Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman dies aged 76

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00:00Boxing legend George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.

00:04The heavyweight boxing legend was remembered as a devout preacher, devoted husband, loving

00:10father and proud great-grandfather by his family on Instagram.

00:14Known as Big George in the ring, the American built an extraordinary boxing career.

00:20In 1968, Foreman won the super heavyweight Olympic gold medal, aged just 19.

00:25He later turned pro, winning 37 straight matches before earning his first heavyweight

00:30title against reigning champion Joe Frazier.

00:34His 1974 rumble in the jungle against Muhammad Ali remains one of the most famous boxing

00:39matches in history.

00:41Ali the older man came into the match as a heavy underdog against the bigger and younger

00:46champion.

00:47It was really strange.

00:48I thought I'd knock him out in one or two rounds, but about the third round I hit him

00:52and he fell on me.

00:53I thought, that's it, and he started screaming, that's all you got George, show me something.

00:59And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

01:03The bout ended in a shock upset in favour of Ali, who finally knocked Foreman out in

01:09the eighth round after exhausting him with his rope-a-dope tactics.

01:14Foreman won back his title 20 years later after his 1994 knockout win against the undefeated

01:20Michael Mora, making him the oldest ever heavyweight champion at the age of 45.

01:27George Foreman's professional boxing career boasted an astonishing 76 total wins, 68 of

01:32those by knockout.

01:35Foreman had 12 children, including five sons, who are all famously named George Edward Foreman.

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