How Many Times Did George Foreman Win the Heavyweight Title?

George Foreman boxed professionally from 1969 until 1997. His 28-year campaign featured a ten-year hiatus from boxing between 1977 and 1987. During his time away from boxing, Foreman became a preacher. To answer the question posed above, Foreman won the heavyweight title twice during his career – once during the first act of his campaign in January 1973; the second time he won the title occurred over twenty years later during his unlikely second act.

Here are some details on George Foreman’s two title-winning nights.

After debuting as a professional in 1969, Foreman won 37 fights in a row. Thirty-four of his wins were by knockout. This impressive run engineered George a shot at the title holder, Joe Frazier. Foreman’s showdown with Frazier took place in Kingston, Jamaica on January 22, 1973. Foreman was a significant underdog against the unbeatable-looking Foreman, but he won convincingly. The contest was stopped at 2:26 of the second round after Frazier had been on the canvas a staggering six times. It was a dominant display of raw power which overwhelmed the defending champion. Against the odds, George Foreman was the heavyweight champion of the world.

Foreman defended the title twice before losing it to Muhammad Ali in October 1974 in The Rumble in the Jungle. Following a second career defeat to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman quit boxing to dedicate his life to his faith. The desire to be the world’s heavyweight champion again remained alive inside Foreman, and he returned to the ring in 1987. Twenty-four consecutive wins earned Foreman his title opportunity against Evander Holyfield. That bout took place in April 1991, and despite an impressive showing from Foreman, Holyfield won a unanimous decision.

Foreman carried on, and in November 1994, he achieved his dream.

Michael Moorer, who had upset Evander Holyfield earlier that year, held the title. Foreman was struggling against Moorer, who was 19 years his junior, but he remained in the fight, and his determination was rewarded when he knocked Moorer out with a powerful right hand in the tenth round. Twenty-one years after first winning the world title, Foreman was once again the main man in the heavyweight division. He achieved this at 45 years old; he remains the oldest heavyweight world champion to this day.

George Foreman had a unique career, underlined by the 21-year interval between his title wins. That gap between world title wins also remains a record in boxing.

Colin Morrison

A boxing fan since his teenage years, Morrison began writing about the sport in July 2016. He appreciates all styles of boxing and has nothing but respect for those who get in the ring for our entertainment. Morrison is from Scotland and can be found on Twitter @Morrie1981.

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