FEATURE STORY CONT .
HIS POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND BELIEF THAT THE BEST IS YET TO COME REMINDS HIM TO BE THANKFUL AND THAT BAD TIMES DON ’ T LAST FOREVER .
“ I lost the most wonderful position I ’ d had — the heavyweight title ,” Foreman said . “ I was devastated . I couldn ’ t live with myself , so I had to start fighting again to be a champion .” He fought his way back to the top and once again was a No . 1 contender . But then , one night in 1977 , after losing a 12-round brutal fight against Jimmy Young , Foreman had a profound religious experience and became a born-again Christian . He retired from boxing as a changed man . He got rid of his luxury cars , several houses , and his pet tiger and lion and started living more of a “ regular guy ” lifestyle . He preached on street corners , cofounded a small church , and founded the George Foreman Youth and Community Development Center in Houston with his brother , Reid . “ For 10 years , I never even made a fist ,” George said . “ I became an evangelist with The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and never fought anybody .”
But by 1987 , because of a series of terrible investments and his former extravagant lifestyle , George was broke . Without enough funding , his youth center faced getting closed , so he made the difficult decision to come out of retirement . When he returned to boxing , reporters made disparaging remarks and accused him of staging a publicity stunt , partly because he ’ d become a pitchman for products to supplement his income . Despite looking out of shape and past his prime , he began beating younger , fitter boxers . He also displayed his new persona — a pleasant , likable guy with a sense of humor . After 24 wins , including 23 knockouts , he once again contended to regain the heavyweight title and was scheduled to fight Michael Moorer for the World Boxing Association ( WBA ) and International Boxing Federation ( IBF ) heavyweight titles . However , the fight almost didn ’ t take place because the WBA didn ’ t have Foreman ranked on its list of contenders and remained unwilling to sanction the bout . The promoters even canceled the fight . But Foreman took his case to court and won . The presiding judge said the WBA acted “ capriciously ” in not sanctioning the fight , and as long as Foreman obtained medical clearance from Nevada doctors , he was eligible to fight for the WBA title .
In 1994 , George Foreman shocked the world when he became the oldest heavyweight champion , winning back his title after losing it to Muhammad Ali 20 years earlier . Foreman was 45 years old and spent most of the match getting beat by the 26-year-old , undefeated Michael Moorer , who had physicality and youthful energy on his side . But in the 10th round , Foreman used his power to knock out Moorer in one of the most memorable moments in sports history . Foreman defended his title three more times . Out of his 81 career fights , Foreman posted 76 wins and 68 knockouts . He ’ s been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame and is rated the eighth greatest boxer of all time .
As a result of winning the heavyweight championship a second time , Foreman received countless endorsement offers and became a successful entrepreneur , building an empire outside of the ring . He became a brand ambassador for several multinational companies , including McDonald ’ s , Doritos , Nike , and KFC . He spent over a decade promoting Meineke Car Care Centers and grew the business to over 1,000 franchises . Considered one of the most successful pitchmen of all time , Foreman made a deal that solidified him as a household name outside of boxing . After Salton Inc . approached Foreman to sell their grill , he made a deal to put his name on it and become their spokesperson . The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine earned him 40 % of sales and later , a staggering $ 138 million to buy the rights to use his name on the grill in perpetuity . Selling over 120 million units , 1 out of every 10 people in the United States owns his grill . Between royalties and the buyout , Foreman pocketed a minimum of $ 250 million from the grill , making it one of the most successful endorsement deals in sports history .
George Foreman shared his biggest lessons learned and how you can become more resilient in the face of adversity .
1 . LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE .
Even in the lowest moments , there are advantages . Foreman looked at being at the bottom as an opportunity . “ I think you have a major advantage when you start from the bottom because you have nowhere else to go but up ,” Foreman said . “ And I started from the bottom .”
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