Kassel
Kassel
Coordinates	51°19′0″N 9°30′0″E / 51.316667°N 9.5°E / 51.316667; 9.5Coordinates: 51°19′0″N 9°30′0″E / 51.316667°N 9.5°E / 51.316667; 9.5
Administration
Country	Germany
State	Hesse
Admin. region	Kassel
District	Urban district
Mayor	Bertram Hilgen (SPD)
Basic statistics
Area	107 km2 (41 sq mi)
Elevation	167 m  (548 ft)
Population	195,530 (31 December 2010)[1]
- Density	1,827 /km2 (4,733 /sq mi)
- Metro	450,000
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	KS
Postal codes	34001–34134
Area code	0561
Website	www.stadt-kassel.de

Kassel (German pronunciation: [ˈkasəl]; spelled Cassel until 1928) is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.^[2]

History[link]

A map of Kassel in 1648.

The Königsstrasse, the main shopping street

The city's name is derived from the ancient Castellum Cattorum, a castle of the Chatti, a German tribe that had lived in the area since Roman times.

Kassel was first mentioned in 913 AD as the place where two deeds were signed by King Conrad I. The place was called Chasella and was a fortification at a bridge crossing the Fulda river. A deed from 1189 certifies that Kassel had city rights, but the date when they were granted is not known.

In 1567, the landgraviate of Hesse, until then centered in Marburg, was divided among four sons, with Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) becoming one of its successor states. Kassel was its capital and became a centre of Calvinist Protestantism in Germany. Strong fortifications were built to protect the Protestant stronghold against Catholic enemies. In 1685, Kassel became a refuge for 1700 Huguenots who found shelter in the newly established borough of Oberneustadt. Landgrave Charles, who was responsible for this humanitarian act, also ordered the construction of the Oktagon and of the Orangerie. In the late 18th century, Hesse-Kassel became infamous for selling mercenaries (Hessians) to the British crown to help suppress the American Revolution and to finance the construction of palaces and the landgrave's opulent lifestyle.

In the early 19th century, the Brothers Grimm lived in Kassel and collected and wrote most of their fairy tales there. At that time, around 1803, the landgravate was elevated to a principality and its ruler to Prince-elector. Shortly after, it was annexed by Napoleon and in 1807 it became the capital of the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia under Napoleon's brother Jérôme. The electorate was restored in 1813.

Having sided with Austria in the Austro-Prussian War for supremacy in Germany, the principality was annexed by Prussia in 1866. The Prussian administration united Nassau, Frankfurt and Hesse-Kassel into the new Prussian province of Hesse-Nassau. Kassel ceased to be a princely residence, but soon developed into a major industrial centre as well as a major railway junction.

In 1870, after the Battle of Sedan, Napoleon III was sent as a prisoner to the castle of Wilhelmshohe above the city. During World War I the German military headquarters were located in the castle of Wilhelmshohe. In the late 1930s Nazis destroyed Heinrich Hübsch's Kassel Synagogue.

During World War II, Kassel was the Headquarters for Germany's Wehrkreis IX, and a local subcamp of Dachau concentration camp provided forced labour for Henschel facilities.^[3] The most severe bombing of Kassel in World War II destroyed 90% of the downtown area, some 10,000 people were killed, and 150,000 were made homeless.^{[citation needed]} Most of the casualties were civilians or wounded soldiers recuperating in local hospitals, whereas factories survived the attack generally undamaged.^{[citation needed]} Karl Gerland replaced the regional Gauleiter, Karl Weinrich, soon after the raid.

The Allied ground advance into Germany reached Kassel at the beginning of April 1945. The US 80th Infantry Division captured Kassel in bitter house-to-house fighting during 2–4 April 1945, which included numerous German panzer-grenadier counterattacks, and resulted in further widespread devastation to bombed and unbombed structures alike.^[4]

Post-war, most of the ancient buildings were not restored, and large parts of the downtown area were completely rebuilt in the style of the 1950s. A few historic buildings, however, such as the Museum Fridericianum (see below), were restored. In 1949, the interim parliament ("Parlamentarischer Rat") eliminated Kassel in the first round as a city to become the provisional capital of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bonn won). In 1972 the Chancellor of West Germany Willy Brandt and the Prime Minister of the German Democratic Republic Willy Stoph met in Wilhelmshöhe castle for negotiations between the two German states.

Kassel 360° Panorama view from the Tower of the Lutherkirche.

Culture[link]

Installation by Thomas Schütte during Documenta IX, 1992

In 1558 the first German observatory was built in Kassel, followed in 1604 by the Ottoneum, the first permanent German theatre building. The old building is today the Natural History Museum, and the today called Staatstheater Kassel is located in a nearby building constructed in the 1950s.

Since 1955 the Documenta, an international exhibition of modern and contemporary art, has been held regularly in Kassel. The Documenta now takes place every 5 years and the next will be in mid-2012. As a result of the Documenta 6 (1977), Kassel became the first town in the world to have been illuminated by LASER-beams at night (Laserscape, by artist Horst H. Baumann). This LASER-installation is nowadays still visible at weekends. Other Documenta-remnants (mainly sculptures) can be found in many places in Kassel.

Since 1927, Kassel has been home to Bärenreiter, one of the world's most important music publishers.

Main sights[link]

The bombing raids of 1943 destroyed 90% of the city centre. The city was almost completely rebuilt during the 1950s and is a combination of renovated or reconstructed old buildings and architecture of the 1950s. Outside of the city centre the suburbs are dominated by 19th century architecture. The oldest monument is the Druselturm, the Brüderkirche and the Church of St. Martin are also in part of medieval origin. The towers of St. Martin are from the 1950s.

Wilhelmshöhe Palace (with the Antiquities Collection and Old Masters), Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and Hercules monument, Lions Castle[link]

Herkules Monument and water running down the cascades during the water features. In the Bergpark of the Wilhelmshöhe Palace

The Orangerie (Kassel) in the Karlsaue

Wilhelmshöhe Palace above the city, was built in 1786 by landgrave Wilhelm IX of Hesse-Kassel. The palace is now a museum and houses an important collection of Graeco-Roman antiques and a fine gallery of paintings comprising the second largest collection of Rembrandts in Germany. It is surrounded by the beautiful Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with many appealing sights.

The Hercules monument is a huge octagonal stone structure carrying a giant replica of Hercules "Farnese" (now at Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, Italy). From its base down to Wilhelmshöhe Palace runs a long set of artificial cascades which delight visitors during the summer months. Every Sunday and Wednesday afternoon (from May until October) the famous water features take place. They start at the Oktagon and during a one hour walk through the park visitors can follow the water's way until they reach the lake of the castle Wilhelmshöhe where a big fountain of about 50 metres marks the end of the spectacle.

The Löwenburg ("Lions Castle") is a replica of a medieval castle, also built during the reign of Wilhelm IX. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 Napoléon III was imprisoned in Wilhelmshöhe. In 1918 Wilhelmshöhe became the seat of the German Army High Command (OHL): it was there that the military commanders Hindenburg and Ludendorff prepared the German capitulation.

Karlsaue park with the Planetarium in the Museum of Astronomy and Technology[link]

Another large park and also part of the European Garden Heritage Network is the Karlsaue along the Fulda River. Established in the 16th century, it is famous for the Orangerie, a palace built in 1710 as a summer residence for the landgraves. Today there is also a planetarium in the park. In addition, the Park Schönfeld contains a small, municipal botanical garden, the Botanischer Garten Kassel.

Art museums[link]

In 1779 Europe's first public museum, named the Museum Fridericianum after its founder. By the end of the 19th century the museum held one of the largest collections in the world of watches and clocks.

• Schloss Wilhelmshöhe (Antiquities Collection and Old Masters: Albrecht Dürer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Anthony van Dyck)
• Museum Fridericianum
• New Gallery (Kassel) (Tischbein Family, Joseph Beuys)
• Hessisches Landesmuseum (Hessian State Museum) closed, under renovation until 2012 (with a world-famous wallpaper collection).

Other museums[link]

• Museum of Natural History (in the Ottoneum-building)
• Museum of physics and astronomy in the Orangerie (Kassel)
• Marmorbad (marble bath) in the Orangerie (Kassel)
• Caricatura (in the Hauptbahnhof Kassel)
• Museum of Local History
• Tram-Museum Kassel
• Technical Museum and Henschel Museum
• Louis Spohr Museum
• Brother Grimm Museum

Sports[link]

Hessen Kassel is the football club in the city and plays at Auestadion.

Kassel has a long hockey tradition.^[5] Kassel Huskies played from 1977 to 2010. Kassel Huskies ran into financial difficulties and dissolved in 2010.^[5] The "Young Huskies", which is a junior and youth hockey club, decided to enter a men's team in the Hessenliga.^[5] This is the fifth division and the lowest men's competition in the state of Hesse.^[5] The new club was expecting no more than 3,000 supporters for the first home game in the Hessenliga.^[5] However, they had over 5,000 supporters come to watch.^[5]

Transportation[link]

Trams in Kassel

Kassel has seven tram lines (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), with trams arriving usually every 15 minutes. The city also operates a light-rail Stadtbahn network called RegioTram using Regio Citadis low-floor trams which run on both tram and main line railway tracks with four lines (RT3, RT4, RT5, RT9). Moreover a number of low-floor buses complete the Kassel public transportation system. The introduction of low-floor buses led to the development of the Kassel kerb which improves the Accessibility at bus stops.

The city is connected to the national rail network at two stations, Kassel Central, and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe. The traditional central station (Hauptbahnhof) has been reduced to the status of a regional station since the opening of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line in 1991 and its station (Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe) on the high-speed line at which the InterCityExpress (ICE) and InterCity services call.

Kassel is connected to the motorways A 7, A 49 and A 44.

The city is served by Kassel Calden Airport.

Education and research[link]

University of Kassel

University of Kassel[link]

The University of Kassel was founded in 1971, and is the newest university in the state of Hesse. The University offers twelve international master's programs as well as two short-term international programs, the Summer University and the Winter University. The Kunsthochschule Kassel is also part of the university.

Other institutions[link]

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik (IWES), former Institut für Solare Energieversorgungstechnik (ISET)
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Bauphysik (IBP) Projektgruppe Kassel
• Forschungszentrum für Informationstechnik-Gestaltung (ITeG)
• Internationales Zentrum für Hochschulforschung Kassel (INCHER)
• Zentrum für Umweltbewusstes Bauen (ZUB)
• Center for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology (CINSaT)
• AG Friedensforschung

Associations[link]

• German War Graves Commission
• Gesellschaft für Christlich-Jüdische Zusammenarbeit Kassel
• Spitzenverband der landwirtschaftlichen Sozialversicherung
• Deutsche Rentenversicherung Hessen
• Industrie- und Handelskammer Kassel (Chamber of Commerce Kassel)

Courts[link]

Several courts are located in Kassel, including:

• Federal Social Court of Germany (Bundessozialgericht)
• Hessischer Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Administration Court of Hesse)
• Hessisches Finanzgericht
• Sozialgericht Kassel (Social Court Kassel)
• Arbeitsgericht Kassel, (Employment Court Kassel)
• Verwaltungsgericht Kassel
• Oberlandesgericht Frankfurt/Main in Kassel
• Landgericht Kassel (Regional Court Kassel)
• Amtsgericht Kassel and Staatsanwaltschaft Kassel (Local Court Kassel)

Famous people[link]

The Brothers Grimm and historic buildings of Kassel on the last 1000 DM banknote

• Valerius Cordus (1515-1544) physician and botanist who authored one of the greatest pharmacopoeias and one of the most celebrated herbals in history.
• William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1532-1592)
• Landgravine Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel (1627-1686)
• Maria Amalia of Courland (1653-1711), noblewoman, participated in the creation of the Karlsaue Park.
• Simon Louis du Ry, architect (1726-1799).
• Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel, (1744-1836).
• Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, (1747-1837).
• Gertrud Elisabeth Mara, (1749-1833) operatic soprano.
• Georg Friedrich Sartorius, (1765-1828) research historian and economist.
• Jérôme Bonaparte (1784-1860), brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, while he was king of Westphalia.
• The Brothers Grimm, academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales.
• Rudolf Erich Raspe (1736 – 1794), a University of Kassel librarian who fled to England after embezzling significant funds from Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and wrote (or compiled) The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchhausen.
• Louis Spohr (1784-1859), the 19th-century composer and violinist, who is commemorated by a museum in the city.
• HSH Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (1797-1889), Princess and Landgravine of Hesse-Kassel, consort to Field Marshal HRH The Prince Adolphus Frederick, Duke of Cambridge.
• Albrecht Rosengarten (1809-1893), architect famous for synagogue buildings in central Europe.
• Justus Carl Hasskarl (1809-1894), botanist specialising in Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and Spermatophytes.
• Paul Reuter (1816–1899), founder of the Reuters news agency.
• Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1811-1898), Princess and the queen consort to King Christian IX of Denmark.
• Israel Meyer Japhet (1818–1892) who later became choir director in Frankfurt am Main.
• Adolf Eugen Fick (1829–1901), physiologist.
• Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl (1833-1899), the artist who designed the Seal of California.
• Philipp Scheidemann (1865–1939), briefly Germany's Chancellor after World War I.
• Andreas Dippel (1866-1932), operatic tenor
• Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929), philosopher.
• F. W. Murnau (1888–1931), movie director in the silent era.
• Helmut Hasse (1898–1979), who did fundamental work in algebra and number theory.
• Arnold Bode (1900-1977), architect, painter, designer and founder of the documenta
• Leni Junker (1905-1997), athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.
• Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen (1907-1943), Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II.
• Diego Sanmartin, editor of Entre Vecinos, one of the most important newspapers in Caracas.
• Annika Mehlhorn (* 1983), a German butterfly and medley swimmer who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
• Friedrich Armand Strubberg (1806 –1889) Merchant, physician, colonist in North America. Direct descendant of Frederick I of Sweden
• Jakob Stilling (1842-1915) ophthalmologist, son of Benedict Stilling,surgeon, and brother of Heinrich Stilling, pathologist.

International relations[link]

The city hall

Kassel is twinned with

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kassel

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kassel City Panoramas - Panoramic views and Virtual Tours
• Official website
• Kassel travel guide from Wikitravel
• University of Kassel
• Street Crime Mapping Kassel 2009
• Video of the waterfeatures

	Paderborn, Detmold, Bielefeld	Hildesheim, Hanover	Braunschweig
	Dortmund, Wuppertal		Leipzig
		Kassel    East
	Marburg, Gießen, Frankfurt	Fulda

v t e Urban and rural districts in the state of Hesse in Germany Urban districts Darmstadt Frankfurt Kassel Offenbach Wiesbaden Rural districts Bergstraße Darmstadt-Dieburg Fulda Gießen Groß-Gerau Hersfeld-Rotenburg Hochtaunuskreis Kassel Lahn-Dill-Kreis Limburg-Weilburg Main-Kinzig-Kreis Main-Taunus-Kreis Marburg-Biedenkopf Odenwaldkreis Offenbach Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis Schwalm-Eder-Kreis Vogelsbergkreis Waldeck-Frankenberg Werra-Meißner-Kreis Wetteraukreis

George Foreman
Foreman in 2009
Statistics
Real name	George Edward Foreman
Nickname(s)	Big George The Heywood Giant[1]
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Reach	82 in (208 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1949-01-10) January 10, 1949 (age 63) Marshall, Texas, United States
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	81
Wins	76
Wins by KO	68
Losses	5
Draws	0
No contests	0
Medal record Men's boxing Competitor for the  United States Gold 1968 Mexico City Heavyweight

George Edward Foreman (nicknamed "Big George"^[2]) (born January 10, 1949) is a retired American professional boxer, former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur.

A gold medalist at the 1968 Olympics, Foreman won the World Heavyweight title with a second round knockout of then-undefeated Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. He made two successful title defenses before losing to Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974. He fought on but was unable to secure another title shot and retired following a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977 and became an ordained Christian minister. Ten years later Foreman announced a comeback, and in November 1994, at age 45, he regained the Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Michael Moorer. He remains the oldest Heavyweight Champion in history. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76–5, including 68 knockouts.

Foreman has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) currently rates Foreman as the eighth greatest heavyweight of all-time.^[3] In 2002, he was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past eighty years by The Ring magazine.^[4] The Ring also ranked him as the 9th greatest puncher of all-time.^[5] He was a ringside analyst for HBO's boxing coverage for twelve years, leaving in 2004.^[6] Outside of boxing, he is a successful entrepreneur and is known for his promotion of the George Foreman Grill, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide.^[7] In 1999 he sold the naming rights to the grill for $138 million.^[8]

Early life[link]

George Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas. He grew up in the Fifth Ward, Houston, Texas, with six siblings.^[9] Although reared by J.D. Foreman, whom his mother had married when George was a small child, his biological father was Leroy Moorehead. Foreman was interested in football and idolized Jim Brown, but gave it up for boxing. He won a gold medal in the boxing/heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. By his own admission in his autobiography, George was a troubled youth.

Professional career[link]

Foreman had an amateur record of 22–4, losing twice to Clay Hodges (also defeated by Max Briggs in his first ever fight). Foreman turned professional in 1969 with a three-round knockout of Donald Walheim in New York. He had a total of 13 fights that year, winning all of them (11 by knockout).

In 1970, Foreman continued his march toward the undisputed heavyweight title, winning all 12 of his bouts (11 by knockout). Among the opponents he defeated were Gregorio Peralta, whom he decisioned at Madison Square Garden although Peralta gave a very good account of himself and showed George was vulnerable to fast counter punching mixed with an assertive boxing style. But the boxing world shuddered when George Chuvalo was defeated by technical knockout (TKO) in three rounds. After this impressive win, Foreman defeated Charlie Polite in four rounds and Boone Kirkman in three.

In 1971, Foreman won seven more fights, winning all of them by knockout, including a rematch with Peralta, whom he defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round in Oakland, California, and a win over Leroy Caldwell, who was knocked out in the second round. After amassing a record of 32–0 (29 KO), Foreman was ranked as the number one challenger by the WBA and WBC.

The Sunshine Showdown vs. Joe Frazier[link]

In 1972, still undefeated, and with an impressive knockout record, Foreman was set to challenge undefeated and Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier. Despite boycotting a title elimination caused by the vacancy resulting from the championship being stripped from Muhammad Ali, Frazier had won the title from Jimmy Ellis and defended his title four times since, including a 15-round unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Ali in 1971 after Ali had beaten Oscar Bonavena and Jerry Quarry. Despite Foreman's superior size and reach, he was not expected to beat Frazier^[10] and was a 3:1 underdog going into the fight.

The Sunshine Showdown took place on January 22, 1973, in Kingston, Jamaica, with Foreman dominating the fight to win the championship by technical knockout. In HBO Boxing's first broadcast, the call made by Howard Cosell became one of the most memorable in all of sports: "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" Before the fight Frazier was 29–0 (25 KO) and Foreman was 37–0 (34 KO). Frazier was knocked down six times by Foreman within two rounds, with the three knockdowns rule being waived for this bout. After the second knockdown, Frazier's balance and mobility were impaired to the extent that he was unable to evade Foreman's combinations. Frazier managed to get to his feet for all six knockdowns, but referee Arthur Mercante eventually called an end to the one-sided bout.

Foreman was sometimes characterized by the media as an aloof and antisocial champion.^[11] According to them, he always seemed to wear a sneer and was not often available to the press. Foreman would later attribute his demeanor during this time as an emulation of Sonny Liston, for whom he had been an occasional sparring partner.

Nevertheless, Foreman went on to defend his title successfully twice during his initial reign as champion. His first defense, in Tokyo, pitted him against Puerto Rican Heavyweight Champion José Roman. Roman was not regarded as a top contender and it took Foreman only 2 minutes to end the fight, one of the fastest knockouts in a Heavyweight Championship bout.

Title defense versus Ken Norton[link]

Foreman's next defense was against a much tougher opponent. In 1974, in Caracas, Venezuela, he faced the highly regarded hall-of-famer Ken Norton who was 30–2, a boxer notorious for his awkward crossed-arm boxing style with crab-like defense plus heavy punch (a style Foreman would emulate in his second comeback), who had broken the jaw of Muhammad Ali while defeating Ali on points a year earlier. Norton had a good chin, never in trouble as such against Ali in two matches. He'd nearly won the second. Although nerves were known to make his determination suspect at times against really heavy hitters. But in an astonishing display of controlled aggression and punching power, Foreman picked his moment after staying out of range of a long offense and decked Ken with more or less his first real big punch he threw near the end of the first round. Norton rose on wobbly legs but clearly wasn't recovered for round two whereby he was down three times and stopped. "Ken was awesome when he got going. I didn't want him to get into the fight," George said when interviewed years later.

George had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The stunning win made Foreman an impressive 40–0 with 37 knockouts.

Rumble in the Jungle[link]

This article appears to contradict the article The Rumble in the Jungle. Please see discussion on the linked talk page. Please do not remove this message until the contradictions are resolved. (April 2010)

Foreman's next title defense, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. During the summer of 1974, Foreman traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as "The Rumble in the Jungle."

During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the match for a month. The injury affected Foreman's training regimen, as it meant he couldn't spar in the build-up to the fight and risk the cut being re-opened. He later commented: "That was the best thing that happened to Ali when we were in Africa—the fact that I had to get ready for the fight without being able to box."^[12] Foreman would later also claim he was drugged by his trainer prior to the bout.^[13] Ali used this time to tour Zaire, endearing himself to the public while taunting Foreman at every opportunity. Foreman was favored, having knocked out both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton within two rounds.

When Foreman and Ali finally met in the ring, Ali began more aggressively than expected, outscoring Foreman with superior punching speed. However, he quickly realized that this approach required him to move much more than Foreman and would cause him to tire. In the second round, Ali retreated to the ropes, shielding his head and hitting Foreman in the face at every opportunity. Foreman dug vicious body punches into Ali's sides; however, Foreman was unable to land many big punches to Ali's head. The ring ropes, being much looser than usual (Foreman would later charge that Angelo Dundee had loosened them), allowed Ali to lean back and away from Foreman's wild swings and then grab Foreman behind the head, forcing Foreman to expend much extra energy untangling himself. Ali also constantly pushed down on Foreman's neck, but was never warned about doing so. To this day, it is unclear whether Ali's pre-fight talk of using speed and movement against Foreman had been just a diversionary tactic, or whether his use of what became known as the "Rope-a-dope" tactic was an improvisation necessitated by Foreman's constant pressure.

In either case, Ali was able to occasionally counter off the ropes with blows to the face and was able to penetrate Foreman's defense. Ali continued to take heavy punishment to the body, and occasionally a hard jolt to the head. Ali would later say he was "out on his feet" twice during the bout. Eventually, Foreman began to tire and his punches became increasingly wild, losing power in the process. An increasingly confident Ali taunted Foreman throughout the bout. Late in the eighth round, Foreman was left off balance by a haymaker and Ali sprang off the ropes with a flurry to Foreman's head, punctuated by a hard right cross that landed flush on Foreman's jaw putting Foreman down for the first time in his career. He managed to regain his feet by the count of 8 but the fight was nonetheless waved off by the referee.^{[citation needed]}. It was Foreman's first defeat, and Muhammad Ali remains the only boxer ever to defeat him by knockout.

Foreman would later reflect that "it just wasn't my night." Though he sought one, he was unable to secure a rematch with Ali. It has been suggested in some quarters that Ali was ducking Foreman, as he had rematches Joe Frazier and Ken Norton and also fought low ranked opponents such as Chuck Wepner, Richard Dunn and Jean Pierre Coopman.^[14] Ali, on the other hand, would never commit to a rematch, preferring to talk about retirement or make fights with lowly ranked fighters like Richard Dunn or Alfredo Evaneglista.

First comeback[link]

Foreman remained inactive during 1975. In 1976, he announced a comeback and stated his intention of securing a rematch with Ali. His first opponent was to be Ron Lyle, who had been defeated by Muhammad Ali in 1975, via 11-th round TKO. At the end of the first round, Lyle landed a hard left that sent Foreman staggering across the ring. In the second round, Foreman pounded Lyle against the ropes and might have scored a KO, but due to a timekeeping error the bell rang with a minute still remaining in the round and Lyle survived. In the third, Foreman pressed forward, with Lyle waiting to counter off the ropes. In the fourth, a brutal slugfest erupted. A cluster of power punches from Lyle sent Foreman to the canvas. When Foreman got up, Lyle staggered him again, but just as Foreman seemed finished he retaliated with a hard right to the side of the head, knocking down Lyle. Lyle beat the count, then landed another brutal combination, knocking Foreman down for the second time. Again, Foreman beat the count. Foreman said later that he had never been hit so hard in a fight and remembered looking down at the canvas and seeing blood. In the fifth round, both fighters continued to ignore defense and traded their hardest punches looking crude. Each man staggered the other and each seemed almost out on his feet. Then, as if finally tired, Lyle stopped punching and Foreman delivered a dozen unanswered blows until Lyle collapsed. Lyle remained on the canvas and was counted out giving Foreman the KO victory. The fight was named by The Ring as "The Fight Of The Year."

For his next bout, Foreman chose to face Joe Frazier in a rematch. Because of the one-sided Foreman victory in their first fight, and the fact that Frazier had taken a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali in Manila a year earlier, few expected him to win. Frazier at this point was 32–3 and Foreman was 41–1. Surprisingly, the 2nd Foreman-Frazier fight was fairly competitive for its duration, as Frazier used quick head movements to make Foreman miss with his hardest punches. Frazier's health was deteriorating at this point and was wearing a contact lens for his vision which was knocked loose during the bout. After being unable to mount a significant offense, however, Frazier was eventually floored twice by Foreman in the fifth round and the fight was stopped. Next, Foreman knocked out Scott Ledoux in three and Dino Dennis in four to finish the year.

Retirement and rebirth[link]

1977 would prove to be a life changing year for Foreman. After knocking out Pedro Agosto in four rounds at Pensacola, Florida, Foreman flew to Puerto Rico a day before the fight without giving himself time to acclimatise. His opponent was the skilled boxer Jimmy Young, who had beaten Ron Lyle and lost a very controversial decision to Muhammad Ali the previous year. Foreman fought cautiously early on, allowing Young to settle into the fight. Young constantly complained about Foreman pushing him, for which Foreman eventually had a point deducted by the referee, although Young was never warned for his persistent holding. Foreman badly hurt Young in round 7 but was unable to land a finishing blow. Foreman tired during the second half of the fight and even suffered a flash knockdown in round 12 en route to losing a decision.

Foreman became ill in his dressing room after the fight. He was suffering from exhaustion and heatstroke and believed he had a near death experience. He claimed he found himself in a hellish, frightening place of nothingness and despair. He began to plead with God to help him. He explained that he sensed God asking him to change his life and ways. After this experience, Foreman became a born-again Christian, dedicating his life for the next decade to God. Although he did not formally retire from boxing, Foreman stopped fighting, became an ordained minister of a church^[15] in Houston, Texas, and devoted himself to his family and his congregation. He also opened a youth center^[16] that bears his name. Foreman continues to share his conversion experience on Christian television broadcasts such as The 700 Club and the Trinity Broadcasting Network and would later joke that Young had knocked the devil out of him.

Second comeback[link]

In 1987, after 10 years away from the ring, Foreman surprised the boxing world by announcing a comeback at the age of 38. In his autobiography, he stated that his primary motive was to raise money to fund the youth center he had created. His stated ambition was to fight Mike Tyson.^[17] For his first fight, he went to Sacramento, California, where he beat journeyman Steve Zouski by a knockout in four rounds. Foreman weighed 267 lb (121 kg) for the fight and looked badly out of shape. Although many thought his decision to return to the ring was a mistake, Foreman countered that he had returned to prove that age was not a barrier to people achieving their goals (as he would say later, he wanted to show that age 40 is not a "death sentence"). He won four more bouts that year, gradually slimming down and improving his fitness. In 1988, he won nine times. Perhaps his most notable win during this period was a seventh round knockout of former Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

Having always been a deliberate fighter, Foreman had not lost much mobility in the ring since his first "retirement," although he found it harder to keep his balance after throwing big punches and could no longer throw rapid combinations. He was still capable of landing heavy, single blows, however. Ironically, the late-rounds fatigue that had plagued him in the ring as a young man now seemed to be gone, and he could comfortably compete for 12 rounds. Foreman attributed this to his new, relaxed fighting style (he has spoken of how, earlier in his career, his lack of stamina came from an enormous amount of nervous tension).

By 1989, while continuing his comeback, Foreman had sold his name and face for the advertising of various products, selling everything from grills to mufflers on TV. For this purpose his public persona was reinvented and the formerly aloof, ominous Foreman had been replaced by a smiling, friendly George. He and Ali had become friends, and he followed in Ali's footsteps by making himself a celebrity outside the boundaries of boxing.

Foreman continued his string of victories, winning five more fights, the most impressive being a three-round win over Bert Cooper, who would go on to contest the Undisputed Heavyweight title against Evander Holyfield.

In 1990, Foreman met former title challenger Gerry Cooney in Atlantic City. Cooney was coming off a long period of inactivity, but was well regarded for his punching power. Cooney wobbled Foreman in the first round, but Foreman landed several powerful punches in the second round. Cooney was knocked down twice and Foreman had scored a devastating KO. Foreman went on to win four more fights that year.

Then, in 1991, Foreman was given the opportunity to challenge Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield, who was in tremendous shape at 208 pounds, for the world title in a Pay Per View boxing event. Very few boxing experts gave the 42-year-old Foreman a chance of winning. Foreman, who weighed in at 257 pounds, began the contest by marching forward, absorbing several of Holyfield's best combinations and occasionally landing a powerful swing of his own. Holyfield proved too tough and agile to knock down and was well ahead on points throughout the fight, but Foreman surprised many by lasting the full 12 rounds, losing his challenge on points. Round 7, in which Foreman knocked Holyfield off balance before being staggered by a powerful combination, was Ring Magazine's "Round of the Year."

A year later, Foreman fought journeyman Alex Stewart, who had previously been stopped in the first round by Mike Tyson. Foreman knocked down Stewart twice in the second round, but expended a lot of energy in doing so. He subsequently tired, and Stewart rebounded. By the end of the 10th and final round, Foreman's face was bloodied and swollen, but the judges awarded him a majority decision win.

In 1993, Foreman received another title shot, although this was for the vacant WBO Championship, which most fans at the time saw as a second-tier version of the "real" Heavyweight title, then being contested between Holyfield and Riddick Bowe. Foreman's opponent was Tommy Morrison, a young prospect known for his punching power. To the frustration of Foreman and the disappointment of the booing crowd, Morrison retreated throughout the fight, refusing to trade toe-to-toe,and sometimes even turned his back on Foreman. The strategy paid off, however, as he outboxed Foreman from long range. Foreman was competitive throughout the match, but after 12 rounds, Morrison won a unanimous decision. Though it seemed unlikely at the time, one more chance at the legitimate heavyweight crown was just around the corner for Foreman.

Regaining the Title[link]

In 1994, Foreman once again sought to challenge for the world championship after Michael Moorer had beaten Holyfield for the IBF and WBA titles.

Having lost his last fight against Morrison, Foreman was unranked and in no position to demand another title shot. However, his relatively high profile made a title defense against Foreman, who was 19 years older than Moorer, a lucrative prospect at seemingly little risk for champion Moorer.

Foreman's title challenge against Moorer took place on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Foreman wearing the same red trunks he had worn in his title loss to Ali 20 years earlier. This time, however, Foreman was a substantial underdog. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman chugged forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Entering the tenth round, Foreman was trailing on all scorecards. However, Foreman launched a comeback in the tenth round and hit Moorer with a number of punches. Then a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip and he collapsed to the canvas. He lay flat on his back as the referee counted him out.

In an instant, Foreman had regained the title he had lost to Muhammad Ali two decades before. He went back to his corner and knelt in prayer as the arena erupted in cheers. With this historic victory, Foreman broke three records: he became, at age 45, the oldest fighter ever to win the World Heavyweight Championship; and, 20 years after losing his title for the first time, he broke the record for the fighter with the longest interval between his first and second world championships. The age spread of 19 years between the champion and challenger was also the largest of any heavweight boxing championship fight.

Shortly after the Moorer fight, Foreman began talking about a potential superfight against Mike Tyson (the youngest ever heavyweight champ). The WBA organization, however, demanded he fight their No. 1 challenger, who at the time was the competent but aging Tony Tucker. For reasons not clearly known, Foreman refused to fight Tucker and allowed the WBA to strip him of that belt. He then went on to fight mid-level prospect Axel Schulz of Germany in defense of his remaining IBF title. Schulz was a major underdog. Schulz jabbed strongly from long range and grew increasingly confident as the fight progressed. Foreman finished the fight with a swelling over one eye, but was awarded a controversial majority decision (two judges scored for Foreman, one called it even). The IBF ordered an immediate rematch to be held in Germany, but Foreman refused the terms and found himself stripped of his remaining title. However, Foreman continued to be recognized as the Lineal Heavyweight Champion.

In 1996, Foreman returned to Tokyo, scoring an easy win over the unrated Crawford Grimsley by a 12-round decision. In 1997, he faced contender Lou Savarese, winning a close decision in a grueling, competitive encounter. Then, yet another opportunity came Foreman's way as the WBC decided to match him against Shannon Briggs in a 1997 "eliminator bout" for the right to face WBC champion Lennox Lewis. After 12 rounds, in which Foreman consistently rocked Briggs with power punches, almost everyone at ringside saw Foreman as the clear winner.^[18] Once again there was a controversial decision—but this time it went in favor of Foreman's opponent, with Briggs awarded a points win. Foreman had fought for the last time, at the age of 48.

Second retirement[link]

Foreman was gracious and philosophical in his loss to Briggs, but announced his "final" retirement shortly afterward. However, he did plan a return bout against Larry Holmes in 1999, scheduled to take place at the Houston Astrodome on pay per view. The fight was to be billed as "The Birthday Bash" due to both fighters' upcoming birthdays. Foreman was set to make $10 million and Holmes was to make $4 million, but negotiations fell through and the fight was cancelled. With a continuing affinity for the sport, Foreman became a respected boxing analyst for HBO.

Foreman said he had no plans to resume his career as a boxer, but then announced in February 2004 that he was training for one more comeback fight to demonstrate that the age of 55, like 40, is not a "death sentence." The bout, against an unspecified opponent (rumored to be the now late Trevor Berbick), never materialized (it was widely thought that Foreman's wife had been a major factor in the change of plans). Having severed his relationship with HBO to pursue other opportunities, George Foreman and the sport of boxing finally went their separate ways.

Family[link]

Foreman speaking in Houston, Texas in September 2009

Foreman has 11 children, and each of his five sons is named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V and George VI. His four younger sons are distinguished from one another by the nicknames "Monk," "Big Wheel," "Red" and "Little Joey." Also of issue in his marriage are two daughters named Natalia and Leola. He also has three daughters from a separate relationship: Michi, Freeda and Georgetta. He also adopted a daughter, Isabella Brandie Lilja (Foreman), in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Entrepreneurship[link]

When Foreman came back from retirement he argued that his success was due to his healthy eating, which made him a perfect fit for Russell Hobbs Inc., who were looking for a spokesperson for their fat-reducing grill.

The George Foreman Grill has resulted in sales of over 100 million units since it was first launched, a feat that was achieved in a little over 15 years. Although Foreman has never confirmed exactly how much he has earned from the endorsement, what is known is that Salton Inc paid him $137 million in 1999 in order to buy out the right to use his name. Previous to that he was being paid about 40% of the profits on each grill sold (earning him $4.5 million a month in payouts at its peak) so it is estimated he has made a total of over $200 million from the endorsement, a sum that is substantially more than he earned as a boxer.^[19]

[edit] Amateur accomplishments^[20]

• Won his first amateur fight on January 26, 1967 by a first-round knockout in the Parks Diamond Belt Tournament.
• Won the San Francisco Examiner's Golden Gloves Tournament in the Junior Division in February 1967.
• February 1967: Knocked out Thomas Cook to win the Las Vegas Golden Gloves in the Senior Division.
• February 1968: Knocked out L.C. Brown to win the San Francisco Examiner's Senior Title in San Francisco.
• March 1968: Won the National AAU Heavyweight title in Toledo, Ohio vs. Henry Crump of Philadelphia, PA in the final.
• July 1968: Sparred 5 rounds on two different occasions with former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston.
• September 21, 1968: Won his second decision over Otis Evans to make the U.S. boxing team for the Mexico City Olympic Games.
• Foreman had a 16-4 amateur boxing record going into the Olympics. He knocked out Russia's Ionas Chepulis to win the Olympic Games Heavyweight Gold Medal. He was trained for the Olympic Games by Robert (Pappy) Gault.
• Amateur Record: 22-4^[21]

Professional boxing record[link]

76 Wins (68 knockouts, 8 decisions), 5 Losses (1 knockout, 4 decisions), 0 Draws[22]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	76–5	Shannon Briggs	MD	12	22/11/1997	Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Lost Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	76–4	Lou Savarese	SD	12	26/04/1997	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	75–4	Crawford Grimsley	UD	12	03/11/1996	Tokyo Bay NK Hall, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan	Retained Lineal Heavyweight title.
Win	74–4	Axel Schulz	MD	12	22/04/1995	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained Lineal, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	73–4	Michael Moorer	KO	10 (12)	05/11/1994	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won Lineal, WBA, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Loss	72–4	Tommy Morrison	UD	12	07/06/1993	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	For vacant WBO Heavyweight title.
Win	72–3	Pierre Coetzer	TKO	8 (10)	16/01/1993	Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States
Win	71–3	Alex Stewart	MD	10	11/04/1992	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	70–3	Jimmy Ellis	TKO	3 (10)	07/12/1991	Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States
Loss	69–3	Evander Holyfield	UD	12	19/04/1991	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	For Lineal, WBC, WBA, & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	69–2	Terry Anderson	KO	1 (10)	25/09/1990	New London Arena, Millwall, London, England, United Kingdom
Win	68–2	Ken Lakusta	KO	3 (10)	31/07/1990	New London Arena, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Win	67–2	Adilson Rodrigues	KO	2 (10)	16/06/1990	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	66–2	Mike Jameson	TKO	4 (10)	17/04/1990	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	65–2	Gerry Cooney	TKO	2 (10)	15/01/1990	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	64–2	Everett Martin	UD	10	20/07/1989	Convention Center, Tucson, Arizona, United States
Win	63–2	Bert Cooper	RTD	2 (10)	01/06/1989	Pride Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win	62–2	J. B. Williamson	TKO	5 (10)	30/04/1989	Moody Center, Galveston, Texas, United States
Win	61–2	Manoel De Almeida	TKO	3 (10)	16/02/1989	Atlantis Theater, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	60–2	Mark Young	TKO	7 (10)	26/01/1989	War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York, United States
Win	59–2	David Jaco	TKO	1 (10)	28/12/1988	Casa Royal Hotel, Bakersfield, California, United States
Win	58–2	Tony Fulilangi	TKO	2 (10)	27/10/1988	Civic Center, Marshall, Texas, United States
Win	57–2	Bobby Hitz	TKO	1 (10)	10/09/1988	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
Win	56–2	Ladislao Mijangos	TKO	2 (10)	25/08/1988	Lee Civic Center, Fort Myers, Florida, United States
Win	55–2	Carlos Hernandez	TKO	4 (10)	26/06/1988	Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	54–2	Frank Lux	TKO	3 (10)	21/05/1988	Sullivan Arena, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Win	53–2	Dwight Muhammad Qawi	TKO	7 (10)	19/03/1988	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	52–2	Guido Trane	TKO	5 (10)	05/02/1988	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	51–2	Tom Trimm	KO	1 (10)	23/01/1988	Sheraton Twin Towers, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	50–2	Rocky Sekorski	TKO	3 (10)	18/12/1987	Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	49–2	Tim Anderson	TKO	4 (10)	21/11/1987	Sports Complex, Orlando, Florida, United States
Win	48–2	Bobby Crabtree	TKO	6 (10)	15/09/1987	Springfield, Missouri, United States
Win	47–2	Charles Hostetter	KO	3 (10)	09/07/1987	Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California, United States
Win	46–2	Steve Zouski	TKO	4 (10)	09/03/1987	Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States
Loss	45–2	Jimmy Young	UD	12	17/03/1977	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico	1977 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	45–1	Pedro Agosto	TKO	4 (10)	22/01/1977	Civic Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, United States
Win	44–1	John Dino Denis	TKO	4 (10)	15/10/1976	Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida, United States
Win	43–1	Scott LeDoux	TKO	3 (10)	14/08/1976	Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York, United States
Win	42–1	Joe Frazier	TKO	5 (12)	15/06/1976	Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, United States	Retained NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	41–1	Ron Lyle	KO	5 (12)	24/01/1976	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title. 1976 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Loss	40–1	Muhammad Ali	KO	8 (15)	30/10/1974	Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Zaire	Lost The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles. 1974 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	40–0	Ken Norton	TKO	2 (15)	26/03/1974	El Poliedro, Caracas, Venezuela	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	39–0	Jose Roman	KO	1 (15)	01/09/1973	Nihon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan	Retained The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles.
Win	38–0	Joe Frazier	TKO	2 (15)	22/01/1973	National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica	Won The Ring, WBC & WBA World Heavyweight titles. 1973 Fight of the Year by The Ring Magazine.
Win	37–0	Terry Sorrell	KO	2 (10)	10/10/1972	Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Win	36–0	Miguel Angel Paez	KO	2 (10)	11/05/1972	Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States	Won Pan American Heavyweight title.
Win	35–0	Ted Gullick	KO	2 (10)	10/04/1972	Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win	34–0	Clarence Boone	KO	2 (10)	07/03/1972	Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	33–0	Joe Murphy Goodwin	KO	2 (10)	29/02/1972	Austin, Texas, United States
Win	32–0	Luis Faustino Pires	TKO	5 (10)	29/10/1971	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	31–0	Ollie Wilson	KO	2 (10)	07/10/1971	Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, United States
Win	30–0	Leroy Caldwell	KO	2 (10)	21/09/1971	Beaumont, Texas, United States
Win	29–0	Vic Scott	KO	1 (10)	14/09/1971	El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	28–0	Gregorio Peralta	TKO	10 (15)	10/05/1971	Coliseum Arena, Oakland, California, United States	Won vacant NABF Heavyweight title.
Win	27–0	Stamford Harris	KO	2 (10)	03/04/1971	Playboy Club Hotel, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, United States
Win	26–0	Charlie Boston	KO	1 (10)	08/02/1971	Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States
Win	25–0	Mel Turnbow	TKO	1 (10)	18/12/1970	Seattle Center Arena, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	24–0	Boone Kirkman	TKO	2 (10)	18/11/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	23–0	Lou Bailey	TKO	3 (10)	03/11/1970	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Win	22–0	George Chuvalo	TKO	3 (10)	04/08/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	21–0	Roger Russell	KO	1 (10)	20/07/1970	Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	20–0	George Johnson	TKO	7 (10)	16/05/1970	Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win	19–0	Aaron Eastling	TKO	4 (10)	29/04/1970	Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Win	18–0	James J. Woody	TKO	3 (10)	17/04/1970	Felt Forum, New York, New York, United States
Win	17–0	Rufus Brassell	TKO	1 (10)	31/03/1970	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	16–0	Gregorio Peralta	UD	10	16/02/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	15–0	Jack O'Halloran	KO	5 (10)	26/01/1970	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	14–0	Charley Polite	KO	4 (10)	06/01/1970	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	13–0	Gary Hobo Wiler	TKO	1 (10)	18/12/1969	Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	12–0	Levi Forte	UD	10	16/12/1969	Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Win	11–0	Bob Hazelton	TKO	1 (6)	06/12/1969	International Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	10–0	Max Martinez	KO	2 (10)	18/11/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	9–0	Leo Peterson	KO	4 (8)	05/11/1969	Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Win	8–0	Roberto Davila	UD	8	31/10/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	7–0	Vernon Clay	TKO	2 (6)	07/10/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	6–0	Roy Wallace	KO	2 (6)	23/09/1969	Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, United States
Win	5–0	Johnny Carroll	KO	1 (8)	18/09/1969	Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington, United States
Win	4–0	Chuck Wepner	TKO	3 (10)	18/08/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	3–0	Sylvester Dullaire	TKO	1 (6)	14/07/1969	Rosecroft Raceway, Oxon Hill, Maryland, United States
Win	2–0	Fred Askew	KO	1 (6)	01/07/1969	Houston, Texas, United States
Win	1–0	Don Waldheim	TKO	3 (6)	23/06/1969	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Foreman's professional debut.