SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The late boxer George Foreman is buried in a cemetery in the northwest corner of Iowa — a place he has no connection to except for a solitary visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died on March 21, 2025at age 76 in Houston and was buried a month later at Logan Park Cemetery in Sioux City, Iowa, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned to his burial site Thursday and held a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to unveil Foreman’s burial site, marked by a large monument depicting him as a teenager after his Olympic gold medal in boxing.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988 and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city to bury Foreman on April 17 last year, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life full of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him rest in a place that brought him peace means the world to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s memorial, located just a few miles north of the Missouri River in a Midwestern city of nearly 87,000. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach as high as 200 feet (61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story reminds us how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he was part of the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team and won gold in Mexico City. He became heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, but lost the title to Muhammad Ali a year later in the famous “ Clutter in the jungle.”
Twenty years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at the age of 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a career record of 76-5.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitcher and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The humble cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical film based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
