The Legacy of George Foreman: A Look at His 12 Children and Grandchildren
May 8 2023, Published 5:47 p.m. ET
From his humble beginnings in Texas to his meteoric rise to fame, George Foreman's story is nothing short of remarkable. With a legacy that spans five decades, George is a celebrated figure in the world of sports and beyond.
The legend first became known in the boxing scene in 1968 when he won the gold medal for heavyweight boxing at the Mexico City Olympic Games.
Most famously, George faced off against Muhammad Ali in one of the most iconic boxing matches in history: 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle."
But what makes this iconic athlete an even more fascinating figure (besides his massive success selling personal grills), is his large family — he has 12 children in total — so, who are they?
George Foreman has five sons and seven daughters — with all his sons sharing his full name.
George Foreman I with his son George and daughter Leola.
George had 10 biological kids and two adopted daughters. His sons are George Jr., George III, George IV ("Big Wheel"), George V ("Red"), and George VI ("Little Joey").
His daughters include Natalia and Leola, from his marriage to Mary Joan Martelly, Freeda George, Michi, and Georgetta. In 2009, he adopted his daughter Isabella and in 2012 he adopted his daughter Courtney.
In a since-deleted excerpt from his website, George explained the decision to name all his sons George, writing, "I named all my sons George Edward Foreman so they would always have something in common. I say to them, 'If one of us goes up, then we all go up together, and if one goes down, we all go down together!'"
Have any of George Foreman's kids followed in his footsteps?
Freeda Foreman training in Las Vegas in 2000.
Some of George's sons and daughters have pursued careers in boxing. However, George made it a rule that his children could not pursue a boxing career until they earned a college degree.
"Boxing is such a hard sport,” George told The Los Angeles Times. “You punish yourself. You are always up at the crack of dawn, out running, working. If you had 75 friends when you started, you have seven when you are done.”
His son, George III, who goes by Monk, started boxing after graduating from Rice University and finished with a perfect 16-0 record. Monk is also currently the founder of Craft Boxing Club, which has locations in California and Canada.
George's daughter Freeda finished her career with a 5–1 record as a pro boxer and retired in 2001. She sadly passed away in 2019 at age 42 from an apparent suicide.
Most of his children, however, keep a low profile and remain out of the spotlight, despite having a famous father.
George Foreman has been married four times.
His first marriage was to Adrienne Calhoun, which lasted from 1971 to 1974.
In 1977, he married Cynthia Lewis, but that marriage ended in 1979. Following the divorce, George tied the knot with Sharon Goodson in 1981 but divorced her in 1982 and married Andrea Skeete.
George Foreman with seven of his children.
Ultimately, their marriage ended in divorce two years later, and he tied the knot with Mary Joan Martelly, whom he married in 1985 and is still married to today.
Along with being a proud father, George is also a grandfather to two boys, who unsurprisingly are also named after the legendary boxer./
"I have two grandsons also called George Edward Foreman, and it wasn't my idea," he told Good Morning Britain in 2023. "It just keeps coming up... don't want the name to die."
As George says, he is a family man first.
