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There are many fantasy fights that fans would want to see that includes Mike Tyson. One of them surely being a fight with “Big” George Foreman. It would be like two juggernauts colliding with one another, bombs landing left, right and centre!
Foreman talked with ESPN in 2019 and gave his thoughts on a fight with “Iron” Mike:
“I call him Mike Nightmare Tyson, that guy was a nightmare in the ring,” Foreman said. “I mean really. If he missed you with his left, then missed you with his right, he’d bite you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that. I didn’t want him.”
He does not sound too confident about his chances, does he?
Then again, Foreman admitted that when he had his stare down with Joe Frazier before their first fight when referee, Arthur Mercante Sr, was giving them their pre-fight instructions that his legs were shaking. He hoped that “Smoking” Joe would not look down and see that. Yet, George still found the will to go through with that battle and take Frazier out in just 2 rounds.
So, Foreman proved that he could handle fear.
When it comes to discussing the ring IQ’s and general ring craft of both fighters, I think Mike was the better of the two. Foreman, in his prime during the 1970’s, would come out swinging and just hope that his power told the story. It often did. But Mike, at his best, could settle down if he knew he was not going to get a knockout early and focused on racking up the points. He fought well on the inside, had a good jab that he used effectively and had great upper body defense. George never really used defense. He often did not need it.
In terms of speed, I think it is quite clear that Tyson takes the award home for this. The speed difference was dramatically different. But Foreman also had excellent timing. And when a boxer has good timing they often use it successfully to nullify the speed of their opponent. Danny Garcia did it when he knocked out the faster Amir Khan. And you could make a cup of tea faster before a punch lands from current heavyweight prospect, Joe Joyce. Yet, the timing from Joyce has seen him triumph over some good competition so far. I would not completely rule out timing but I think the combination of speed and power, together, would be too much.
It should be said that we are comparing the peak versions of both Tyson and Foreman. The Foreman from the 1970’s who went throught he heavyweight division like a wrecking ball, yet he was more naive and immature than his later self. And the Tyson who campaigned between 1985-1988 when he was motivated enough to use all of his tools at his disposal.
I have go go with Mike Tyson in this one.
His speed and superior ring craft would see him brutally knock out Foreman somewhere around the 5th. Although that is not to say that I cannot envision him taking a punch, himself, just like when Frank Bruno managed to land a decent one on him in the first round during their original fight. But I am confident that Tyson would not allow him to follow up on it, just like when he stopped Frank from doing so.
It would be a short but explosive affair.
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