The late George Foreman gave all five of his sons the same name but had a very good reason as to why.
On Friday night, Foreman's family announced the boxing legend had passed away at the age of 76 while surrounded by his loved ones.
A post on Foreman's Instagram read: "Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.
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"A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family.
"We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own."
Tributes poured in from the boxing world, honouring a man who won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics before turning professional and winning 37 bouts in a row.
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He won the world heavyweight title for the first time by inflicting Joe Frazier's first career loss before suffering his first defeat to Muhammad Ali, who defeated him to take the belt in the iconic 'Rumble in the Jungle' match-up.
Foreman went on to become a two-time heavyweight champion 21 years later, becoming the oldest boxer to hold the belt at the age of 45.
'Big George', who made millions from his involvement in the game-changing grill named after him, was married five times and had 12 children.
Foreman gave all five sons same name
He had five sons that were also called George Edward Foreman, while also naming one of his daughters Georgetta.
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"I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common," he explained on his website in regards to keeping the same names.
"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!'".
Speaking to CNN in 2008, he joked that given the hits he suffered from boxing greats like Ali, Frazier and Evander Holyfield, sticking with the same name made it easy for him to remember.
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Still, having six people in the same family all called George Foreman does bring its fair share of problems and so every son was given a different nickname, including 'Monk', 'Big Wheel' and 'Red'.
His other biological children include daughters Natalia, Leola, Michi and the late Freeda, who died in 2019. He also adopted Isabella and Courtney.
Topics: Boxing
Josh Lawless