The boxing world mourns George Foreman, one of the greatest boxers of all-time, who died on Friday, March 21 at the age of 76. Foreman, known as "Big George", won an Olympic Gold Medal in Mexico 1968, when he was 19, and was twice world heavyweight champion. The first time, in 1973, after beating Joe Frazier, and the second time against Michael Moorer in 1994... 21 years later, when Foreman was 45, making him the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history (and second overall behind Bernard Hopkins, who was 46).
Foreman, born in Texas in 1949, raised by a single mother with six siblings. He dropped out of school and was saved from a life of delinquency by boxing, where he ended up with an incredible career, with 81 professional fights and only 5 losses.
One of his most famous losses, however, was in the "Rumble in the Jungle", one of the most famous fights in boxing history and one of the most watched events seen on television at the time. In that fight on October 30, 1974, Foreman lost his heavyweight world champion title to Muhammad Ali, losing by KO.
Foreman initially refused to accept his defeat, but in time he reconciled with Ali and became friends. One of the most unforgettable moments of his life happened when he helped Ali - who was suffering from Parkinson's at the time - to climb the steps to receive an Oscar in 1996 for the When We Were Kings documentary.
He retired for the second time from boxing at age 48. His fortune were multiplied when he famously used his name for a grill (the George Foreman Grill), which to this date has sold more than 100 million units. Foreman married five times and had 12 children, including five sons all called George.