Tributes are being paid to the US heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman who has died at the age of 76.
The two-time champion became a Christian in 1977, three years after his famous match with Muhammad Ali which became known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.
His family said in a post on Instagram on Friday night: "Our hearts are broken. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.
"A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, he was deeply respected - a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name - for his family."
Paying tribute, US President Donald Trump said he was "a great person with a personality bigger than life", while the former world champion Mike Tyson said Foreman's "contribution to boxing and beyond will never be forgotten."
Born in Texas in 1949, Foreman and his six siblings were raised by a single mother. Growing up poor in the segregated American South, he dropped out of junior high school, but through a Job Corps, part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" reforms, 16-year-old Foreman was encouraged to channel his frustrations into boxing.
At 19 he won the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Turning pro, he won 37 straight matches on his way to face reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, winning by technical knockout in round two.
Foreman defended the belt twice more before meeting Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ one of the most celebrated boxing matches in history.
Ali had been stripped of his crown seven years earlier for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War and came into the match an underdog against the bigger, younger champion. But Ali won and Foreman took a year off before returning to the ring.
After a defeat to Jimmy Young in 1977 Foreman had a deeply religious experience that changed his life forever. Even though he was a top contender to regain the heavyweight title, he retired from boxing, at the age of 28, to serve the Lord. He became an ordained minister and set up The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On his website he explained how the church came about:"(In the late 1970s) I had been preaching occasionally in the church, and I loved to preach, so I bought thirty minutes of radio time on a Houston station and continued preaching. On my show, I talked a little about boxing and a lot about the good Lord. I was living in Humble, a suburb of Houston, so when I went into the city to do my radio show, it wasn't unusual for several friends from my former church to ask me to lead a Bible study or to pray with them. Three or four of us met in various homes; soon there were six or eight, then ten people attending…
"Before long, the crowds became too large for most houses to accommodate.
"Eventually, we bought a piece of land and an old, dilapidated building on the north-east side of Houston.
“I owned a large tent that I had intended to use in holding outdoor ‘evangelistic’ or ‘revival’ services, so we put up the tent in the lot next to the building and held services there while we renovated the old structure. I didn't really intend to start a new church, but eventually we found it beneficial to organize."
Foreman came out of retirement in 1987 to raise money for a youth centre he founded. He won 24 matches before losing to Evander Holyfield after 12 rounds in 1991.
His last match was in 1997, ending his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.
In 1985, he married for the fifth time to Mary Joan Martelly, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons - all called George - five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.
Throughout the 1990s and after retirement, he was an enthusiastic salesman for various products, most notably an electric grill to which he later put his name. It went on to earn him millions.
Writing in his autobiography, he said:
"What I do is fall in love with every product I sell.
"That's what sells. Just like with preaching."
(Some additional reporting by Reuters)