Translate the following article text into english, retaining the HTML tags: Boxing World Loses Superstar: George Foreman is Dead

The former heavyweight boxing world champion George Foreman has died. As his family announced on Saturday, the 76-year-old passed away on Friday "surrounded by his loved ones." Foreman is known for his defeat against Muhammad Ali in 1974 and his spectacular comeback as the oldest heavyweight champion in history 20 years later.

"He was a philanthropist, an Olympian, and a two-time heavyweight world champion. He was deeply respected - a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, who tirelessly fought to preserve his good name - for his family," described the Foreman family in a post on Instagram.

Olympic Champion at 19

Foreman was born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas, and soon moved to Houston, where he and his six siblings were raised by a single mother. Foreman grew up in the poor conditions of the segregated American South, dropped out of school, and initially used his size and fists in street robberies before being motivated to take up boxing.

At the age of 19 and in his 25th amateur fight, Foreman won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. As a professional, he won 37 consecutive fights until he faced the reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, and won by technical knockout in the second round.

Break After Two Defeats

Foreman defended the title two more times before he faced Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in one of the most famous boxing matches in history - and lost. The defeat was a heavy blow for Foreman. He took a year off before returning to the ring, and then, after a second professional defeat, retired in 1977 to become an ordained pastor in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A decade later, Foreman returned to the ring to raise money for a youth center he founded in Texas. After that, he won 24 consecutive fights before losing to Evander Holyfield in a 12-round decision in 1991. Three years later, he defeated the undefeated southpaw Moorer and became the oldest heavyweight champion of all time at the age of 45. Foreman's last fight took place in 1997. He ended his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Foreman was married four times. In 1985, he married Mary Joan Martelly for the fifth time, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons, all named George, five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.

Foreman as an Advertiser

In the 1990s and after his retirement, he was an enthusiastic advertiser for various products, particularly for an electric grill from the household appliance manufacturer Salton Inc. In 1999, the company paid Foreman and his partners 137.5 million dollars to use his name on the grill and other products.

"I fall in love with every product I sell," Foreman wrote in his autobiography 'By George'. "That's what sells. Just like preaching."

(APA/Red)

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