George Foreman's Real Name: George Edward Foreman

Quick answer: George Foreman's documented full name is George Edward Foreman. Encyclopaedia Britannica records that form and gives his birth date as January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. The Associated Press identifies him as a native Texan who grew up in Houston and became a two-time world heavyweight champion (Encyclopaedia Britannica; Associated Press).

Real name and early life

Britannica lists the full name George Edward Foreman and places his birth in Marshall. The Associated Press says he grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward and that boxing changed the course of a difficult youth. Britannica adds that he learned to box in a U.S. Job Corps camp in Oregon and that he won heavyweight gold at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, a result the AP also records.

Career highlights

Foreman first won the professional heavyweight title by knocking out Joe Frazier in two rounds in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 22, 1973, Britannica says, entering the fight with 40 wins, including 24 consecutive knockouts. On October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Congo), he lost the title to Muhammad Ali in eight rounds in the "Rumble in the Jungle." The Associated Press describes Ali's "rope-a-dope" tactics. Britannica says he retired in 1977 and became an evangelist; the AP likewise describes a religious awakening and years spent preaching and working with young people.

He resumed professional boxing in 1987 at age 39. On November 5, 1994, in Las Vegas, he knocked out Michael Moorer in 10 rounds to win the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles at age 45, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion. He left those titles in 1995 and retired again in 1997 at 76-5, with 68 knockouts, a record the AP also gives. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003. He later became widely known as the spokesman for the George Foreman Grill, introduced in 1995; both sources say the product made him wealthier than boxing had. Britannica records that he had 12 children, including five sons, all named George Edward Foreman.

Death

Foreman's family announced that he died on March 21, 2025, at age 76. The Associated Press said the family did not state how or where he died. Britannica quotes a family statement that he "peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones."

Name notes for searchers

George Edward Foreman is the documented full name; he was known professionally as George Foreman, and sometimes as Big George. Searchers looking for the 1968 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, the two-time heavyweight champion, or the spokesman for the George Foreman Grill are usually aiming at the same person.