Gwen Hunter and Denise Shipes: George Foreman's sexual abuse accusers demand him to take lie detector test
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Former heavyweight boxing champion and Olympic gold medalist, George Foreman who is facing allegations of sexual abuse from two women, has been challenged to take a lie detector test. The woman had claimed that Foreman abused them when they were minors, over 45 years ago.
The accusers, Gwen Hunter and Denise Shipes filed two separate lawsuits in August 2022, seeking upwards of $50 million in compensation for "physical and mental pain and suffering." Foreman has denied the allegations, and in response, he filed a countersuit against the accusers, accusing them of extortion and claiming they were intentionally dragging his name through the mud for a payday. In a few weeks, the biopic 'Big George Foreman' is set for release, and this development coincides with the allegations.
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'Both Hunter and Shipes took polygraph tests of their own'
However, the accusers are now requesting that Foreman take a polygraph test to prove their allegations. According to a report from TMZ, the accusers' attorney, Samuel Dordulian, stated that "Both Hunter and Shipes took polygraph tests of their own, with one of the world's leading experts who our legal team has used before in the past, and they both passed. Now they want Foreman to undergo the same test with the same operator."
Dordulian also reportedly stated that he is in the process of bringing a separate defamation countersuit against Foreman in response to the claims of extortion. The accusers claim that Foreman abused them when they were under the age of ten and had sex with them when they were 15 years old.
'He asked me to remove my clothes'
Shipes alleges that Foreman sexually abused her when she was 13 years old, while Hunter claims that Foreman threatened to fire her father, a longtime advisor to the boxer if she did not submit to his will. She said the abuse continued until she was 16. "He asked me to remove my clothes, and if I didn't then my father would be fired, so I complied" said Hunter.
Foreman is estimated to be worth around $300 million and has had a successful career both inside and outside of the ring. He won gold at the 1968 Olympics and was unbeaten throughout his 40 pro fights, besting then-undefeated Joe Frazier to win the heavyweight title in 1973. He went on to defend the title twice before losing it to Muhammad Ali in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight in Zaire in 1974.
'Marketing Champ of the World'
Foreman returned to the ring after being ordained as a Christian minister and became the oldest world heavyweight champion in history, winning the title again at the age of 45. He retired in 1997 with a record of 76 wins, including 68 knockouts, and just five losses. Foreman has also enjoyed success as a pitchman, with his George Foreman Grills selling hundreds of millions of units. Foreman was dubbed 'Marketing Champ of the World' by Bloomberg in 2004, as per the Daily Mail.