Good Thing These Fights Never Happened ...

So Tyson had no issue fighting Ruddock twice, but was scared of Foreman (who would annihilate Tyson if they fought)? Keep dreaming.

 

What if instead of Alex Stewart in the ring that night it was Mike Tyson? Is George Foreman even still alive?

Please.

 

Well, I prefer to use the Foreman of the Holyfield fight. The Stewart fight was obviously not his finest hour.

 

If Foreman regained the title in his 40s by handing the seemingly invincible Tyson his first loss, people would be making arguments for Foreman as the GOAT

 

Ortiz-Duran?

 

You're referring to a PRIME 1973/74 Foreman. I would make that version favourite against Tyson. The same does not apply to the forty something 90's incarnation.

 

There was talk in 1981 about Muhammad Ali fighting John L Gardner. The plan fell through,so Muhammad fought Trevor Berbick instead. Funnily enough,the ali who lost to Berbick may still have beaten Gardner,but he'd have looked rotten doing it. I wish he'd never had those last two fights. I'm also glad that a proposed fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Michael Nunn never came off in 1989. Leonard would have been toast.

 

Hagler-Benitez

 

I'd take the 73/74 version of George over anybody. An early, prime Foreman would have demolished Tyson in the same manner he demolished Smokin' Joe. A post-Douglas Tyson against a comebacking George? That's a tough one.

Dempsey/Louis in 1940. Good thing that never came off.

Duran/Ortiz, too.

 

It was related in the April, 29, 1991 issue of Sports Illustrated (cover story on the Holyfield/Foreman fight):

 

Wasn't Norris-Chavez mooted?
Probably a good thing that didn't happen as Chavez was giving way too much away physically.Then again with Terry's china chin who knows?:hey

Jose Torres wrote that a fight between him and Ali was proposed when he was the Lt Heavy champ.Torres thought he may have had the tools to exploit Ali's style but I reckon he would've been badly,badly beaten.

 

Was Dempsey-Louis in 1940 ever contemplated? I have never heard that mentioned before.

 

Unless Foreman had a time machine to go along with his grills, there is nothing he could have really done to have stopped Tyson. And even the '73 Foreman I have my doubts. 90s Foreman had very little chances, even against the Tyson that fought Douglas.

You can't beat Tyson if you can't beat him to the punch. Simple as that.
Ruddock and Bruno big punchers but lost, whereas Holyfield and Douglas were not big punchers and beat Tyson.

Remember Holyfield was getting flak for fighting big George in the first Place. Tyson took on Ruddock a far more dangerous opponent than Foreman. Say what you will about Ruddock but between 1989-1992 he was a pretty credible top 5 opponent that any HW could have faced.

So for George it was pretty good that he never fought Tyson because a damaging loss would have shattered his reputation and credibility.

Ali would have taken apart Torres in a sadistic manner.

I'm glad Dempsey never fought Louis. Its better for everyone that he abstained or that it just never came off.

As for SRL Nunn not happening. whew.

 

Duran vs Kalambay just before facing Barkley.

Duran outright quits in the centre of the ring for the second time in a fight that was becoming very one-sided, prompting eveeryone to overlook it and claim a sad day for a shot legend who should now retire.

Goes on to beat barkley in a terrific performance and crushes the soul of many fans who now realise he was probably always just a hugely talented frontrunning playboy who could never be relied on to take a good beating when he sensed things weren't going his way.

Leonard fans all around the world rejoice.