Big George Foreman(2023)

Plot Summary

• A young George Foreman (Khris Davis) lives in poverty in Houston, Texas in 1960 with his siblings Mary (Erica Tazel) and Roy (Deion Smith) and his religious mother Nancy (Sonja Sohn). Food was had to come by and the whole family would have to live on a single burger, as their only meal of the day, and that too split between the family. Foreman, however, is riddled with anger issues and violent outbursts. Foreman beats up a kid at school when the kid taunts him for his poverty and not even being able to afford lunch.As a young adult, Foreman barely evades arrest for mugging (the drunk man they were mugging turns out to be an under cover cop) and decides to join the Job Corps as a last-ditch effort to turn his life around. The Job Corps is a paid internship program by the Government to train the unemployed youth, to give them some skills. There, he befriends his roommate Desmond Baker (John Magaro), however his violent outbursts nearly get him expelled. Foreman once beats up a fellow student who stole Foreman's sneakers gifted to him by his mother. Broadus wanted to send Foreman home, but he begged Broadus to let him stay. However, the Job Corps' chairman Doc Broadus (Forest Whitaker), a boxing trainer, encourages Foreman to take up boxing and channel his rage into the sport instead of fighting. Foreman is huge, and powerful, but he quickly learns that that is not enough to win at boxing. He needs speed and agility too. Broadus trains him to jab and helps him with his footwork.Foreman declares to Broadus that he wants to be the heavyweight champion of the world.Foreman proves to be gifted in the sport and after one year of boxing, he wins the gold medal for the United States against Jonas Cepulis (Phillip Craddock-Haney) (of Russia, who had won 203 fights in his career) at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The Russians dominated boxing and Foreman won the only gold medal for the US in boxing. Foreman was only 19 years old. Foreman returns to the US but is criticized in the African American community for fighting for a country that does not respect the rights of the African Americans. Foremans gets no respect and decides to fight for the Heavyweight championship of the world. Nancy is not happy that Foreman has picked up fighting as a profession, but Foreman tells her that he has a plan.Foreman moves to Oakland, California to train, where former champions Dick Sadler (Dwayne Barnes) and Archie Moore (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.) join his team as trainers. At their gym Foreman gets to train with a current boxing champion Sonny Liston (Cedric Boswell). He meets journalist Paula (Shein Mompremier), whom he starts a relationship with and eventually marries. Doc, Paula and Desmond are by his side as Foreman's career flourishes. Foreman racks up a 36-0 record on the professional circuit, ultimately winning a fight against Joe Frazier (Carlos Takam) in 1973 and becoming the heavyweight champion. Following his win, Foreman hires Desmond to handle his finances. Foreman's career enables him to live lavishly, however he regularly cheats on Paula with other women, and he is dismissive over his mother's attribution of his successes as blessings from God. Foreman spends his money on buying a huge mansion and an expensive car. Desmond says that he has invested Foreman's money into blue chip stocks.Foreman is heavily taunted by Muhammad Ali (Sullivan Jones), whom he fights at The Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, where he loses his belt due to Ali's rope-a-dope strategy (The rope-a-dope is a boxing fighting technique in which one contender leans against the ropes of the boxing ring and draws non-injuring offensive punches, letting the opponent tire himself out. This gives the former the opportunity then to execute devastating offensive punches to help them win). This was Foreman's first loss in 41 bouts. Foreman fires Sadler and Moore, and Paula divorces Foreman due to his infidelity.Following an embarrassing Foreman vs. Five match where he is further mocked by Ali, he is called to the hospital where his sister Mary's newborn baby is in poor health. Witnessing his family praying for the baby, Foreman goes outside and angrily prays to God for a sign, offering himself instead of the baby's life. The baby is miraculously saved, and Mary names her son after her brother.After losing to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman suffers from a heatstroke and collapses from exhaustion, having near-death experience where he finds himself in a place of nothingness and says that he finally believes before waking up. He becomes a devout Christian and disavows boxing to become a full-time preacher, much to the delight of Nancy and the disappointment of Doc. Foreman was 28 years old. He makes amends with Ali and Paula for his past behavior towards them. At church, he meets and pursues a relationship with fellow believer Mary Joan Martelly (Jasmine Mathews).Years later, Foreman has married Mary Joan and started a family with her. He is a preacher at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and opened a youth community center to help troubled youth. However, in 1985, he realizes the center is in danger of being closed down after finding out he is in debt due to Desmond mishandling his funds. The stock bets made by Desmond were all high-risk gambles and he had skimmed money off the top. Nancy tells him that despite losing everything, all he needs is already inside him, and he decides to forgive Desmond after confronting him.Foreman's attempts capitalize on his earlier fame is not enough to save the center. He reluctantly decides to return to boxing to earn money, and with Mary Joan and Doc's encouragement, he trains to get back in shape and decides to start his career again from the bottom. Foreman loses 50 pounds of weight and trains hard. He gets into matches with lower ranked opponents to gain experience and to hone his technique. Rejecting his prior rage for a more positive outlook, Foreman manages to win several fights (with a record of 18-0) and enters a match against Evander Holyfield. Although he loses to Holyfield, the payments from the fight - as well as a profitable deal involving grills - are enough to pay his debts and reopen the center. He (who is 45 years old now) works his way up to a match against reigning champion Michael Moorer, which he wins and regains his title as heavyweight champion of the world. Foreman reflects that he had to be knocked down to the bottom to realize everything he was searching for was already there.An epilogue shares that Foreman had become close friends with Ali; Doc was inducted in the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998; and Foreman continues to preach at his church and run his youth center in Houston.

Storyline

• George 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. Follow the remarkable life and times of Foreman, from Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, from the Rumble in the Jungle fight with Muhammad Ali in Zaire to finding his faith, retiring, and becoming a preacher. When financial hardship hits his family and church, he steps back into the ring and regains the championship at age 45, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history. From a poverty-stricken upbringing to rising as a promising young boxer, George Foreman's journey is a testament to resilience. A harrowing incident in the ring leads him to renounce boxing and embrace a new calling as a Baptist minister. Years later, faced with the imminent collapse of his struggling gym, he reconnects with his former trainer, reigniting his fighting spirit. Against all odds, Foreman defies age and becomes the oldest boxer to ever claim the heavyweight championship. Join him on a remarkable odyssey that spans from his triumph as an Olympic Gold medalist to his legendary showdown with Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. Amidst the glory and fame, Foreman's faith takes center stage as he embraces his role as a preacher. However, when financial adversity threatens his family and church, he makes a monumental decision to step back into the ring. At the age of 45, he embarks on an awe-inspiring comeback, ultimately reclaiming the coveted championship title. Witness the extraordinary life and indomitable spirit of George Foreman as he defies expectations, redefines limits, and solidifies his legacy as a boxing icon. — Frank Liesenborgs Based on the remarkable true story of one of the greatest comebacks of all time and the transformational power of second chances. Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George 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.