The movie Big George Foreman hit the theatres (pun intended) this past April. This biographical movie tells an amazing true story which includes two unlikely twists. First, how does a heavyweight champion become a pastor? And second, how does an overweight retired boxer make a comeback and regain the heavyweight crown at age 45? Let’s take a closer look…
The boxer
George Edward Moorehead was born into a poor family in Texas in 1949. His parents divorced when he was a child so George adopted his stepfather’s name – Foreman. He was one of seven children and had a troubled youth. He dropped out of school at age 15 and for a while became the neighbourhood bully and mugger. Fortunately, Foreman left that lifestyle and trained to become a carpenter and bricklayer. He moved from Texas to California where (with the help of a supervisor) he began to train. He was interested in football but finally chose boxing.
At age 19, Foreman went to the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and won the gold medal in the heavyweight division. He turned pro the next year and earned the right in 1973 to fight the undefeated world champion, Joe Frazier. Dubbed the “Sonshine Showdown” in Jamaica, Foreman (now 24) knocked out Frazier in the second round stunning the boxing world and making him the new heavyweight champion of the world.
Known as "Big George", he successfully defended his title twice. He boasted a 40–0 record with 37 knockouts. And then he met Muhammad Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle” in 1974 in Zaire (now Congo). Ali’s speed, agility and endurance were too much as Foreman was defeated and knocked to the canvas for the first time in his career. Three years later, he retired.
On the personal side, Foreman married and divorced four times between 1971 and 1985. He has been married to his fifth wife (Mary Joan) for 38 years since 1985. Altogether he has 12 children of whom two are adopted.
The pastor
After his last fight, Foreman became ill in his dressing room suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke. He had a near-death experience. He remembers being in a “hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair.” He begged God to help him and heard God say, “I don’t want your money. I want you.”
After this traumatic experience, Foreman committed his life to Christ. In his words: “I dropped everything I was doing to tell everyone that Jesus Christ is alive. I had gone all over the world to exalt George Foreman. Now I want to go all over telling people about Jesus.” He started by preaching on street corners and eventually became an ordained minister with the “Church of the Lord Jesus Christ” in Houston.
He now devoted his time to his family and congregation. He also opened a youth centre for troubled youth and shared his story on Christian television broadcasts. Foreman often uses boxing terms in his preaching. “You’ve got to learn how to fight! If you believe in God, you’ve got to fight for him.”
The comeback
Foreman again shocked the boxing world by announcing at age 38 a comeback in 1987 (after being retired 10 years). His primary motive was to raise money to fund his youth centre. Seven years later, he earned the right to again fight for the heavyweight championship. He was now 45 and his opponent, Michael Moorer, was 26. Although his comeback had been impressive, Foreman was the clear underdog.
However, his new, relaxed fighting style had increased his endurance. Out-boxed for most of the match, Foreman knocked out Moorer in the tenth round. Again, the boxing world was stunned as Foreman regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades earlier. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the crowd cheered.
That night, Foreman broke three records as he…
* became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history (age 45)
* had the longest interval between world championships (20 years)
* had the longest age spread with his opponent (19 years).
Foreman retired (for good) in 1997 at the age of 48. His final record was 76 wins (including 68 knockouts) and 5 losses. He was inducted into both the World and International Boxing Halls of Fame. Incredibly, his career had spanned 30 years (1967 to 1997).
Foreman then became a ringside analyst for 12 years until 2004. Since then, he has continued his ministry to troubled youth pointing to the change in his life but (more importantly) pointing them to Jesus who made the change possible.
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
