Houston – George Foreman remembered Monday on a commemorative service in his hometown of Houston – not only for his legendary boxing career, but also for his love for God, family, horses, cheeseburgers and his desire to help others.
“He always preached love. This is this life. It’s all about love and George was clean because George lived and believed what he was preaching,” said James Douglas, a long -time friend and former President Texas Southern University in Houston.
Within nearly 1 ½ hours of commemorative service, Foreman’s family and friends remembered the anecdote of a man who was a double boxing champion, a pastor who gave sermons confirming his life in his church in Northeast Houston, and the best known entrepreneur known for George Foreman grill.
Foreman even addressed the crowd posthumously at the Wortham Theater Theater, in the center of Performing Arts, where the memorial was hosted with previously recorded sound news.
“Victory and losses can never secure a permanent smile. But saying your face you see a day,” I did the most, “Foreman said on the recording.
Many people who spoke at the memorial, including George Foreman IV, one of the five sons of the legend in boxing, emphasized the importance of faith in the life of an older leader, and how God led his efforts to help others.
“How well do I remember how Jesus brought me? I prayed, I went to the night or two. It was a song my grandmother gave my father.
Foreman had 12 children, including five sons who are all great named George Edward Foreman.
“Rest well, Dad. We always wear your love with us,” said George Foreman IV, who is also a pastor.
Former boxer Michael Moorer, who defeated Foreman in 1994 to become the oldest man (at the age of 45) to win a heavyweight championship, said the crowd that these two had moved from competitors to have a “respect for more than 30 years”.
“George was a champion in his life. His faith has transformed a shy country boy from Texas into a successful entrepreneur and a voice for less happiness,” Moorer said.
Dr. Adan Rios, a long -time friend of the Great box, remembered how Foreman bought land to create a food bank for AIDS patients and donate $ 1.7 million to help treat adolescent patients with cancer.
Foreman died 21 March at the age of 76. The Foreman’s family did not publish its cause of death, and on the social media, he only said that “he left peacefully … surrounded by loved ones”.
He was born in Marshall, Texas and was brought up in Houston’s fifth department, one of the historically black neighborhoods of the city.
He began his boxing career as an Olympic gold medalist in 1968 and turned a professional next year.
Foreman became a world heavy weight champion when Joe Frazier defeated Joe Frazier in 1973. The following year, however, lost the title when Muhammad Ali defeated Foreman in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire.
Foreman then gave up the box and after a religious awakening in 1978 became an ordained minister. He began to preach in Houston and later founded the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1980.
The middle-aged fighter returned to the ring after ten years of absence and in 1994 he withdrew one of the most amazing knockouts in the history of boxing, floor-to-19 years of his junior-S surgical right hand to claim two heavy weights.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a career record of 76-5.
Then he moved to the next chapter of his life as an entrepreneur, Pitchman and an occasional actor.
As the face of George Foreman Grill, he has become a well -known new generation. A simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought more wealth than boxing. In 2023 a biographical film based on his life was released.
“Of all the features I could mention, his faith, his family, his boxing career, his business career, the one who stands out as a friend of George Foreman, has never forgotten where he came,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
