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George Foreman
Takes To Reach The Top ( And Stay There )
his way through the ranks , and in January 1973 , he became the heavyweight champion of the world when he knocked out the undefeated Smokin ’ Joe Frazier in two rounds . In 1974 , he experienced his most humiliating and famous fight . After a 19-month reign in which he was undefeated ( 40 and 0 ), he lost to Muhammad Ali in the eighth round of the fight known as the “ Rumble in the Jungle .” “ 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 experienced a profound religious experience and became a bornagain 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 , co-founded 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 it 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
" I think you have a major advantage when you start from the bottom because you have nowhere else to go but up . And I started from the bottom ."
– George Foreman 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
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