\n<\/p>\n
Two women have filed lawsuits in the United States after accusing ex-heavyweight world champion George Foreman of sexual abuse in the 1970s.<\/span><\/p>\n The women say they both met Foreman as children as their fathers were boxing associates of the now 73-year-old.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n One accused Foreman of grooming her when she was eight and having sex with her when she was 15, her lawsuit says.<\/span><\/p>\n The other accused him of sexually abusing and raping her when she was 15 and 16-years-old.<\/span><\/p>\n Foreman has denied the allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n In a statement in July, when the allegations first became public, he said: “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.<\/span><\/p>\n “I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations. 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.”<\/span><\/p>\n He added: “I don’t pick fights, but I don’t run away from them either.”<\/span><\/p>\n Now in their early 60s, the women filed separate lawsuits in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday seeking damages.<\/span><\/p>\n One said Foreman told her that her father would lose his job as a boxing adviser if she did not comply.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2020, a California law came into effect that temporarily waived the statute of limitations that had prevented victims of childhood sexual abuse from filing civil lawsuits.<\/span><\/p>\n Foreman won Olympic gold in 1968 and the world heavyweight title for the first time in 1973, beating the then-undefeated Joe Frazier.<\/span><\/p>\n