Both Mike Tyson and George Foreman are some of the most dangerous fighters in the history of boxing.
When Tyson was in his prime, George Foreman came back after a ten-year gap and, in an interview, called out the young champion. Foreman, who in his past fights was famous for knocking out fighters in the early rounds, said that the same thing would happen when he faced Tyson too.
He said: “That’s what I wanted. I didn’t really come back to fight Jerry Clooney or anyone in particular, Came to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world. I want this Mike Tyson. I will assure you in the same fashion, 1 or 2 rounds, I guarantee you.”
He continued: “He didn’t wanna speak too much. I grabbed him and hugged him, the next he saw me he ran. I guess he didn’t want to be hugged.” Foreman talked about meeting Tyson and hugging him, claiming that ‘Iron Mike’ was afraid of him. The legendary fighter also mentioned that Tyson’s promoter, Don King, also talked about the fight with him offering a fight purse of a whopping $5 million.
Why did Mike Tyson and George Foreman never fight each other?
In 1987, Mike Tyson was the heavyweight champion, and George Foreman came back to boxing after a long hiatus. Immediately after coming back, he made sure that he wanted to fight for the championship, but he had to wait for some years and prove that he was still eligible for top fights.
Foreman was fighting nearly every month in 1988, the same year Mike Tyson famously knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds. Foreman fought nine times, winning every one of them by knockout, and rumors of a Tyson vs. Foreman dream fight began to circulate.
However, despite various attempts and opportunities, that fight never took place. Few said that it was Muhammad Ali who told Foreman to stay away from Tyson, but Foreman rejected those claims later. Some suggested that Tyson was actually scared to fight Foreman and wanted no part of that fight.