Mike Tyson Breaks His Silence On George Foreman's Death At The Age Of 76
Tyson expressed his condolences to Foreman's family while lauding his "contribution to boxing and beyond."
While announcing the news of his death, George Foreman's family shared a statement noting he passed away "peacefully."
Condolences to George Foreman's family. His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten. pic.twitter.com/Xs5QjMukqr
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) March 22, 2025
Mike Tyson took to social media in the later hours of yesterday to pay his last respects to Foreman.
Posting two pictures of them together, Tyson wrote, "Condolences to George Foreman's family. His contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten."
Foreman was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, Olympic gold medalist, entrepreneur, and preacher.
He was featured in two of the most iconic boxing games of all time: fighting Joe Frazier in "The Fight of the Century" in 1971 and then Muhammad Ali in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974.
Following his loss against Ali, he retired from boxing and became a Christian minister. He is one of the great second acts in sports, as he came out of retirement 10 years later to reclaim the heavyweight crown.
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A post shared by George Foreman (@biggeorgeforeman)
It was a sad day for the boxing world as Foreman's family took to social media to announce the death of the legend.
"Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announced the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman St., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones," the statement read.
"A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose," they continued. "Humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected - a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name - for his family."
Foreman's family added, "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own."
Fans of Foreman have since flooded his social media page with tributes after the news of his passing.
On Instagram, a person wrote, "RIP TO MY FAVE FIGHTER OF ALL TIME… I'm heartbroken, so i can only imagine his family…i hope he knew how many people he inspired."
Another individual noted, "So sorry for your loss. He was a great man, more than just a great boxer. He was a wonderful human being. Absolutely heartbreaking news. My deepest sympathies."
"So saddened to hear this," a third fan commented. "As a fellow Houstonian, I truly loved him. He bought a home for his mother in our neighborhood, and we would see him very often. He was so nice and generous. We'll miss you so much, Big George."
During the heights of both boxers' prime, Tyson and Foreman never faced each other in a professional boxing match, despite talks and speculation around a potential fight in the early 1990s.
Although Tyson is also respected in the boxing world with a career spanning more than 2 decades, he once shared that his biggest regret was never facing "Big George" in the ring.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Tyson claimed: "I would have liked to fight George Foreman.
"There have been many fans who wondered who was the bigger puncher. I would have liked to put an end to the discussion - one way or the other."
Tyson has previously spoken highly of the deceased boxer, claiming in another interview that he may be the only boxer who could hit harder than Foreman.
When asked about the hardest hitter ever in the heavyweight division, he told Fight Camp (via TalkSport): "[It's George Foreman], I can't match somebody's power who's that big and that much man."
"Only thing that allowed me to be excited was that I did it faster than the other guys," he added.
Many boxing fans in the 80s would have been left wondering why Tyson and Foreman never faced off, but reports allege that the now 58-year-old boxer was "scared" of Foreman and never agreed to fight him.
Bobby Goodman once shared that Tyson's promoter at the time, Don King, tried to make the fight happen, but Tyson did not want to face Foreman.
"Georgie, you'll never believe this, but f-cking Tyson is scared sh-tless of Foreman and wants no part of him," Goodman is quoted as saying in a 2005 article by Boxing Scene, per the Daily Mail. "I was there when Don was trying to make the fight. He was telling Tyson that Foreman represented huge money, plus he was old and slow and would be no problem."
He continued, "Tyson got up and screamed at King saying, 'I'm not fighting that f-cking animal if you love the motherf-cker so much, you fight him!"
RIP, George Foreman.
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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Former coach at renowned Iowa-based gymnastics academy arrested by FBI
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Authorities in Iowa sealed the court documents after the AP asked about the investigation earlier this month, before details of the federal charge were made public Friday. Gardner, Qiao and Gardner's former employer in Mississippi did not respond to AP requests for comment. Chow's Gymnastics is best known as the academy where U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas trained before becoming gold medalists at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Qiao opened the gym in 1998 after starring on the Chinese national team and moving to the United States to coach at the University of Iowa. The gym became a draw for top youth gymnasts, with some families moving to Iowa to train there. Gardner moved to Iowa in September 2018, jumping at the opportunity to coach under Qiao. 'This is the job that I've always wanted. Chow is really someone I have looked up to since I've been coaching,' Gardner told the ABC affiliate WOI-TV in 2019. 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SafeSport shared the reports with West Des Moines police, in line with its policy requiring adults who interact with youth athletes to disclose potential criminal cases to law enforcement. While SafeSport's suspension took Gardner out of gymnastics, the criminal investigation quickly hit a roadblock. Police records show a detective told SafeSport to urge the alleged victims to file criminal complaints, but only one of their mothers contacted police in 2022. That woman said her daughter did not want to pursue criminal charges, and police suspended the investigation. Victims of abuse are often reluctant to cooperate with police, said Ken Lang, a retired detective and associate professor of criminal justice at Milligan University. 'In this case you have the prestige of this facility,' he said. 'Do they want to associate their name with that, in that way, when their aspirations were to succeed in gymnastics?' 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According to a summary of her statement provided in Lyon's affidavit, she said Gardner fondled her during exercises, repeatedly touching her vagina; rubbed her back and butt and discussed his sex life; and made her do inappropriate stretches that exposed her privates. She told police she suspected he used his cellphone to film her in that position. Reached by the AP, the teen's mother declined comment. The mother told police she was interested in a monetary settlement with Chow's because the gym 'had been made aware of the complaints and they did nothing to stop them,' according to Lyon's affidavit. The gym didn't return AP messages seeking comment. It took 16 months after the teen's 2024 report for the FBI to arrest Gardner, who made an initial court appearance in Des Moines on Friday on a charge of producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which can carry up to 30 years in prison. A public defender assigned to represent him didn't return AP messages seeking comment. It's unclear why the case took so long to investigate and also when the FBI, which had to pay $138 million to Nassar's victims for botching that investigation, got involved in the case. Among evidence seized by investigators in late May were a cellphone, laptop and a desktop computer along with handwritten notes between Gardner and his former pupils, according to the sealed court documents. They found images of girls, approximately 6 to 14 years in age, who were nude, using the toilet or changing into leotards, those documents show. Those images appear to have come from a hidden camera in a restroom. They also uncovered 50 video files and 400 photos, including some that appeared to be child pornography, according to the FBI affidavit. One video allegedly shows Gardner entering the bathroom and turning off the camera. 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