George Foremen has a colossal net worth, but most of it did not come from the thing that first made him famous. In fact, after turning professional in 1969 and stacking up an impressive career of 76 wins out of 81 fights, by the 1980s Foreman had a relatively small net worth of $5 million.
By 1987, bad business investments whittled away most of that $5 million fortune. That and a recklessly extravagant lifestyle. George stared bankruptcy in the face. “It was that scary because you hear about people being homeless and I was only fractions, fractions from being homeless.”
Foreman started boxing again, but this time a clean-shaven and more rotund Foreman entered the ring with a lovable persona — the exact opposite of his sneering, growling ways of the 1970s. He was staging an impressive comeback that lasted into the late 1990′s, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion ever. When he retired in his 40s, Foreman became an eloquent and popular boxing commentator for HBO. His spokesman days were just beginning, birthing his second and much more enjoyable run with riches.
