George Foreman and Mike Tyson are two of the most fearsome punchers the heavyweight division has ever hosted.
The two fighters were strikingly different in many ways, the squat and compact Tyson utilising every muscle in his body to wing in fight-ending shots whilst Foreman’s natural bulk made even some of the laziest shots thudding showstoppers.
They hold two very different records, too, with Tyson being the youngest ever champion in the division and Foreman being the oldest. Having fought in the same era – albeit Foreman’s second campaign after a pervious retirement – many have wondered how the match-up would play out.
Speaking on his podcast The Fight, one-time Tyson coach Teddy Atlas predicted the fantasy fight in Foreman’s favour.
“Wow. You ain’t gonna like this Tyson fans … Foreman’s style was wrong for Tyson. He would’ve came in trying to slip and bob and I think it would’ve been a replay of the fight with Foreman and Frazier, twice, and we all know what happened in that – Foreman knocked him out.
Bad style match up, the right punches to catch him, the size advantage. And they are from the same era do we don’t even have to play the game to conform and adjust. Foreman was naturally the bigger guy. He would’ve been able to catch Tyson coming in, time him. Foreman had a great chin. Tyson would’ve landed maybe a left hook, Foreman could’ve handled it.”
The fight did almost materialise in the early nineties, but Foreman – who had returned from his decade out – had a clear goal of becoming heavyweight champion once more. When ‘Iron’ Mike had his undisputed title snatched from him via Buster Douglas knockout, the fight didn’t make sense for the bigger man.
Foreman went on to challenge Evander Holyfield, who beat Douglas in his first defence, but would come up short. He did, however, manage to reach his goal against Michael Moorer three years later.
