The 90s was the greatest era of heavyweight boxing.
Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought twice, and so did Mike Tyson and ‘The Real Deal’. ‘Iron Mike’ also fought both men. Other names such as Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Michael Moorer, and more were all major names unafraid to fight anyone.
However, not all the big names fought in that era, with arguably the biggest example being Mike Tyson vs. George Foreman not occurring. The matchup not happening is made more disappointing considering that given their name value, the bout could’ve been made.
Decades later, the reason why the clash never happened isn’t known. However, some have claimed that Tyson avoided the matchup due to Foreman being a bad stylistic challenge.
‘Big George’ is likely one of the toughest matchups for most fighters in heavyweight history. Foreman was massive for the time, had an iron chin, a good gas tank later in his career, and insane punching power, as evidenced by his win over Michael Moorer.
Meanwhile, Tyson had a gas tank problem, which hit extremely hard but was smaller for the division, which would benefit Foreman. For this reason, many fans have always believed that ‘Iron Mike’ avoided the clash.
However, as George Foreman explains, neither man really had much in the fight. In the interview, the former champion revealed that he wasn’t enthusiastic about fighting Tyson, stating:
“I didn’t want a part of Mike Tyson. He was a monster.. Those are the kind of guys you see in a nightmare. You want to wake up and say, ‘So glad that’s a dream.’ I didn’t want any part of Mike Tyson – no way.”
However, Foreman also opined that Tyson was likely happy not to fight him as well, saying:
“He was scared and I was glad of that.”
