Why didn't Tyson and Foreman ever fight?

[DMD3]

I also heard and read that King refused to let Tyson anywhere near Foreman because it was too dangerous a fight for Tyson.

I also recall that Cus used to show Mike the fights of Foreman and exclaimed how tough it would be, not knowing that one day George would actually be a potential opponent.

[Anthony342]

If Foreman had given King future options on him this fight would have happened for sure. But if nothing else, George was a smarter businessman in his second career.

So King would take a percentage of a fighter's pay for future fights? How is that even legal? That's something that should be banned.

[rightsideup]

If Foreman had given King future options on him this fight would have happened for sure. But if nothing else, George was a smarter businessman in his second career.

george was an amazing business man in his comeback run not only through boxing decisions but overall image and marketing

[DMD3]

george was an amazing business man in his comeback run not only through boxing decisions but overall image and marketing

Right, though it wouldn't take an expert in business to know not to mix with Don King at this point.

[billeau2]

Very interesting commentary...very believable. I would think this fight would scare the shizzle out of Tyson. If he kayoos George...big deal. All the songbirds canto about how George is old.... boo hoo, then we hear things like "well Mike beats Holmes nd Foreman when they are geriatric! Can you imagine the fallout?

But, George is hard to fight, i actually don't think he was better in his second hitch, but i do think Juggy has made some good points about the second coming of George that apply here: To me the biggest problem Tyson has is getting to George! I don't think hitting to the body would do much alone, Mike has to be able to cut George off back him up and get to his egg! George has a chin and a punch, risky fight! If he catches Mike heavy handed it could end and mike can't move George around like that. if George takes him late into the fight? it becomes very even affair because Mike stops moving so much and George knows that and can time him easier and all it takes is one shot.

This is the very definition of a high risk, no reward encounter.

[AlexKid]

Very interesting commentary...very believable. I would think this fight would scare the shizzle out of Tyson. If he kayoos George...big deal. All the songbirds canto about how George is old.... boo hoo, then we hear things like "well Mike beats Holmes nd Foreman when they are geriatric! Can you imagine the fallout?

But, George is hard to fight, i actually don't think he was better in his second hitch, but i do think Juggy has made some good points about the second coming of George that apply here: To me the biggest problem Tyson has is getting to George! I don't think hitting to the body would do much alone, Mike has to be able to cut George off back him up and get to his egg! George has a chin and a punch, risky fight! If he catches Mike heavy handed it could end and mike can't move George around like that. if George takes him late into the fight? it becomes very even affair because Mike stops moving so much and George knows that and can time him easier and all it takes is one shot.

This is the very definition of a high risk, no reward encounter.

George has been wobbled and fallen from lesser punchers than Tyson, or at least Tyson had a similar level of power to Lyle etc, make no mistake Tyson could KO George, and he is very unorthodox and very skilled. This is not a walk over for Foreman. Sure a slugger beats a swarmer, but Tyson is half slugger himself.

Not a good fight for either man. Would have been great for the fans. Shame boxing has such a gay match up system, they should force what the fans want!

[Scott9945]

So King would take a percentage of a fighter's pay for future fights? How is that even legal? That's something that should be banned.

I'm pretty sure that it is a lot more than a percentage. To get the Tyson fight, Holyfield had to become a king fighter. He had options on Valuev after he delivered Ruiz to him for that part of the title. After that you saw King all over Valuev for the rest of that guys career.

As for the legal aspect, fighters have been selling parts of their contract for over 100 years.

[rightsideup]

Yes Dempsey Kearns made Kearns Very richj

[MrRolltide91]

I was always under the impression that the biggest obstacle was George not being agreeable to working with Don King.

Not surprised

A lot of fighters hated working with Don king

[billeau2]

George has been wobbled and fallen from lesser punchers than Tyson, or at least Tyson had a similar level of power to Lyle etc, make no mistake Tyson could KO George, and he is very unorthodox and very skilled. This is not a walk over for Foreman. Sure a slugger beats a swarmer, but Tyson is half slugger himself.

Not a good fight for either man. Would have been great for the fans. Shame boxing has such a gay match up system, they should force what the fans want!

One thing to be aware of, and again Juggy has made some good posts on this point, whether one agrees that later foreman is better (I don't).... is that later Foreman had a beard. I wouldn't say it was better than when he was a younger man...but its possible it was. What did change is, when Foreman fought as a younger man his head was accesible and his style was to mix it up and take shots to give his shots...As an older man Foreman was much more circumspect about mixing it up to deliver his shots, and you have to imagine trying to hit a guy who has a huge body mass to get through.

Tyson was a piston puncher...much like Dempsey. He had to get to you and move you around as he attacked, this would be very difficult to do with big George...not impossible, but...and Juggy argues this point well imo, there is a distinct possability that the second coming of George would be a tougher fight for Tyson. I am undecided on this point, but when we look at styles and this fight, Foreman always had better reach than Mike and Tyson would have to solve that problem to get to either version of big George, albeit the solution would be slightly different!

In these fights there is no prescription such as a slugger beats a swarmer everytime, but Holyfield swarmed his way to victory over Foreman.

Alex when you say Tyson had the power to KO Foreman Imo you are correct.