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George Foreman’s Net Worth At The Time Of His Death!

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Summary

  • George Foreman had a net worth of $300 million at the time of his death, and he retired in 1997 at age 48 with 76 wins, 68 knockouts, and only five losses.
  • The two-time world heavyweight champion earned around $5 million between 1969 and 1977, equivalent to about $20 million when adjusted for inflation.
  • According to reports, Foreman made over $200 million from endorsements, with the George Foreman Grill being the biggest source of that income.

A walking slab of power and precision, George Foreman was boxing’s iron-fisted contradiction who brutalized opponents with bone-cracking force, and flipped his fame into a business that turned him into a multimillionaire after the final bell. After a rough childhood, Foreman turned to boxing and never looked back. In 1968, he crushed his way through the Summer Olympics and left Mexico City with a gold medal in the heavyweight division.

In 1994, at 45, he became the oldest man to win the world heavyweight title, flattening Michael Moorer with a right hand that looked biblical. Only Bernard Hopkins, at light heavyweight, was older in any weight class. Foreman retired in 1997 at age 48, leaving behind a brutal record: 76 wins, 68 knockouts, just five losses. The Ring named him the ninth-greatest puncher of all time.

He was later inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The International Boxing Research Organization ranks him as the eighth-greatest heavyweight in history. Foreman died at a Houston hospital in March 2025 at the age of 76. George Foreman had a net worth of $300 million at the time of his death. Let’s break down how the former heavyweight champion punched her way into millions.

 

After falling from a $400 million peak to bankruptcy, Mike Tyson’s net worth is suddenly very green.

3 Boxing Career

Boxing Career
Via Twitter/XGeorge Foreman entered the boxing world with fists flying and no intention of asking permission. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games, he clinched the gold medal in the heavyweight division, defeating Jonas Čepulis, a seasoned 29-year-old veteran. After the win, he circled the ring, holding a small American flag, and bowed to the crowd. He later called that medal his proudest achievement. The following year, he stayed unbeaten with 12 more victories, then steamrolled through 1971 with seven more knockouts. None of those fights reached the final round. By 1973, he bulldozed through the heavyweight ranks and faced Joe Frazier for the undisputed title.

The bout lasted less than two rounds. Frazier hit the canvas six times in six minutes, and Foreman, without celebrating, walked away carrying the championship belt and the marks of a man who made history without hesitation. The following year brought the infamous Rumble in the Jungle, a bout against Muhammad Ali in Zaire that drew global attention. Under the floodlights of Kinshasa, Foreman suffered his first professional defeat. Foreman struggled to recapture his former dominance and fought infrequently before his loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. Following the defeat and what he later described as a near-death experience in the dressing room, he retired from boxing.

Foreman earned an estimated $5 million from 1969 to 1977, roughly $20 million in today’s terms. Over the following decade, much of that wealth was depleted due to poor financial management and a lack of consistent income. He later admitted, “It was that scary because you hear about people being homeless, and I was only fractions, fractions from being homeless.” In 1987, a decade after stepping away from the sport, Foreman returned to professional boxing at the age of 38. He won four fights that year, gradually shedding weight and rebuilding his conditioning.

The momentum continued into 1988, during which he picked up nine victories, including a seventh-round knockout over former world champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi. By 1989, as his comeback gained traction, Foreman began licensing his image and name for commercial endorsements, most notably lending both to the now-iconic George Foreman Grill. In 1990, he challenged reigning heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield in a pay-per-view title bout. Foreman, then 42 years old and weighing 257 pounds, exceeded expectations by going the full 12 rounds, though he lost via unanimous decision.

Foreman earned a guaranteed purse of $12.5 million for the fight. In the following years, he worked his way back into title contention. In 1994, at the age of 45, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer, who was 19 years younger, to win the heavyweight title, setting a record as the oldest fighter ever to win a world championship. He fought three more years and officially retired in 1997 at age 48, with a final record of 76 wins, 68 knockouts, and only five losses. He later joined the International Boxing Hall of Fame and was ranked by The Ring as one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years and the ninth-hardest puncher ever measured.

2 George Foreman Grill

George Foreman Grill
Via Instar Images

The George Foreman Grill hit the shelves in 1994 and delivered a knockout blow to traditional cooking methods. The machine was created by inventor Michael Boehm and featured a sloped design that drained fat while cooking, offering an appliance that aligned perfectly with the health-driven wave of the 1990s. Boehm, along with his partner Robert Johnson, initially struggled to find a face for the product. Multiple athletes passed on the opportunity. The pitch eventually landed in front of George Foreman, whose return to boxing had been accompanied by a strict diet and healthier habits.

Salton, Inc. approached him to endorse the grill, banking on the power of his persona. Foreman admitted he had never tried the grill before endorsing it. Once he did, he approved without hesitation. He quickly became the face of the product, attaching credibility and warmth to what might have otherwise remained a late-night infomercial gimmick. In televised spots, he smiled, flipped burgers, and dropped the now-iconic line: “It’s so good I put my name on it.” The phrase, casual but persuasive, helped catapult the grill into mainstream kitchens. The deal turned out to be financially rewarding for Foreman.

He initially received approximately 40% of the profits from each grill sold, which amounted to about $4.5 million per month. At the height of the product’s success, Foreman claimed he was earning $8 million per month in royalties. In 1999, Salton, Inc. purchased the rights to use Foreman’s name for $137.5 million in cash and stock. At that point, more than 20 million units had been sold across international markets. By 2011, Foreman had earned more than $200 million from the endorsements alone, which was significantly more than his total earnings from his boxing career. As of 2009, the George Foreman Grill has sold over 100 million units worldwide.

1 Real Estate Portfolio

Real Estate Portfolio
Via Instar Images

George Foreman’s relationship with land was as unapologetic as his right hook. In the 1970s, he owned a 4-acre ranch in Livermore, California, where he trained and famously kept exotic pets like a lion and a tiger. That same property was sold in 1977 after he stepped away from boxing and took on a new role as a minister. By the 1990s, Foreman anchored himself in Kingwood, an affluent suburb northeast of Houston. There, he raised his family in a spacious home equipped with a backyard pool and kept the property under his name even after moving out. Around the same time, he purchased a 300-acre ranch in Marshall, Texas, his hometown.

The Marshall estate became a rural retreat and was home to horses, cattle, and an entire menagerie of animals. In 2002, Foreman expanded westward and acquired a beachfront townhouse for $2.3 million. The townhouse was used during visits to Los Angeles. The property brought coastal contrast to his rural lifestyle. Toward the end of his life, he lived on a 45-acre estate in Huffman, Texas, located just outside Houston. The residence included three main structures: the primary home, a guesthouse, and a private gym. The main house was built in 2001 and offered six bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, and a grand foyer flanked by towering columns.

A spiral staircase, oversized chandeliers, and high-end art pieces gave the home its visual identity. A guest house on the property included two bedrooms and a full kitchen. The estate also featured a private lake, an indoor pool, horse stables, and biking trails that weaved through the grounds. A full-sized gym stood at one end, functioning as a training space and a personal museum. In 2019, a fire erupted in the garage when a golf cart caught fire, damaging a portion of the estate. By 2024, as his health declined, Foreman listed the home for $9.5 million. Article –source

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