George Foreman was one of the most feared heavyweight boxers in history—an Olympic gold medalist and world champion known for his devastating power and intimidating demeanor. But in 1977, after losing to Jimmy Young, everything changed in his dressing room.
George Foreman's Salvation Encounter
After the fight, Foreman returned to his dressing room sensing he was dying. He heard a voice say, "I don't want your money. I want you!" His intense spiritual struggle caused raised eyebrows in the dressing room as he started acting out according to the voice he heard.
Finally, he yelled, "Jesus Christ is coming alive in me!"
Foreman later joked that Young had "knocked the devil out of me." But the transformation was no joke—it was complete and permanent.
Faith Foundations from Mother's Prayers
The legendary boxer's faith was influenced by his mother's devoted relationship with God. Early in his career, he was certain that fame and fortune would make her stop praying. "But she never stopped praying," Foreman recalled.
Ministry and Boxing Comeback
Foreman was ordained a minister in 1978 and founded The Church of The Lord Jesus Christ in Houston in 1980. "After I found my religion and found God, I didn't even know how to make a fist," he said. "For ten years I stopped boxing. I didn't even go into the gym."
Then, in 1994, at age 45, Foreman completed one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. But this time he was different—bolstered not by anger and resentment but by faith in God. He knocked out 26-year-old Michael Moorer to regain the heavyweight championship, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.
Living as Pastor First
"People would always talk to me about my boxing," Foreman explained. "No one understood that I was a pastor first who was moonlighting as a grill salesman to support my 10 children."
Foreman said: "It doesn't matter what you achieve" without knowing Jesus. The legendary boxer, TV pitchman and minister became a living symbol of how faith can change a person and how no comeback is impossible for God.
