder, fatter version of George Foreman was given little chance of regaining the heavyweight championship when fighters like Mike Tyson held the belts, but the 38-year-old Foreman immediately returned to his winning ways by scoring several knockouts, including against the likes of Dwight Muhammad Qawi, Bert Cooper, and Gerry Cooney; and
WHEREAS, Foreman punched his way into title contention and challenged for the heavyweight championship in 1991 in a generational clash on pay-per-view against Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield. Though Foreman was the aggressor and absorbed Holyfield’s hardest punches, the younger and more dynamic Holyfield proved too skilled for the aging Foreman and showed his mettle by taking Foreman’s best shots in route to a unanimous decision victory. Foreman’s performance won him praise from the sporting public however, and his popularity soared; and
WHEREAS, Foreman’s comeback allowed him to shed his menacing reputation from the 1970s in favor of a sunnier disposition, joining HBO World Championship Boxing’s telecast in 1992 as a commentator, appearing on late night shows throughout the 1990s, starring in his own network sitcom “George,” and slapping his name on endorsement products, the most successful of which would be the world famous George Foreman Grill; and
WHEREAS, Much of the sporting public soured on the idea of Foreman ever regaining the heavyweight title again in his 40s, especially after losing to Tommy “The Duke” Morrison in 1993. However, Foreman was given one more shot against southpaw Michael Moorer, who had just won the IBF heavyweight title from Evander Holyfield. Despite being outboxed for much of the match, Foreman managed to land a few fight-changing shots in the tenth round that dropped Moorer, who could not beat the count. On November 5, 1994, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, George Foreman had regained the title he lost twenty years prior, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history just shy of his 46th birthday; and
WHEREAS, Foreman was later stripped of the IBF title, and after losing to Shannon “The Cannon” Briggs in 1997, Foreman hung up the gloves for the final time. Though he teased comeback fights over the years, Foreman would never again box professionally, finishing his iconic career with 81 fights, 76 victories, 68 wins by knockout, and only 5 defeats; and
WHEREAS, Foreman resumed his ministerial career as his youth center thrived and his Foreman Grills continued to surge in popularity. He authored books and appeared on TV shows throughout the latter stages of his life. In 2003, George Foreman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2023, a biopic of his life was released by Sony Pictures; and
WHEREAS, On March 21, 2025, George Foreman passed away at the age of 76. An American sporting icon, he leaves behind a boxing legacy as “the most devastating puncher in heavyweight history” as uttered by legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer during his 1991 introduction against Evander Holyfield. Foreman’s rivalries with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in the 1970s defined the greatest era of heavyweight boxing the sport has ever known. His perseverance towards his goal of regaining the heavyweight championship at the age of 45, and his notoriety outside the ring enhanced his legacy all the more; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors the life and legacy of former heavyweight champion “Big” George Foreman