Beyond boxing championships and grills, legendary heavyweight boxer George Foreman wants his legacy to be his faith.
The boxer-turned-pastor’s life hits the big screen this week in the upcoming biographical movie, “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World.“
“My whole life is to spell out Jesus Christ and what God has done for me,” Foreman told the Christian Post. “That’s my whole thing.”
“You come to a point in your life and you realize the only important thing in your life is [to be] an evangelist,” Foreman told the Christian Post.
“‘Evangelistic’ is the word that has been so powerful to me in my life. If something happened to me tomorrow … I know I’ve done a good job, and I’m happy about that, trying to spell out to the world, ‘Jesus Christ has come alive in me,’” he added.
Foreman is an example of one of the greatest comebacks and his story of a life transformed by second chances is remarkable.
“I was dead. There was nothing left of me,” he recalled. “I stared at nothingness, no hope. I was pulled out of this dirty place, and given a second chance to live. That has kept me grounded.”
The film describes his life as the following:
Fueled by an impoverished childhood, Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever.
After all he’s achieved, Foreman is a pastor in Houston, Texas at The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, which he’s been preaching at since the 1980s.
“It doesn’t matter what you achieve, what you accomplish in this life,” he said. “The most important thing is to keep your eye on the true prize, and that’s serving God.”
“Find God, have faith in God,” Foreman added. “It doesn’t matter what happened, believe all things are possible. Don’t ever give up on possibility and your life can be turned and changed for the better.”
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Foreman gave advice to this generation.
“Find God, have faith in God,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what happened, believe all things are possible. Don’t ever give up on possibility and your life can be turned and changed for the better.”
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Caleb Parke is the SMG managing editor. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and connect with him at calebparke.com.