Mike Tyson wishes he had fought George Foreman. The former undisputed heavyweight champion now says he regrets not facing the man he calls "the hardest punching heavyweight of all time."
Tyson burst onto the boxing scene in the mid-1980s and quickly became a household name. In 1986, at just 20 years old, he claimed the WBA heavyweight title with a second-round stoppage of Trevor Berbick. By 21, he had added the WBC and IBF belts to his collection, becoming the undisputed champion after victories over James Smith and Tony Tucker.
Throughout his career, Tyson faced some of the biggest names in boxing, including Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, and Lennox Lewis. But there's one fight that never happened, and it's eating at him now.
In a recent interview with The Ring Magazine, Tyson opened up about his regret:
"I would have liked to fight George Foreman. There have been many fans who wondered who was the bigger puncher. I would have liked to put an end to the discussion – one way or the other."
Foreman started his career in the late 1960s and made a name for himself as the once-formidable 'Big George'. He cemented his legacy in 1994 when he became the oldest world heavyweight champion by defeating Michael Moorer for the WBA and IBF titles. That record still stands today.
Tyson's respect for Foreman's power is clear. In a separate feature, he admitted:
"Heavy puncher, yeah. I can't match somebody's power who's that big with that much mass."
The fight between Tyson and Foreman would have been a clash of titans, settling once and for all the debate about who packed the bigger punch. But now, fans can only imagine what might have been.
