George Foreman’s return to the pinnacle of boxing was a story made for Hollywood, but what was the true story of his return to the ring?
The Big Picture
- Boxing is the perfect source of inspiration for compelling sports movies, with George Foreman’s story being one of the most engaging and impressive comebacks in any sport.
- Foreman’s journey from an impoverished childhood to becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion is a testament to his determination and resilience.
- Despite facing setbacks, including a near-death experience and a 10-year absence from professional boxing, Foreman reclaimed the heavyweight belt, making him boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion.
In the world of sports movies, there’s a special something to boxing that makes it the perfect source of inspiration for some of the best stories told in cinema. There’s a reason that the sport has inspired so many incredible films, including the immensely popular Rocky series and its exceptional successor Creed. While these movies take inspiration from the sport and add their own stories to it, the source material is just as fascinating and fit for the silver screen. Boxing as a sport has a history of big names, big personalities, and even bigger legends. The careers of the greatest boxers are not just immense physical achievements but are some of the most narratively interesting and engaging stories in all of sports. But even in a field of icons and notable names, there are those that ascended to legendary status. The movie Big George Foreman focuses on the titular fighter, whose career was filled with triumphs, losses, and one of the greatest comeback stories in all of sports.
The film covers significant portions of George Foreman‘s life, with a particular focus on his unprecedented return to professional boxing after a 10-year absence, that ultimately saw him reclaim the heavyweight belt. Even though that story sounds like it was pulled straight out of a movie script, this was just the reality of Foreman’s life. Foreman lived a larger-than-life career, with one of the greatest athletic resurgences in the real world.
Big George Foreman
Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit.
- Release Date
- April 28, 2023
- Director
- George Tillman Jr.
- Cast
- Forest Whitaker , Sonja Sohn , Matthew Glave , John Magaro
- Runtime
- 133 minutes
- Main Genre
- Biography
- Writers
- Frank Baldwin , George Tillman Jr.
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Releasing
George Foreman’s Rise Before the Fall
George Foreman’s story starts with his birth in Texas in 1949. A difficult childhood forced him to drop out of high school. He found his way into the ring after joining President Lyndon Johnson‘s Job Corps work program where his prodigious knack for knocking fighters out became apparent. “Big George” soon became his moniker and, in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he would take home the gold medal for the United States and put himself fully on the map. Foreman would win his first 37 professional matches with an astonishing 34 knockouts. After his incredible success, he faced down the legendary Joe Frazier for the heavyweight belt. In astonishing fashion, Big George would KO the heavyweight champ in just two rounds. With his immense punching power, Big George Foreman was the heavyweight champion of the world.
However, as with all great fighters, they must also face the hungriest and most skilled opponents in order to maintain their title. And sometimes, you don’t always get to play the victor. Fast-forward to 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire, and Big George faced the underdog Muhammad Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Unfortunately for Big George, the younger upstart was destined for the title of “The Greatest”, and he lost to Ali and lost his belt.
Which Fight Changed George Foreman’s Life?
Over the next few years, Foreman continued to win other fights but never reclaimed the title. For most fighters, winning or losing the belt would be the fight that changes their life the most. For Big George, it was a much different storyline. In a bout versus Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman experienced a loss that changed his life in unprecedented ways. Though Big George had survived his way through the end of the fight, it was apparent that he was running on fumes by the time the last bell rung. He lost to Young by decision and, in extensive exhaustion, returned to his dressing room where he underwent a life-changing experience. Foreman, suffering from heatstroke and extreme fatigue, had a near-death experience that gave him new perspective on life. After the intense ordeal, George felt that he “died and became alive again” and, feeling a new calling to Christianity, immediately retired from boxing to pursue a life serving God. At just 28-years-old, he stepped away from the ring and into the pews.
This started a new era for George Foreman; no longer was he Big George the fighter, but he was George Foreman the minister. He would become ordained in 1979 and devoted the next decade of his life to his church and community. Foreman was more than content to never fight again, devoting much of his life to his family and congregation. One of his crowning works was the founding of the George Foreman Youth Center in Houston, a passion project that was close to his heart. But as important as this work was, it wasn’t exactly the most lucrative project. Foreman no longer had the millions from his boxing career, and his speaking engagements wouldn’t be enough to keep the youth center afloat. After a particularly embarrassing speaking engagement where he felt desperate for donations, Foreman decided that the way that he could save his youth center would have to be off of the pulpit, and somewhere with more lights, sounds, and an opponent that was aiming to knock you out.
George Foreman Lived Out One of the Greatest Comeback Stories Ever
Big George was a distant memory at the time. It was 10 years since Foreman had last fought professionally and, in that decade, he had descended far from fighting shape. “I was eating banana splits. I didn’t even know those existed,” he recalled how he had celebrated no longer needing to be in peak physical condition. But that would have to change in order to keep his youth center alive. And so, Big George would begin the first steps in the greatest comeback story of a generation.
Foreman put himself to work, enduring constant training to lose weight and get himself in the best condition he could achieve. He would never be in his physical prime again, so he was forced to make do with his much older physique. The years as a minister had changed George, who felt disconnected from the brutality of the sport. He had to figure out how to fight when he was so convicted in his desire to not hurt anyone. Foreman was able to reframe his mindset, deciding not to throw punches in anger but with purpose, and that shifted perspective pushed him one step closer to completing his goal.
The road back to the top was still arduous, even after the immense progress Foreman made in his training. In a stunt move to prove himself to the world, Foreman fought five men in one night to show that he had returned to the ring with fervor and strength. Unfortunately, the move had the opposite effect, with fans and contemporaries alike considering the event a disappointing spectacle and an embarrassing outing. That ordeal wouldn’t stop Foreman from his goals, however. There was still his youth center that needed to be maintained, so he continued working and fighting his way up to earn a chance at the belt.
‘Big George Foreman’ Review: This Story of the Iconic Boxer and Grill Salesman Pulls Its Punches
The man could really throw a punch in the ring, but this superficial biopic only proves to be headache-inducing as opposed to emotionally engaging.
It’s November 5, 1994, and Big George is 45 years old. He wears the same red trunks that he wore in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” where he had lost the heavyweight belt to Ali. But now, he was staring down a different man, while carrying the future of his community on his shoulders. Foreman faced 26-year-old Michael Moorer, undefeated at the time, for the title of heavyweight champion. Somehow, someway, the man who had retired from boxing for 10 years and had embarrassed himself on his road back to the top was able to make it over the final hurdle. Big George defeated Moorer in the 10th round, reclaiming his title and becoming boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion.
Though Foreman would not hold the belt for long, he had nonetheless completed his goal of making it back to the top of the mountain to help his community. Most people today might know the name George Foreman for his hugely popular grill and his successful entrepreneurial endeavors. But for boxing fans, Big George was an indomitable fighter who mounted one of the most exciting, rewarding, and impressive resurgences in any sport. If there’s one thing that sports fans and cinephiles can agree on, it’s that comeback stories are some of the most engaging tales to follow. So if you want to see the story of one of the greatest boxers of all time and his journey to the top and back, Big George Foreman is the movie for you.
Big George Foreman is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com