US
US boxing legend George Foreman dies age 76
US heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman has died age 76, according to a statement on his Instagram account.
The two-time champion fought Muhammad Ali in one of boxing’s most legendary fights, the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.
He also became known to millions around the world through his popular range of electric grills.
A statement on his Instagram account said he died peacefully on 21 March “surrounded by loved ones” after an “extraordinary life”.
It added: “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 statement also called him a “humanitarian” and “force for good”.
Mike Tyson was one of the first to pay tribute, posting on X that his “contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten”.
Foreman was considered virtually unbeatable in 1974’s match-up with Ali in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactics of soaking up Foreman’s punches wore out the feared puncher and he claimed an improbable win to regain the heavyweight title.
Ali (right) knocked out Foreman in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in 1974. Pic: dpa/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
The Texas-born fighter took the loss hard, but in 1994 staged his own miraculous comeback – knocking out Michael Moorer to became the oldest-ever heavyweight champion at the age of 45.
The story of the fight was told in Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings.
Outside the ring, Foreman’s transformation from a brooding boxer to a jovial, TV-friendly personality helped him make a fortune through his range of fat-reducing grills in the 1990s.
Foreman was born on 10 January 1949 and he and his six siblings were raised by a single mother.
He dropped out of school and got mixed up in street robberies, but said years later that President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Job Corps initiative “rescued me from the gutter”.
The 16-year-old left Texas and was encouraged to get into boxing.
Just three years later, in his 25th amateur bout, he won gold at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.
Foreman turned pro and reeled off 37 wins before beating Joe Frazier to become heavyweight champion for the first time – in a fight in Kingston, Jamaica.
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