HR677 - In memory of former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman.

      H.R. No. 677       R E S O L U T I O N          WHEREAS, The life of a legendary boxing champion, minister,   and businessman drew to a close with the passing of George Foreman   on March 21, 2025, at the age of 76; and          WHEREAS, George Edward Foreman was born in Marshall on   January 10, 1949, the son of J. D. and Nancy Ree Foreman, and he   grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward in a family that included six   siblings; after becoming involved in petty crime and dropping out   of school, he turned his life around by joining the Job Corps at age   16 and taking up boxing shortly thereafter; within a year and a half   of first lacing up the gloves, he won the heavyweight division gold   medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics; he then entered the pro ranks,   fighting as many as a dozen times per year; nicknamed "Big George"   for his six-foot, four-inch stature, he possessed fearsome punching   power and built an impressive record of 37 wins and 0 losses,   including 34 knockouts, before earning a shot at the world title in   January 1973; and          WHEREAS, Facing undisputed heavyweight champion Joe Frazier   in Kingston, Jamaica, Mr. Foreman dominated his opponent from the   opening bell, flooring him six times in the span of just one and a   half rounds in a bout that was immortalized by broadcaster Howard   Cosell's call of "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!"; claiming   the championship belt at age 24, Mr. Foreman went on to   successfully defend his title twice before entering the ring   against Muhammad Ali on October 30, 1974; billed as "the Rumble in   the Jungle" for its location in Kinshasa, Zaire, the fight was one   of the most-watched bouts in boxing history; Mr. Foreman was   favored, but Ali employed his famous "rope-a-dope" technique and   pulled off the upset via a knockout in the eighth round; over the   next few years, Mr. Foreman fought six times, winning five of the   contests, but after experiencing a spiritual awakening in 1977, he   retired from the ring from the first time; and          WHEREAS, For the next decade, Mr. Foreman focused on his work   as an ordained Christian minister in Houston and started the George   Foreman Youth and Community Center in the Aldine area; in 1987, he   returned to boxing with the goal of becoming champion again; he   reeled off 24 straight wins before dropping a title bout decision to   Evander Holyfield in 1991; three years later, he made history when   he knocked out defending champion Michael Moorer with a powerful   jab-cross combination, becoming, at age 45, the oldest person to   win the heavyweight title; he retired from boxing for good in 1997,   ending his hall of fame career with a record of 76-5, including 68   knockouts; and          WHEREAS, Mr. Foreman launched a second career as a commercial   pitchman in 1994, when he began endorsing the George Foreman Grill,   a hugely successful product that proved far more lucrative for him   than boxing; with his wide smile and gregarious personality, he   also appeared in other television ads and programs and briefly   starred in the sitcom George in the mid-1990s; a movie based on his   life, Big George Foreman , was released in 2023; he is survived by   his wife, Mary Joan Martelly, his five sons, all named George, his   six daughters, Natalie, Leola, Michi, Georgetta, Isabella, and   Courtney, and his 15 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; and          WHEREAS, One of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time,   George Foreman was beloved for his warmth, humility, and sense of   purpose, and his myriad achievements, both in and out of the ring,   will continue to be remembered and admired for years to come; now,   therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas   Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of George Foreman and   extend sincere condolences to the members of his family; and, be it   further          RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be   prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of   Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of George   Foreman.     Dutton     Burrows Guerra Morales Shaw   Alders Guillen Morgan   Allen Harless Muñoz   Anchía Harris Noble   Ashby Harris Davila Olcott   Barry Harrison Oliverson   Bell of Kaufman Hayes Ordaz   Bell of Montgomery Hefner Orr   Bernal Hernandez Patterson   Bhojani Hickland Paul   Bonnen Hinojosa Perez of El Paso   Bowers Holt Perez of Harris   Bryant Hopper Phelan   Buckley Howard Pierson   Bucy Hull Plesa   Bumgarner Hunter Raymond   Button Isaac Reynolds   Cain Johnson Richardson   Campos Jones of Dallas Rodríguez Ramos   Canales Jones of Harris Romero   Capriglione Kerwin Rose   Cole King Rosenthal   Collier Kitzman Schatzline   Cook LaHood Schofield   Cortez Lalani Schoolcraft   Craddick Lambert Shaheen   Cunningham Landgraf Shofner   Curry Leach Simmons   Darby Leo Wilson Slawson   A. Davis of Dallas Little Smithee   Y. Davis of Dallas Longoria Spiller   Dean Lopez of Bexar Swanson   DeAyala Lopez of Cameron Talarico   Dorazio Louderback Tepper   Dutton Lowe Thompson   Dyson Lozano Tinderholt   Fairly Lujan Toth   Flores Luther Troxclair   Frank Manuel Turner   Gámez Martinez VanDeaver   Garcia of Bexar Martinez Fischer Vasut   Garcia of Dallas McLaughlin Villalobos   Garcia Hernandez McQueeney Virdell   Gates Metcalf Vo   Gerdes Meyer Walle   Geren Meza Ward Johnson   Gervin-Hawkins Money Wharton   González of Dallas Moody Wilson   González of El Paso Morales of Harris Wu   Goodwin Morales of Maverick Zwiener     ______________________________   Speaker of the House                 I certify that H.R. No. 677 was unanimously adopted by a rising   vote of the House on March 27, 2025.     ______________________________   Chief Clerk of the House