George Foreman is dead: Pictures of an extraordinary life

For a long time it looked as if George Foreman, later combat name “Big George”, was more on the wrong track than on the winning road: According to the native of Texan, he said in his youth with criminals and also repeatedly came into conflict with the law. In a vocational training program, however, a boxing trainer became aware of him in 1966, and Foreman started training. The beginning of a success story and start a long career. Just two years later, the Foreman, born in 1949, won Olympic Gold and in 1969 became a professional – a career that – with interruptions – was to last for almost 30 years and which he finally finished in 1997. His balance sheet: 81 fights, of which he won 76, 68 by KO. You can find pictures of the extraordinary career in the gallery.

In private, George Foreman was married five times. The marriage, which was closed in 1985 with his last wife Mary Joan Martelly, held until his death. Common photos of the two are rare despite the long marriage. Foreman had a total of twelve children, seven daughters and five sons. All of his sons, like him, carried the name George Edward Foreman and to distinguish individual nicknames. Foreman Senior once said that he wanted his sons to always have something in common.

George Foreman died on March 21, 2025 in a hospital in Houston. After his death, his family posted a photo that shows him with all his children on Instagram and praised him as “power of good”.