Don King, the best promoter of his time, tried to make the fight happen. He put Tyson and Foreman on the same card in 1990. Tyson knocked out Henry Tillman, and Foreman crushed Adilson Rodrigues. King's plan was to get people excited about a possible Tyson-Foreman matchup, but it didn't work out.
Bobby Goodman, who worked with Don King, spilled the beans in a 2005 Boxing Scene article. He said Tyson was scared of Foreman and wanted nothing to do with him. When King tried to convince Tyson, saying Foreman was old, slow, and would bring in a lot of money, Tyson wasn't having it.
"I'm not going to fight that damn animal," Tyson said. "If you love that damn animal so much, you'll fight him!"
Foreman had come out of retirement in 1987 at 38 years old. His goal? To take down Mike Tyson. But it turns out, the feeling was mutual. In an ESPN interview, Foreman admitted he was scared of Tyson too.
"I didn't want to know anything about Mike Tyson," Foreman said. "He was a monster. If he didn't hit you with his left and then he didn't hit you with his right, he would bite you."
Foreman thought Tyson was a nightmare in the ring. Over the years, Tyson has said he wishes he had fought Foreman. It's a fight fans would have loved to see, but fear got in the way for both men.
The story shows that even the toughest fighters can be afraid. Tyson, known for scaring others, had his own fears. And Foreman, who came back to boxing to face Tyson, was just as scared. It's a reminder that behind the tough guy image, boxers are human too.