George Foreman Recalls Near Death Experience: ‘There Is A Living God’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former heavy weight champion and current pastor, George Foreman recently opened up about his near-death experience in 1977 ahead of the release of biopic, BIG GEORGE FOREMAN.
“There is a living God and I’m proof of it,” he told Christian Headlines in a recent interview.
“I was in the dressing room … walking back and forward and saying, ‘I don’t care about this boxing match I lost. I’m still George Foreman.’ You know, I can win this [next match] and I got my movie career, I got my money in the bank. And I could go home and retire now and die. That sneaked into my conversation – ‘die.’ And I couldn’t get it out. All of a sudden, I faced death, and I knew I was about to die. So, with that in mind, I heard a voice within me say, ‘You believe in God, why are you scared to die?’ And I was afraid – I really was. And I started fighting to keep my life in me. I eventually lost the fight,” he continued.
Foreman died in that dressing room that night after his bout with Jimmy Young, but Foreman stated that God brought him back to life.
“I was gone out of this life. Above me, under me, all around me was nothing,” Foreman explained. “The most sad thoughts that you can even come to mind – multiply it. I was in a dump yard of nothing and sorrowfulness. … I remember thinking there was no hope for me – like someone had dropped me out in a sea. There was no land.”
At that moment, Foreman cried out, “I still believe there’s a God!”
Abruptly, “a hand reached in and pulled me out of nothing and death.”
“I was alive [and] breathing in that dressing room,” Foreman said. “… [I] fought eight men to get into the shower. I started screaming, ‘Jesus Christ has come alive in me’ after I saw blood on my head and hands. … They couldn’t stop me. I started kissing everybody in the dressing room. I tried to make a break for the door. They said, ‘George, you don’t have clothes on.’ They had to hold me down. … I got a second chance to live.”
Foreman shared that his desire is that this movie inspires others.
“The most important thing I’d like for the people who go to the movie to take out is that there is hope. … There’s a living God,” Foreman stated. “And I’m proof of it. That’s all – forget about the boxing and the winning and the losing and all of that. Faith in God is what that movie is about.”
Moviegruide® recently reported on faith vs. adversity in Foreman’s life:
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman reflected on how he has overcome adversity by relying on God.
“During my boxing career I conquered most of the challenges I faced in the ring. But the challenge of being genuinely happy was another matter,” he shared in a Guidepost article.
Foreman’s success in the ring made him famous, and even when he lost to Muhammad Ali, he received a $5 million check. However, money didn’t him the joy he desperately wanted.
“But if you think that that five million made me happy, think again. I’ve been poor with millions of dollars, and I’ve been rich when I was broke,” Foreman said. “Money never gave me any real joy, but with God in my heart I’m a rich man no matter what.”
“It’s not our circumstances that determine our happiness,” he added.
“It’s our attitude toward those circumstances. The Bible says, ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,’” Foreman stated. “Those words don’t promise that only good things will happen to you if you love God. But they do promise that if you love him, whatever happens can turn out to be in your favor.”
When Hurricane Katrina hit his hometown of Houston, Texas, Foreman realized that “no matter how good you have it in this life, it could be gone in a second.”
“A single storm can sweep through and take it all away. But if you’ve got God, you’ll be okay,” he added.
Foreman can attest that God can turn any loss into a win, sharing more about his fight with Muhammad Ali. They weren’t just opponents, they were enemies, and after the loss, Foreman only thought about how he could defeat Ali again.
However, when Foreman trained for his comeback, he fought Jimmy Young, a journeyman fighter. Foreman lost, and in that moment, Foreman realized that life without God left him empty.
“Soon after that experience, I called Muhammad and let him know what had happened to me. I told him I didn’t hate him anymore. In fact, I told him I loved him! He responded to my kindness, and a true friendship developed between us,” Foreman stated.
“It doesn’t matter what your own worst moment is. Storms of all kinds rage through our lives, and sometimes they can take everything from us,” Foreman added. “But if you have faith, your own worst moment can become your best.”
“Adversity is never far from us in this earthly life. But neither is the help we need in getting through it. If I have the Lord in my heart, I have the one thing that truly matters,” Foreman concluded.
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