The family of George Foreman and the City of Houston will host a celebration of the famed boxer, Olympic champion and entrepreneur, who died last month at the age of 76.
Due to limited space at the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday at the Wortham Theater Center, 501 Texas Ave.,all tickets have already been distributed, according to the city. A livestream of the service will be provided by Houston Municipal Television (HTV) via its website and Facebook page.
The service will include the "Lord's Prayer" lead by Angelo Ferrari with an accompanying pianist, an opening prayer by Pastor George Foreman IV and comments by Houston Mayor John Whitmire. James Douglas, Adan Rios and Craig Stripling will provide tributes and reflections.
Michael Moorer — who Foreman knocked out to win his second heavyweight title in 1994 during his return to boxing at age 45 — will present tributes from former boxers.
The Houston Symphony, University of Houston Choir, and Dana Clark Green and Terence Fisher will close out the ceremony with performances. Some details regarding the ceremony's program are subject to change, according to the city.
In lieu of flowers, Foreman's family has requested that donations be made to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ or the George Foreman Charitable Foundation.
Raised in Houston's Fifth Ward, Foreman went on to become a world-renowned boxer. He won a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics and his first heavyweight title in 1973 against Joe Frazier, before losing to Muhammad Ali in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire, in 1974.
Initially retiring in 1977, Foreman became an ordained minister. He also opened a youth center and later staged a comeback to the ring in 1987 that culminated in his winning the unified heavyweight title in 1994. That same year, he launched his now-famous George Foreman Grill.
Retiring for good in 1996, Foreman continued to preach at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston.
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