The late boxer George Foreman had many titles – but being a father was the one he took the most pride in.
The two-time world heavyweight champion and entrepreneur died on 21 March aged 76, his family said in a statement shared to his social media.
His children remembered him as “a devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather”.
Foreman was married five times, most recently to Mary Joan Martelly, whom he wed in 1985. He had 12 children, including five sons all named George Edward Foreman, and also named one of his daughters Georgetta.
Explaining the name choice for his sons on his website, Foreman said: “I say to them, ‘If one of us goes up, then we all go up together. And if one goes down, we all go down together!’”
However, he also joked it was for ease when remembering their names.
He told CBN in 2008: “I tell people, ‘If you’re going to get hit as many times as I’ve been hit by Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Evander Holyfield, you’re not going to remember many names.’”
In order to avoid confusion, each of his sons has a distinctive nickname, such as George III being “Monk”, George IV being “Big Wheel” and George V being “Red”.
Foreman also had five biological daughters, Natalia, Leola, Michi, Georgetta and Freeda, and adopted daughters Isabella Brandie Lilja in 2009 and Courtney Isaac in 2012.
Freeda followed him into boxing, achieving a 5-1 professional record before retiring in 2001. She died in 2019 at the age of 42.
George “Monk” III also followed in his father’s footsteps and became a professional boxer. He competed between 2009 and 2012 and earned a 16-0 record, later moving into business and co-founding the EveryBodyFights boxing gym chain.
Many of Foreman’s children have stayed out of the public spotlight, but his daughter Georgetta has worked as a TV producer across several legal shows including Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez, America’s Court with Judge Ross, and We the People with Judge Lauren Lake.
Foreman published a book about fatherhood in 2008, titled Fatherhood by George: Hard-Won Advice on Being a Dad, in which he offered his best wisdom and advice from what he had learnt.
Georgetta told CBN in 2008 that he always made each of his children feel special.
“Growing up he made sure that we all had our special time. There was even a time when we all had our own days,’ she said.
“There was a Georgetta day, or George II, or whatever. And he took that time out to make sure that that day you had whatever you wanted to eat, whatever you wanted to do and he took out time to get to know who we were and who we are now.”
Speaking to CBN about fatherhood in 2008, Foreman said: “One thing I’m most proud of, in my heart, are my children.”
“They’ve gone on, some of them, to stand the test, to get college education, and that’s the hardest thing in the world to achieve; but most of all they’re good parents, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
