'Big George Foreman' wanted to make biopic to re-enact his religious epiphany: 'I tasted death'

Boxing legend George Foreman's remarkable life was destined for the big screen.

"Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World" faithfully covers Foreman from impoverished upbringing to heavyweight champion at age 25 – and then his retirement to become a preacher before regaining the crown at 45, making him the oldest champion ever.

"But my life is much more than boxing – I've been knocked out more outside the ring than in the ring," Foreman, 74, tells USA TODAY. "And I was anxious to tell those stories."

Here's what you need to know about "Big George Foreman" (in theaters now), starring Khris Davis as Foreman. 

George Foreman helped with the script, but stayed off the set

As an executive producer on the project, the fighter-turned-reverend had input on the script by writer and director George Tillman Jr., who wrote the screenplay based on their long conversations and Foreman's four memoirs. But during production, Foreman only visited the set once.

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"It's the script where you have to fight. You get that worked out and let the pros do their jobs," says Foreman, who trusted Tillman to translate the script to the screen. "There's the old saying, 'Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil everything.' " 

Muhammad Ali taunted George Foreman inside and outside the ring

"Big George Foreman" re-creates some of the iconic fights with punch-per-punch accuracy – from the surprise 1973 Joe Frazier knockdown (including Howard Cosell's immortal call, "Down goes Frazier!") through his 1994 win over 26-year-old Michael Moorer to regain the championship. 

The 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" with young Muhammad Ali (Sullivan Jones) shows Ali taunting Foreman inside and outside the ring.

"He said, 'Come on George, show me something,' and I was trying to show him something and give him some more." says Foreman.

The anger toward Ali, especially after losing the fight and the championship belt, was real.

"I was pretty close to hating him, I wanted revenge," says Foreman, who came to love Ali, who died in 2016. "He became the best, and one of the longest friends, I've ever had. I love him to this day."

'Big George' depicts the boxer's religious awakening

"Big George Foreman" features the champion boxer collapsing in the dressing room following a 1977 loss, a near-death experience that resulted in profound change.

"The only reason I was interested in doing a movie, period, was to tell the story of what happened in a dressing room. I died for a split-second," says Foreman. "I tasted death and had a second chance to live. You wake up and say, 'It's not that bad, I'm still alive.' "

Foreman vowed not to fight again and became an ordained minister at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston while running a youth center.

Financial problems forced his miracle comeback

Desmond (John Magaro), a longtime friend-turned-business manager who squanders Foreman's money, is a composite character. But severe financial mismanagement changed Foreman's life. The film focuses on his unlikely boxing comeback to pay the bills and refuel his stardom.

"It was like, I did it once, I'm gonna have to do it again," says Foreman. "It was the only profession I knew. Sometimes I wished I'd been a golfer, it's much easier than boxing."

Foreman had to work his way into shape, 10 years into retirement.

"I had discovered all of these fast-food chains and I enjoyed every one of them," says Foreman, who dropped from 315 pounds to 300 before the comeback. "But big as I was, I had to get to boxing. I couldn't wait."

The former champion silenced the critics and re-emerged as a global superstar with his comeback, culminating with his championship win.

He only got hotter with the George Foreman Grill

"Big George Foreman" shows how he became a pitchman to pay his bills. The effort made the beaming boxer an even bigger star in the '90s.

"I became the darling of Madison Avenue, endorsing Doritos, McDonald's," says Foreman, who became synonymous with distinctive infomercials in which he endorsed and sold the George Foreman Grill.

"Some thought it was a joke. But after selling 120 million, people didn't think that was a joke anymore," says Foreman. "I've met a lot of people who say, 'You're George Foreman, the grill guy.' "

George Foreman faces new legal issues

Foreman declined to discuss his ongoing legal situation. In August, two women filed civil lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court, saying Foreman committed sexual battery when they were between the ages of 13 and 16. Foreman filed a defamation countersuit in January, calling the charges "entirely fabricated."

A third woman filed suit last December in Alameda, California, claiming Foreman committed sexual battery against her as a minor in the 1970s. 

"Mr. Foreman adamantly and categorically denies these conveniently timed allegations from almost 50 years ago,'' Shawn Holley, an attorney representing Foreman, said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.

More on 'Big George Foreman'

• Playing George Foreman: How actor Khris Davis transformed in 'Big George Foreman'
• George Foreman on Leon Spinks:Trademark smile was late boxing legend's 'greatest gift'
• George Foreman: Boxing legend sued by a third woman for alleged sexual battery in 1970s

Contributing: Josh Peters