It’s with a heavyweight heart that we report the passing of legendary boxer, George Foreman. There are few boxing personalities that have transcended the sport itself. Obviously, you have the incredible Muhammad Ali, “Kid Dynamite” Mike Tyson, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., but Foreman was also in that upper echelon of transcendent figures. He was a powerhouse in the ring just as much as he was outside of it in the world of popular culture.
If you didn’t follow boxing at all, then you probably knew George Foreman from the famous grill that his name was attached to. That two-sided, slanted, electric grill promised to “knock out” the fat and grease by letting it slide down the surface and into a drip tray. The physical result of seeing that collected grease fall away from the food was just one of its brilliant marketing ideas. The other of course, was to have Foreman be the spokesperson. The reason why he was selected ties back into one of the reasons why he should be regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Foreman was the undisputed heavyweight world champion of boxing in 1974. Then came along Muhammad Ali and the fight that would be dubbed “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali left that fight with the title, shocking Foreman and boxing fans across the world. It remains one of the most prolific contests in boxing history, showcasing a masterful degree of tactical prowess by Ali. For Foreman though, it was the kind of defeat that others would never truly come back from. Except Foreman did. Twenty years later, in 1994 he would reclaim the heavyweight championship in a massive upset against Michael Moorer. At the time, Foreman was 45 years old and the oldest person to ever win the heavyweight championship. When Foreman subsequently claimed that healthy eating was part of his prep for his title fight, the grill sponsorship seemed like a natural fit.
Foreman sold the hell out of that grill with commercials that were everywhere throughout the 90s and early 2000s. The man’s genial personality and down to earth attitude made it feel like he was just a regular guy, selling you a grill. But he would pop up everywhere in interviews, talk shows, an episode of “Home Improvement” and “King of the Hill;” he was a commentator for HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” telecasts and even hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
George Foreman was one of the best and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who had something bad to say about the man. He was the genuine article and proved that age doesn’t necessarily have to hold you back from reaching the heights that you want to reach. If you want to pay his memory some more respect, check out the Academy Award winning documentary from 1996, “When We Were Kings.” It’s an exceptional film that chronicles the lead up to, and footage of Foreman’s 1974 fight with Ali.
George Foreman was 76.
