HOUSTON, TX.---George Foreman, the oldest world heavyweight boxing champion of all-time,believes he has the plan to manage and train the youngest world heavyweight champion of all-time Mike Tyson back to the championship.
Foreman won the heavyweight title the first time in 1973 with a win over Joe Frazier.At the age of 45 in 1994, he upset Michael Moorer to win the title for the second time.
Tyson won the title for the first time in 1986 defeating Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion of all time at 20. At the age of 38, Foreman thinks Tyson has a chance to win the title a third time.
"I think of potential when I see him now," Foreman told this reporter recently in Houston, Texas. "At 38 or 39 years-old he had a long way to go. He shouldn't be thinking it is all over for him. He needs people around him telling him it is not over. He can still turn things around."
Foreman retired for more than ten years before he made a comeback at the age of 39. He compares his fighting at that age with Tyson's situation currently.
"He is in the prime of his life," Foreman added seriously."People forget.He can comeback. People will still be with him.He shouldn't be thinking it is all over. I started my comeback around the same age."
Foreman praises the job the late Cus D'Amato and Mike Jacobs did managing and training Tyson to the title in his early days. But Foreman claims Tyson is being mismanaged now.
"I have some questions about how he has been managed,"Foreman ripped. "He is being over matched. They are matching with guys much bigger than he is. It is the worst managing job I've seen."
It was when pressed about how he would manage Tyson that Foreman disclosed his desire to also manage and train the former champion.
"Mike Tyson is a great story," George. "He has seen it all. He has experienced the good and bad, great and sad. In his early days his people had him constantly fighting. They had him mentally prepared to fight. He was evenly matched physically and mentally."
Tyson has lost three of his last four fights. He had a title bout with Lennox Lewis. Lewis decked Tyson to keep the title. It is after the Lewis fight where Foreman criticizes the handlers of Tyson.
"Everytime he gets in the ring after Lewis he is fighting as if he is the heavyweight champion," Foreman says. "He is not a champion now. When he was younger and quicker he was able to deal with bigger guys but he was also fighting once or twice a month and then sometimes every two months. He was fighting more often. He has gotten heavier."
Foreman says he felt the Tyson pain when Tyson went to the canvas and later quit on the stool against Kevin McBride in Washington, D.C.,recently.
"He was winning and then he let it get away,"George shared."It looked like he slipped. But it was a slip of millions in dollars in debt. It falls like that sometime on us. His troubles are big. But again he was winning the fight."
The Foreman Plan calls for Tyson to fight lesser talented opponents,stay off television and pay-per-view for awhile. Then after a few wins explode back on the scene with plently of confidence and his skills toned.
"He has to go back to boxing the right way," Foreman said. "After six wins that way come back and go out the right way. He needs to fight guys like him for awhile. Guys his size.Guys who have lost some fights recently.He can come back and hit the big fights again and clear up his debt problems and win again. It is all there for him. I know with the right dedication and surroundings he can do it. I did it. I'm speaking from experience. I can share it with him. I can help him. I want to help him.I'm available to help him.He can get his fight game going the right way again and I can help him."
Foreman also says Tyson will have to take the first step if he would like his help.
"In my time I've never seen a business mismanaged like him," Foreman disclosed. "He has generated billions. The reports are he lost $300 million. Mike Tyson needs a good manager. His personal life is not my business. He can have another chance. He can do it. I will not call him. He can call me if he would like for me to help him. I'm always available at my youth center here in Houston. When I came back I called people. When I wanted to do it the right way I made the calls. Mike has to make the call.I'm available if he calls."
He can definately come back and win the titles again, there is no doubt about that. He just needs some guidance as far as training, opponents and mental approach is concerned. I wouldn't have him using weights before fights, I think Mike has been trying to build muscle like a bodybuilder which has destroyed him. He was doing it in the 90's and it wrecked his reflexes. I also do not think that Mike should be spending only 6 weeks before a fight training, that's 6 weeks in 12 months for crying out loud - and this has been going on since he got out of jail 10 years ago!! He's going way too long with no training, you can't train up just 6 weeks before a fight to get in shape unless your fighting f***ing regularly.. I mean that's like 6 out of 52 weeks.. so that's a VERY small percentage of time he's been in the gym training since he got out of jail 10 years ago.. and also you have to remember that he did no boxing training in jail! He just used weights in jail. I just don't think he has been training right or nowhere often enough since he left the Catskills in June 1988 - it's ridiculous!! He can train 'hard' all he wants for 6 weeks before a fight, but it's not going to do anything for him if he's not fighting often. You need to train non-stop year-round, with a week or two off after fights - that's it. When Mike had Rooney by his side in the 1980's, he was sparring every day of every week of every month until just a couple of days before a fight.. and he'd be in the gym just a couple of days after a fight sparring again! He used NO weights back in those days either.
If he gets his training right, fights smaller guys, gets some wins under his belt, fights regularly etc.. gets his hunger back, some motivation, some confidence, some hope.. he'll win the titles again! I swear he would
Foreman knows the plan they should have not put so much pressure on tyson by putting him on pay per view with a bum! let him fight off tv for a while that is what george did less pressure and more focus.
That's true, but I can't imagine Tyson fighting on a "Friday Night Fights" venue! :o
Also, Tyson doesn't have the heart and courage to follow the Foreman plan; George can't teach heart, its either you got it or not.
This might have been a good idea some years ago, but not now. George has good intentions but I don't see him putting up with little mikeys shit. Mike would mouth off about something or other and George would hit him so hard it would kill Mike's pigeons. :boxing: How embarrassing would it be to Mike to see a 55 yr old man out-training him? Outrunning, outpunching everything.
What heart did Tyson show in pummeling a stationary, one handed Ruddock? Tyson never, ever had heart. Period.
Foreman knows the plan they should have not put so much pressure on tyson by putting him on pay per view with a bum! let him fight off tv for a while that is what george did less pressure and more focus.
To be fair his grill kinda kicks ass to cook certain shit on. http://www.cdaccess.com/jpg/shared/front/large/foreman.jpg
try putting day or 2 -old pizza on it, and let it cook with grill open. 5-6 min for 3-4 slices. comes out better than when it was delivered
You know when Tyson said he was retiring I only half believed it. I don't think Tyson has the discipline to do what George did at age 40. Unfortunately i wouldn't be surprised to see tyson fight again.
I think George's heart is in the right place, or maybe he's just looking for a way to get back in the game or score some more $, although I doubt he needs it. He's made a fortune with that grill of his. :D
But it would be an amazing story if he pulled it off.
Damn Tyson and Foreman together. The 2 baddest Men to ever walk the earth. That could be hell. I would give mike a chance if he had formen behind him.
Foreman would probably KO Tyson in training or atleast on his stool. He wouldnt put up the flack Mike gives his other trainers especially since Mike isnt the bigger man, nor do I believe the bigger puncher. :D
Also George would probably train with Tyson and if Tyson loses come in and whoop up on his opponents ass just to show Mike how it is done.
This smiling face grilling bastard http://www.cdaccess.com/jpg/shared/front/large/foreman.jpg
Thats the one, have you seen his new walk it off series they are pimping out at walmart? Foreman will do anything to make a buck, greedy bastard.
. Dont believe that smiley faced grilling bastard is nice, Foreman is rugged and Tyson is afraid of the man and admitted to that openly. If Tyson would let Foreman hide him away from the public like Cus did and train privately. George could get Tyson a win.
I believe George would be the best guy for Mike actually, he has been there and done that.
This smiling face grilling bastard
To be fair his grill kinda kicks ass to cook certain shit on. http://www.cdaccess.com/jpg/shared/front/large/foreman.jpg
Foreman wants Tyson on the "Foreman comback plan" like he did back then...hahahaha
Hasnt Tyson been fighting those opponents for pretty much his whole career?
Anyways if anyone could motivate Mike Tyson it would be Foreman. Dont believe that smiley faced grilling bastard is nice, Foreman is rugged and Tyson is afraid of the man and admitted to that openly. If Tyson would let Foreman hide him away from the public like Cus did and train privately. George could get Tyson a win.
I believe George would be the best guy for Mike actually, he has been there and done that.
Tyson doesn't have the heart of a champion anymore. Therefore he will never be a champion again.
Those who say Tyson never had the heart, probably didn't see him fight to become a champion or have other reasons for making that claim.
I remember Tysons two brutal fights with Razor Ruddock. He still had heart for a while even after losing to Douglas.
His loss of a champions heart was gradual ultimately ending with the Tyson we have today.
i dont want tyson to come back, i want him to stay gone so he can live his life and not give people all the ammo they need to flame him. I want to talk about his prime, not his constant comebacks, it hurts me everytime he loses.
Foreman actually understands the Tyson weight issue.
I was wondering how long it would take McKay to interject the "weight factor" into this Tyson thread. McKay, with all due respect, Tyson's issues in the ring stem more from confidence and mental aspects than they do from the "weight factor."
20y ago
Foreman wants to train n manage tyson | BoxingScene Community