Two women sue George Foreman for $25m each claiming he sexually abused them as minors in the 1970s
George Foreman is being sued for upwards of $50million by two women who claim he groomed and sexually abused them as minors while a young boxer in the 1970s.
The 73-year-old former heavyweight champion, who denies the allegations, was introduced to the pair, named only as Gwen H and Denise S, by their fathers, who worked closely with Foreman at the time.
Two separate law suits claiming compensation for ‘physical and mental pain and suffering’ were filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court yesterday, alleging that Foreman first met the girls when they were under the age of ten.
He had sex with them when they were 15 and he was already a boxing champion, the plaintiffs claim.
The filling alleges Foreman, estimated to be worth around $300million, sexually abused Denise S when she was 13 years old, before having sex with her two years later.
Nevada resident Gwen H said Foreman threatened to fire her father, a longtime advisor to the boxer, if she did not submit to his will. She said the abuse continued until she was 16.
In a statement last month released in anticipation of the lawsuit, Foreman said: ‘Two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family.’
TMZ Sports in August quoted a source saying the women initially asked Foreman to pay each of them $12.5million.
Two women on Wednesday filed separate lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court that boxing legend George Foreman groomed and abused them at 15
George Foreman, the former World Heavyweight champion of the World, said: ‘They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s. I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations’
Foreman added: ‘They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s. I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations.
‘The pride I take in my reputation means as much to me as my sports accomplishments, and I will not be intimidated by baseless threats and lies.
‘I don’t pick fights, but I don’t run away from them either.’
Foreman’s management team and legal representation did not respond to a request for comment sent by MailOnline today.
The boxer, who was sensationally defeated by Muhammad Ali in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle fight in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), won gold at the 1968 Olympics.
He went professional the next year and was unbeaten throughout his 40 pro fights, besting then-undefeated Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight title in 1973.
‘Big George’ defended the belt twice before losing it to Ali in Zaire the following year.
After being ordained as a Christian minister, Foreman returned to the ring and retook the heavyweight title aged 45, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion in history.
In 1974, Foreman suffered boxing’s most famous upset in Zaire, when he was stopped in the eighth round by Muhammad Ali in what is forever known as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’
He retired in 1997 at 48, with a record of 76 wins (including 68 knock outs) and just five losses.
He’s since enjoyed a successful run as a pitchman, helping to sell hundreds of millions of George Foreman Grills.
Foreman was dubbed ‘Marketing Champ of the World’ by Bloomberg in 2004.
The law enabling the women’s civil lawsuit against him is the same legislation which allowed Judy Huth to successfully sue Bill Cosby for raping her at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15.
It went into effect in January 2020 and has resulted in thousands of lawsuits.
