The faith-based story of the two-time boxing champion's life releases in theaters this month.
George Foreman's journey of faith may well be among the most inspiring in the world of professional sports, and it will finally be told on the silver screen when Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World premieres in a couple of weeks. The film stars Khris Davis as the eponymous protagonist and he gets help from Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, who portrays the boxer's trainer, Charles "Doc" Broadus.
Foreman's storied boxing career included an Olympic gold medal at 19 years of age and his first World Heavyweight Championship belt in 1973 when he was 24. He lost that title the next year to Muhammed Ali and quit boxing in 1977 after a near-death experience, an experience in which he heard the Lord calling him; it was an event that led him to Christianity, the pulpit and a ten-year hiatus from boxing.
Foreman returned to the sport in 1987, eventually going on to win his second heavyweight title at 45 years of age, making him the oldest champion ever. In an interview this week with Philadelphia radio station 100.3 RnB, lead actor Davis says that after the boxer turned to God, he "found a second chance by way of that."
"You can't have the story of Mr. Foreman without having his faith and belief in God...and hearing God's voice and then him turning his life over."
The Lord blessed Foreman in other ways as well, because he also became a shrewd businessman, making hundreds of millions of dollars from product endorsements, including on his popular George Foreman Grills. That has left him at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from where he started life: during his impoverished childhood in Houston, TX, he often did not have enough food to eat.
In other words, the film captures his incredible journey of transformation athletically, spiritually and materially, and you can check it out starting on April 28th when Big George Foreman releases in theaters.