Two women have accused former American heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman of sexually abusing them in the 1970s when they were minors.
Both women, now in their early 60s, filed separate lawsuits using their pseudonyms Gwen H and Denise F in Los Angeles County superior court on Wednesday.
The women said they first met Mr Foreman as children because their fathers were associates of the former champion.
According to the documents, one of the women is described as the daughter of an adviser and manager to Mr Foreman, while the second woman is the daughter of a boxer who trained with him.
Ms Denise said she was groomed by the boxer at the age of eight and accused him of having sex with her when she was 15, in one instance in a San Francisco hotel room.
Ms Gwen said she first met the boxer when she was nine and accused the boxer of raping and sexually abusing her when she was 15 and 16 years old. She alleged that Mr Foreman “threatened that if she didn’t comply, her dad would lose his job”.
The alleged survivors are seeking a jury trial and damages against Mr Foreman and anyone who may also be responsible.
The lawsuits do not name Mr Foreman, but provide identifying details such as “a former professional heavyweight boxer who went professional in 1969” before becoming a world heavyweight champion in 1973 who eventually lost his title to Muhammad Ali in 1974.
Mr Foreman has denied the allegations, claiming that the two women have been trying to “extort millions of dollars” from him and his family for the past six months.
“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 in a statement. “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,” he added.
