Former boxing champ George Foreman accused of sexual abuse by daughters of his former associates, lawsuits show

By Cheri Mossburg and Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Two women have accused former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman of sexually abusing them when they were minors in the 1970s, according to lawsuits filed this week.

One of the women is described as the daughter of an adviser and manager to Foreman while the second woman is the daughter of a boxer who trained with him, according to the documents.

They are seeking a jury trial and damages against Foreman and anyone who may also be responsible for the alleged abuses. Those additional parties could be added to the lawsuit as more information becomes available in the case, the documents say

Foreman, in a statement Wednesday, denied the allegations.

“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. I don’t pick fights, but I don’t run away from them either,” Foreman added.

The lawsuits, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, do not name Foreman, but provide identifying details, including that the alleged abuser is “a former professional heavy weight boxer who went professional in 1969″ who was inducted into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.” The suits also say the defendant became a world heavyweight champion in 1973 and eventually lost the title to Muhammad Ali in 1974.

One of the alleged victims, referred to in the suit as Denise S., says she was groomed by the boxer “at an early age” and accuses Foreman of performing sexual acts with Denise S. when she was a minor, according to the lawsuit.

The second alleged victim, referred to as Gwen H., alleges that when she was between 15 and 16 years old, Foreman molested and sexually abused her after he “threatened that if she didn’t comply, her dad would lose his job.”

CNN has reached out to the attorneys for both women.

Foreman, a champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist, defended the coveted world heavyweight title twice before losing it to Muhammad Ali in the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle.” He took a long hiatus from competing at the end of the 1970s before resurrecting his career once more and again becoming world heavyweight champion, before finally retiring in 1997.

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CNN’s Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.