"I didn't want any part of Mike Tyson"

This has always been obvious except to a few deluded Foreman fans who have convinced themselves that the guy who got his face rearranged by Alex Stewart was being ducked by Tyson.

 

To be fair he said Mike was scared of him as well. If you go back in other interviews he also says that he came back because he thought he could take Mike. Plus who in their right mind would want to fight either of those guys lol

 

Foreman is always very complimentary to other fighters. A grain of salt is advised. That said, at that point in time, you have to favour Tyson.

 

This is why he came back. To fight Tyson. I am not sure why George plays these games.

 

George was good enough to comeback. So he comeback. George was going to call out whoever he had to call out in order to create the most exposure for himself and once he achieved that he could navigate things more shrewdly.

Foreman had already paid his dues first time around when he truly had been the best in the world. everything he learned first time he had learned and earned the hard way.

This time though, Foreman was a much wiser man, he knew the business, George knew his limitations and he knew there still were some big fights he could win within his own limitations. He only had to be half as good as he had been.

I take my hat off to George, he understood that the right fight is the fight you can win. and the importance of earning himself the position to demand any fight he wanted. So he reinvented a cheerful personality and traded on being this retired hero on a mission for outsiders. It was brilliant. But he had to be good enough to do it.

 

Did you listen to the interview? Foreman was quite clear on that he thought he had Mike's number.

 

Ffs. Listen to the ****ing interview!

He says jokingly that he didn't want any part of Tyson because Tyson was crazy and would bite him. But he also says that Mike was scared of him and that he would kill Tyson with his uppercuts.

@InMemoryofJakeLamotta , pull yourself together man.

 

Perfect illustration on Tyson fans. Don't even bother to listen to the actual interview. Right or wrong, George obviously felt he'd tear Mike a new one.

 

Again, Tyson was not scared to fight a wide open, antiquated punching bag whose entire comeback was a farce including the fixed fight with Moorer. Foreman admitted numerous times on air that he would never fight Bowe, would never fight Lewis, because they hit too hard. But he has Tyson's number... sure. Yet Tyson fights Razor Ruddock who Foreman wouldnt have fought in a million years during his comeback and hes scared of grandpa. Okay. This is a guy who was outpunched by Alex Stewart and outboxed by Tommy Morrison. Spin that any way youd like but any version of Tyson sends the comebacking Foreman to the hospital and he knew it. Tyson was the biggest name in the sport and Foreman mentioned him to piggy back off his fame. Oldest trick in the book. Never had any intention of fighting him.

 

HE SAYS THAT HE HAD TYSON'S NUMBER. That's the point. It's right there in the interview if you bother to actually listen to it. Whether he actually had it is another thing altogether. Maybe he didn't even really think he did have it. BUT HE SAYS HE DID IN THE INTERVIEW THAT'S LINKED. So can we please stop going by a just the headline.

This is the most idiotic thread I've seen here in Classic for a good while.

 

To be fair, and this is coming from the biggest Tyson fan on here, Cus ingrained in Mike's mind that Foreman was a monster and that he should never face him. So that definitely mentally affected the way Mike perceived the matchup.

All that aside, I can't see the comebacking Foreman beating Tyson in the late 80s. He was simply too slow.

But there is validity to Tyson being scared of George, and it's directly related to what his life mentor told him.

Cus didn't tell him to wary of Razor Ruddock.

 

A poster links an interview just going by the headline, when the interview actually says the opposite to what the poster hopes it does. And everyone just tags along... Jesus.

 

Cus has never said anything of the sort. I've spoken with Steve Lott on MANY occasions and he claimed Cus never told Mike to be afraid of Foreman. Even Monte Cox, who copied Lotierzo's article, has since retracted his opinion. This has been debunked years ago.

 

Foreman said in an interview I think with Letterman on late night after a fight ,," he'd do the same thing with Tyson 1 or 2 rounds I promise you" I think he'd have blasted Mike out. and I believe Tyson thought so too