NEW YORK — Two women have sued George Foreman for rape when they were teens, claiming the former boxing champion groomed them in the 1970s while they were as young as 10.
The women, who were not named in the lawsuits, claim they met Foreman as children, when their fathers were working for him, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Foreman allegedly groomed them for years, graphically telling one of them how to masturbate in a call when she was 13 or 14.
That woman claims that Foreman raped her several times in 1976, including once at a San Francisco hotel.
The other woman claims that Foreman threatened to fire her father if she didn’t strip for him when she was 15. He raped her repeatedly until she was 16, according to the lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Foreman, 73, denied the allegations in a statement to the New York Daily News Thursday.
“Over the past six months, two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s. I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations,” he said.
“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 am, and always will be, guided by my faith and trust in God. I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers’ scheme and defend myself in court.”
Foreman was inducted into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame for his legendary career in the ring, which included a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics, a win over Joe Frazier in 1973 and a loss to Muhammad Ali in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle.
