George Foreman Timeline

Foreman married Adrienne Calhoun, the first of his five wives, in 1971; the marriage lasted until 1974.

Foreman had a life-changing year in 1977. Unable to secure another title opportunity, he retired after a loss to Jimmy Young. He experienced a religious transformation, becoming an affectionate public figure welcomed into Houston's Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

After his religious transformation following the 1977 loss to Jimmy Young, Foreman became pastor of The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, a Holiness Pentecostal church on Lone Oak Road in Houston, in 1980.

In 2002, Foreman was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring; the following year, the magazine ranked him as the ninth-greatest puncher of all time.

Foreman adopted two daughters: Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman) in 2009, who lives in Sweden and has blogged under the name BellaNeutella since 2010, and Courtney Isaac (Foreman) in 2012.

Foreman received the Day 'Good Guy' Award during its 95th National Convention in 2013, recognizing his contributions beyond the ring.

Freeda Foreman, George's daughter, had a 5–1 record as a professional boxer before retiring in 2001, and died in 2019 at age 42 in an apparent suicide.

Foreman died in a hospital in Houston on March 21, 2025, at age 76, closing out a life spanning Olympic gold, world heavyweight championships, entrepreneurship, and ministry.

In 2026, it was announced that Foreman had been privately buried at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, following his memorial service.

In 1976, Foreman announced a professional comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Muhammad Ali.

Image source: George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle

Foreman's comeback opponent was Ron Lyle, who had been defeated by Ali in 1975 via an eleventh-round TKO and was rated the number-five heavyweight in the world per The Ring's March 1976 issue.

In 1987, after ten years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38.

In 1988, Foreman won nine times, including a seventh-round knockout of former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as his comeback gathered momentum.

Although The Ring magazine's 'Round of the Year' was not awarded in 1991, the seventh round—in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination—has been called a historic round of boxing and the remarkable high point of the fight.

Image source: Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman

Foreman returned to the ring in January 1993, defeating South African heavyweight contender Pierre Coetzer by eighth-round technical knockout.

In 1994, after Michael Moorer beat Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles, Foreman challenged for the world championship again. At age 45, he knocked out the 26-year-old Moorer to win the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight championships, earning Associated Press Athlete of the Year honors.

Image source: Michael Moorer vs. George Foreman

Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman talked about a potential superfight with Mike Tyson, then the youngest heavyweight champion on record. In 1995, The New York Times quoted Foreman saying they would fight before year's end if Tyson didn't sign with Don King; Tyson signed with King, and the bout never materialized.

On April 22, 1995, Foreman fought midlevel underdog prospect Axel Schulz of Germany in defense of his IBF title. He dropped the WBA belt rather than face his mandatory title defense, and following this single successful defense against Schulz, relinquished his IBF title on June 28, 1995.

Image source: George Foreman vs. Axel Schulz

Foreman retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final professional record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and 5 losses. His final fights included a split decision over Lou Savarese and a WBC eliminator against Shannon Briggs.

Though he said he had no plans to resume his career, Foreman planned a return bout against Larry Holmes scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay-per-view in 1999.

In February 2004, Foreman announced he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a 'death sentence'.

By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman sold his name and face for advertising various products, most notably the hugely successful George Foreman Grill.

Image source: George Foreman Grill

Foreman served as a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for 12 years until 2004, becoming a familiar and beloved voice of the network's broadcasts.

Image source: HBO World Championship Boxing

A show featuring Foreman as a retired boxer premiered in November 1993 and ran for nine episodes, though ten were made.

Salton paid Foreman $138 million in 1999 for the right to use his name on the grill. Prior to that, he earned about 40% of profits on each grill sold—about $4.5 million a month at its peak—for an estimated total exceeding $200 million through 2011.

In 2022, Foreman competed in season eight of The Masked Singer as 'Venus Fly Trap', showcasing his celebrity appeal decades after his boxing career.

Image source: The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 8

Foreman served as an executive producer on Big George Foreman, a 2023 Christian film based on his sporting and spiritual life.

Image source: Big George Foreman