Ageless champ, cultural icon, grill mogul: the life and times of George Foreman Premium

George Foreman: From boxing champion to spiritual awakening, a tale of resilience and redemption in the ring and beyond.

The boxing world has always been full of colourful, inspiring characters. But even in this space, George Foreman stands out as an iconic figure.

Foreman, who passed away last week at the age of 76, truly led a full life. There were huge highs and crushing lows, a religious awakening stemming from a near-death experience, and the most unlikely comeback story which saw him become the oldest heavyweight champion in history.

Foreman holds his own in cultural folklore, having ended up on the wrong end of perhaps the greatest boxing match in history — ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ against Muhammad Ali at Kinshasa, Zaire, in 1974. The epic battle — the subject of movies, books and documentaries galore — would normally define the life of the combatants. But not so for Foreman, who went on to script many glorious chapters.

Like most boxers, Foreman grew up in hardship and poverty. Raised by a single mother, Foreman’s youth was one of crime in the rough and tough Fifth Ward community of Houston, Texas.

He was a troubled teenager, having taken to mugging and robbing. A botched mugging incident, however, forced Foreman to change his ways. In the biographical sports drama film, ‘Big George Foreman’, the protagonist is seen chased by the police, and is forced to hide in the sewage area of a home.

Foreman escaped the wrath of the police, but decided that he had to exit this life of crime. He enlisted in the Job Corps, a United States of America government programme that offers free education and vocational training. At the Job Corps, for the first time in his life, Foreman gained the luxury of having three square meals a day.

It was here that Foreman first put on the boxing gloves, at the insistence of Doc Broadus, a Job Corps counsellor and boxing coach.