George Foreman

[COP11]

George Edward Foreman (nicknamed "Big George") (born January 10, 1949) is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur. He is credited as being one of the hardest hitters in boxing history.

His most notable fights in his early career were his knockout (TKO-2) against Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973 and his loss to Muhammad Ali (KO by 8) in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, on October 30, 1974. He later became the oldest man ever to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world when, at age 45, Foreman knocked out (KO-10) Michael Moorer, age 26, on November 5, 1994 to reclaim the title he held more than 20 years earlier. He has been named one of the 25 greatest fighters of all time by Ring magazine. He is now a successful businessman and an ordained Christian minister who has his own church.

Foreman is ranked #9 on Ring magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". He is also well-known for the eponymous George Foreman Grill.

Early life

George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, with six siblings. Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. By his own admission in his autobiography George was a troubled youth.

Professional career

Foreman had an amateur record of 22-4, losing twice to Clay Hodges (also defeated by Max Briggs in his first ever fight). Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).

In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo, was defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three.

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 tenth and final round in Oakland, California, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA and WBC.

In 1972, his string of wins continued with a series of five consecutive bouts in which he defeated each opponent within three rounds.

The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier

Still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and undisputed world heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.

The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout in one of boxing's biggest upsets. In HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in sport: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.

Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion. According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.

Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican heavyweight champion José Roman. Roman was not regarded as a top contender, and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a heavyweight championship bout.

Title defense versus Ken Norton

Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.

George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 40–0 with 37 knockouts.

"Rumble in the Jungle"

Foreman's next title defense, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as The Rumble in the Jungle.

During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regimen, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box." Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout. Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.

When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. This was deliberate to unsettle Foreman. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. Ali was never conventional stylewise. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, it quickly became clear that Foreman was unable to land a clean punch to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual, allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then maul him in a clinch, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also pushed down on Foreman's neck, getting away with a move the referee is expected to discourage. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary trick, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.

In either case, Ali was able to counter off the ropes with blows to the face, and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. As the early rounds passed, Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head, but Foreman could not land his best punches directly on Ali's chin. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. "You picked the wrong place to get tired," he'd whisper. But Foreman's corner would tell him to "keep hitting Ali, he's tiring", which was not true; Ali had great reserves. Late in the eight round, Ali began landing unreturned punches and sprang off the ropes with a sudden big flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw. Foreman was definitely stunned and fell. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8, but with a glazed look, and the referee waved the fight over. Foreman later said that he was not hurt but more shocked that an opponent had knocked him down, which had never previously happened to him. It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali would remain the only boxer to ever defeat him by a knockout.

Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as had rematches Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman. Ali on the other hand would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.

First comeback

Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he announced a comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron Lyle, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1975. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. 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. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches looking crude. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring as "The Fight Of The Year."

For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.

Retirement and rebirth

1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young, who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.

Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.

Second comeback

In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography he stated that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created. His stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson. For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California, where he beat journeyman Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121 kg) for the fight, and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement", although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).

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. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.

Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper, who would go on to contest the undisputed heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield.

In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice, and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.

Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down, and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was Ring Magazine's "Round of the Year."

A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. 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.

In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman, and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe, and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.

Regaining the Title

In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles.

Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.

Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round, and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.

In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight crown; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.

Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson (the youngest ever heavyweight champ). The WBA organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker, and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range, and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the lineal heavyweight champion.

In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC decided to match him against Shannon Briggs in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner. Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.

Second retirement

Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterward. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.

Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent, never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.

Family

Foreman has 10 children, and each of his five sons is named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk", "Big Wheel", "Red", and "Little Joey". He has two daughters, Freeda George and Georgetta. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship, Natalia, Michi and Leola. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.

Business Deals

When Foreman came back from retirement he argued that his success was due to his healthy eating which made him a perfect fit for Russell Hobbs Inc. who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill.

The George Foreman grill has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.

Amateur Accomplishments

Won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967 by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament.

Won the San Francisco Examiner's Golden Gloves Tournament in the Junior Division in February 1967.

February 1967: Knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division.

February 1968: Knocked out L.C. Brown to win the San Francisco Examiner's Senior Title in San Francisco.

March 1968: Won the National AAU Heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio vs. Henry Crump of Philadelphia, PA in the final.

July 1968: Sparred 5 rounds on two different occasions with former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston.

September 21, 1968: Won his second decision over Otis Evans to make the U.S. boxing team for the Mexico City Olympic Games.

Foreman had a 16-4 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. He knocked out Russia's Ionas Chepulis to win the Olympic Games Heavyweight Gold Medal. He was trained for the Olympic Games by Robert (Pappy) Gault.

Amateur Record: 22-4[16]

Professional boxing record

76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws

Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes

Loss 76–5 Shannon Briggs MD 12 22/11/1997 Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Boxing traditionalists consider this fight as being for the Lineal World Heavyweight title ("the man who beat the man"), which Briggs then lost in his subsequent fight against Lennox Lewis.

Win 76–4 Lou Savarese SD 12 26/04/1997 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Retained WBU Heavyweight title.

Win 75–4 Crawford Grimsley UD 12 03/11/1996 Tokyo Bay NK Hall, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan Retained WBU Heavyweight title & won vacant IBA Heavyweight title. Despite a somewhat slow start, Foreman dominated the latter rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

Win 74–4 Axel Schulz MD 12 22/04/1995 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Retained IBF Heavyweight title & won vacant WBU Heavyweight title. Shortly after this fight, Foreman was stripped by the IBF title for refusing to give Schulz a rematch.

Win 73–4 Michael Moorer KO 10 (12) 05/11/1994 MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. Foreman becomes the oldest boxer in history to win the major heavyweight title at the age of 45 (surpassing Jersey Joe Walcott, who became Heavyweight champion at the age of 37 by defeating Ezzard Charles in 1951). Shortly after this fight, Foreman was stripped by the WBA title for refusing to face Tony Tucker.

Loss 72–4 Tommy Morrison UD 12 07/06/1993 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For vacant WBO Heavyweight title. Morrison chose to avoid brawling with Foreman, and spent the fight boxing from long range and even actually turning his back to retreat on several occasions. The crowd began to boo Morrison as the fight progressed. However, after a closely contested encounter he won a UD. Morrison was the underdog coming into the fight.

Win 72–3 Pierre Coetzer TKO 8 (10) 16/01/1993 Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States Coetzer was knocked down in the 4th and 8th rounds.

Win 71–3 Alex Stewart MD 10 11/04/1992 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Stewart was knocked down twice in the 2nd round but Stewart rebounded and gave Foreman a savage beating. Foreman was bleeding from the nose and his face was swollen all over. It was a close fight, but Foreman was awarded a majority decision.

Win 70–3 Jimmy Ellis TKO 3 (10) 07/12/1991 Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States The fight was one of the easiest Foreman had in his entire comeback.

Loss 69–3 Evander Holyfield UD 12 19/04/1991 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States For WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. Foreman withstood all of Holyfield’s famous flurries, took everything Holyfield dished out and kept coming. Although Holyfield was visibly shaken by Foreman’s combo, he threw more punches and landed more as his speed was dominant. Foreman was deducted a point in round 11.

Win 69–2 Terry Anderson KO 1 (10) 25/09/1990 New London Arena, Millwall, London, England, United Kingdom

Win 68–2 Ken Lakusta KO 3 (10) 31/07/1990 New London Arena, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Lakusta was down twice in round 3.

Win 67–2 Adilson Rodrigues KO 2 (10) 16/06/1990 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Win 66–2 Mike Jameson TKO 4 (10) 17/04/1990 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States

Win 65–2 Gerry Cooney TKO 2 (10) 15/01/1990 Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Cooney was floored twice in round 2. This fight was shown on closed circuit TV and was billed as "The Preacher vs. The Puncher".

Win 64–2 Everett Martin UD 10 20/07/1989 Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States Martin was knocked down in the 8th round.

Win 63–2 Bert Cooper RTD 2 (10) 01/06/1989 Pride Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, United States Foreman landed several big hooks to the body in round 1 that hurt Cooper. In round 2, he continued to work the body and landed a solid right hook that stung Cooper. Cooper remained on his stool and did not answer the bell to begin the 3rd round.

Win 62–2 J. B. Williamson TKO 5 (10) 30/04/1989 Moody Center, Galveston, Texas, United States

Win 61–2 Manoel De Almeida TKO 3 (10) 16/02/1989 Atlantis Theater, Orlando, Florida, United States

Win 60–2 Mark Young TKO 7 (10) 26/01/1989 War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York, United States

Win 59–2 David Jaco TKO 1 (10) 28/12/1988 Casa Royal Hotel, Bakersfield, California, United States Jaco down 3 times. Referee Robert Byrd stopped the fight.

Win 58–2 Tony Fulilangi TKO 2 (10) 27/10/1988 Civic Center, Marshall, Texas, United States

Win 57–2 Bobby Hitz TKO 1 (10) 10/09/1988 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States

Win 56–2 Ladislao Mijangos TKO 2 (10) 25/08/1988 Lee Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Win 55–2 Carlos Hernandez TKO 4 (10) 26/06/1988 Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States

Win 54–2 Frank Lux TKO 3 (10) 21/05/1988 Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, United States Lux down once in 2nd and twice in 3rd.

Win 53–2 Dwight Muhammad Qawi TKO 7 (10) 19/03/1988 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Win 52–2 Guido Trane TKO 5 (10) 05/02/1988 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Win 51–2 Tom Trimm KO 1 (10) 23/01/1988 Sheraton Twin Towers, Orlando, Florida, United States

Win 50–2 Rocky Sekorski TKO 3 (10) 18/12/1987 Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Win 49–2 Tim Anderson TKO 4 (10) 21/11/1987 Sports Complex, Orlando, Florida, United States

Win 48–2 Bobby Crabtree TKO 6 (10) 15/09/1987 Springfield, Missouri, United States

Win 47–2 Charles Hostetter KO 3 (10) 09/07/1987 Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California, United States

Win 46–2 Steve Zouski TKO 4 (10) 09/03/1987 Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States After 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. Foreman came into the fight at 267 pounds, and he looked rusty as he beat Zouski into submission in round 4.

Loss 45–2 Jimmy Young UD 12 17/03/1977 Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico Foreman was deducted a point in round 3 amd was knocked down in round 12. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. 1977 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine. After this bout Foreman announced his retirement from boxing and became born-again Christian.

Win 45–1 Pedro Agosto TKO 4 (10) 22/01/1977 Civic Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, United States Agosto was knocked down twice in the 3rd, and three times in the 4th, which forced an automatic stoppage.

Win 44–1 John Dino Denis TKO 4 (10) 15/10/1976 Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida, United States

Win 43–1 Scott LeDoux TKO 3 (10) 14/08/1976 Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York, United States LeDoux was hurt in early in round 3 and was eventually put down at 2:57 from a right hand to the body. LeDoux pulled himself up by the ropes and would likely have beaten the count but the referee stopped and the count of 8 and waved an end to the bout.

Win 42–1 Joe Frazier TKO 5 (12) 15/06/1976 Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, United States Retained NABF Heavyweight title. Frazier was knocked down twice in the 5th round.

Win 41–1 Ron Lyle KO 5 (12) 24/01/1976 Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title. Title had been vacated by Ken Norton. Foreman down twice in 4th round. Lyle down once in each of the 4th and 5th rounds. 1976 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.

Loss 40–1 Muhammad Ali KO 8 (15) 30/10/1974 Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Win 40–0 Ken Norton TKO 2 (15) 26/03/1974 El Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela Retained WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. Fight know as "The Caracas Caper". Norton was knocked down 3 times.

Win 39–0 Jose Roman KO 1 (15) 01/09/1973 Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. There were 2 knockdowns, prior to the KO.

Win 38–0 Joe Frazier TKO 2 (15) 22/01/1973 Nihon Budokan, Kingston, Jamaica Won WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles. Frazier was knocked down 3 times in the 1st and 3 times in the 2nd before Referee Mercante waved him off and stopped the bout to protect him from further punishment. 1973 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine. Attendance: 36,000.

Win 37–0 Terry Sorrell KO 2 (10) 10/10/1972 Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Win 36–0 Miguel Angel Paez KO 2 (10) 11/05/1972 Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States Won Pan American Heavyweight title.

Win 35–0 Ted Gullick KO 2 (10) 10/04/1972 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States Gullick down in the 2nd round from body shot and counted out.

Win 34–0 Clarence Boone KO 2 (10) 07/03/1972 Beaumont, Texas, United States

Win 33–0 Joe Murphy Goodwin KO 2 (10) 29/02/1972 Austin, Texas, United States

Win 32–0 Luis Faustino Pires TKO 5 (10) 29/10/1971 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States Pires not knocked down, but not out for round 5.

Win 31–0 Ollie Wilson KO 2 (10) 07/10/1971 Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States

Win 30–0 Leroy Caldwell KO 2 (10) 21/09/1971 Beaumont, Texas, United States

Win 29–0 Vic Scott KO 1 (10) 14/09/1971 El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States

Win 28–0 Gregorio Peralta TKO 10 (15) 10/05/1971 Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title.

Win 27–0 Stamford Harris KO 2 (10) 03/04/1971 Playboy Club Hotel, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States

Win 26–0 Charlie Boston KO 1 (10) 08/02/1971 Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

Win 25–0 Mel Turnbow TKO 1 (10) 18/12/1970 Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States

Win 24–0 Boone Kirkman TKO 2 (10) 18/11/1970 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States Kirkman down in 1st round. Referee Mercante stopped the bout at 0:41 to protect Kirkman from further punishment.

Win 23–0 Lou Bailey TKO 3 (10) 03/11/1970 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States Bailey down 7 times.

Win 22–0 George Chuvalo TKO 3 (10) 04/08/1970 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States Corner stoppage. Chuvalo was rocked by a left hook and was taking punches in the corner without responding.

Win 21–0 Roger Russell KO 1 (10) 20/07/1970 Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Win 20–0 George Johnson TKO 7 (10) 16/05/1970 Forum, Inglewood, California, United States The bout was stopped because of cut over Johnson's left eye.

Win 19–0 Aaron Eastling TKO 4 (10) 29/04/1970 Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, United States Eastling down once in 1st, once in 2nd and 3 times in 4th.

Win 18–0 James J. Woody TKO 3 (10) 17/04/1970 Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States

Win 17–0 Rufus Brassell TKO 1 (10) 31/03/1970 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States

Win 16–0 Gregorio Peralta UD 10 16/02/1970 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States

Win 15–0 Jack O'Halloran KO 5 (10) 26/01/1970 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States

Win 14–0 Charley Polite KO 4 (10) 06/01/1970 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States

Win 13–0 Gary Hobo Wiler TKO 1 (10) 18/12/1969 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States

Win 12–0 Levi Forte UD 10 16/12/1969 Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States Forte down in the 2nd round.

Win 11–0 Bob Hazelton TKO 1 (6) 06/12/1969 International Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Win 10–0 Max Martinez KO 2 (10) 18/11/1969 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States

Win 9–0 Leo Peterson KO 4 (8) 05/11/1969 Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States

Win 8–0 Roberto Davila UD 8 31/10/1969 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States

Win 7–0 Vernon Clay TKO 2 (6) 07/10/1969 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States

Win 6–0 Roy Wallace KO 2 (6) 23/09/1969 Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States

Win 5–0 Johnny Carroll KO 1 (8) 18/09/1969 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States

Win 4–0 Chuck Wepner TKO 3 (10) 18/08/1969 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States Wepner's eye opened up slightly in the 1st round, and was bad enough by the beginning of the 3rd to give Foreman a TKO.

Win 3–0 Sylvester Dullaire TKO 1 (6) 14/07/1969 Rosecroft Raceway, Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States Dullaire a late sub for Robert "Bobo" Renfrow.

Win 2–0 Fred Askew KO 1 (6) 01/07/1969 Houston, Texas, United States

Win 1–0 Don Waldheim TKO 3 (6) 23/06/1969 Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States Pro debut for Foreman.

[COP11]