Despite being such a formidable fighter during his prime, George Foreman has revealed the one heavyweight he wanted no part of.
In a career that stretched three decades, Foreman captured the world heavyweight championship twice, cementing himself as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing.
After suffering a shock defeat to Jimmy Young in 1977, ‘Big’ George walked away from the sport to pursue a career as a preacher. A decade later, he returned to the sport after facing financial difficulty.
In a career defining moment at the back end of 1994, Foreman defeated Michael Moorer to capture the WBA and IBF titles, becoming the oldest world heavyweight champion ever, a record that still stands today.
Despite coming up against a number of legendary heavyweights, including the likes of Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, Foreman has admitted there was one fighter he had no interest in facing.
In an interview with Max Kellerman, ‘Big’ George named Mike Tyson as the one opponent he was glad to have not faced during his career, brandishing ‘Iron’ Mike as a ‘nightmare’.
“I called him Mike ‘Nightmare’ Tyson, that guy was a nightmare in the ring, I mean really. If he missed you with his left, then miss you with his right, he’d bite you. I didn’t wanna have anything to do with that guy.”
Tyson and Foreman never faced each other during their respective careers, although it was reported that they were close to agreeing to a showdown in the early 1990’s.
Tyson’s style was one of the most unique in boxing history, playing a part in him becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion ever in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round of their contest.
