We know him as a legendary boxer. We know him for his convenient countertop grills. Now America will know George Foreman for his faith in the upcoming movie biographical film Big George Foreman.
Speaking to the Christian Post about the upcoming film, Foreman talked about his journey to faith, eventually becoming an Evangelical Christian pastor after a successful run in boxing.
“You come to a point in your life and you realize the only important thing in your life is [to be] an evangelist,” he told the outlet.
“‘Evangelistic’ is the word that has been so powerful to me in my life. If something happened to me tomorrow … I know I’ve done a good job, and I’m happy about that, trying to spell out to the world, ‘Jesus Christ has come alive in me,’” he added.
Foreman went on to win the gold medal in boxing at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games after a troubled youth, during which he struggled through poverty and a life marked by instability and violence. Per the Christian Post:
Born in 1949 in Marshall, Texas, Foreman was one of seven children and had a problematic childhood defined by instability, violence and poverty. After dropping out of school in the 10th grade, Foreman began abusing alcohol and engaging in violent crime on the streets of Houston’s Fifth Ward.
In 1965, he left Houston for the Job Corps in California, a program developed to help disadvantaged youth by teaching them vocational job skills. It was there that Doc Broaddus, who was a Job Corps counselor and a boxing coach, encouraged Foreman to channel his anger through boxing.
Watch below:
Foreman became a Christian in the late-1970s following a near-death experience, which then led him to become a minister, founding The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1980. He returned to boxing in his mid-40s in the 1990s and became the oldest fighter ever to hold the heavyweight championship at the age of 45. This did not end George Foreman’s storied career, which entered a second chapter when he launched his popular line of George Foreman grills.
“So many people helped me in life,” he told the outlet. “I didn’t know that. I thought I was doing so much … but there are so many good people in my life.”
“I was given so much advice from so many different people, and it’s a matter of trusting,” he added. “Trust that people will give you advice. Listen when they have something to tell you. And I think that that is the key to all the riches in the world, is listening to people who care about you.”
George Foreman walks to his corner after knocking out Scott LeDoux during the fight at the Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, New York. George Foreman won by a TKO 3. (The Ring Magazine via Getty Images)
Reflecting on his life, the 74-year-old said that God’s fingerprints have always been there.
“In hindsight, [God’s faithfulness] was all over my life, period,” he reflected. “There I was, a thief, on my way to jail, underneath a house, hiding from the police, covering myself from head to toe with slop. I heard their voices, and I knew then I’d have to change things. I didn’t want to be a thief. I didn’t want to be a criminal. And that was a big change for me. And of course, learning how to box and going as far as I could with boxing. But still, I did all of that without the knowledge of God.”
Regardless of his success and fame, Foreman said that knowing Jesus stands above all that.
“It doesn’t matter what you achieve, what you accomplish in this life,” he said. “The most important thing is to keep your eye on the true prize, and that’s serving God.”
“Find God, have faith in God,” Foreman added. “It doesn’t matter what happened, believe all things are possible. Don’t ever give up on possibility and your life can be turned and changed for the better.”
Big George Foreman will be in theaters on April 28.
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or VIMEO On Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.