Mike Tyson ‘Screamed’ He Would Never Face One Heavyweight ‘Animal’: “I’m Not Fighting Him”

In his prime, Mike Tyson seemed untouchable – too fast, too ferocious, too full of self-belief.

The 5 ft 10 heavyweight burst onto the scene under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato and moved 37 fights undefeated, becoming the division’s youngest ever champion whilst doing so.

Though he was known to strike fear into the hearts of opponents, often before the first bell, an interview from those close to him suggest that he himself was scared of one bruising rival.

Hall of Fame matchmaker Bobby Goodman – who worked alongside promoter Don King for over two decades in a number of roles – once told Boxing Scene that ‘Iron’ Mike was ‘scared ‘sh**less’ of ‘Big’ George Foreman.

“You’ll never believe this but, f****g Tyson is scared sh**less of Foreman and wants no part of him. I was there when Don was trying to make the fight.

“He was telling Tyson that Foreman represented huge money, plus he was old and slow and would be no problem. Tyson got up and screamed at King saying, ‘I’m not fighting that f***ng animal, if you love the m******er so much, you fight him!'”

Whether or not Tyson remembers the exchange in a similar way remains to be seen, however post-career he said he regretted not facing Foreman to determine once and for all who had the bigger punch.

The careers of the two powerful heavyweights looped in and out of each other, with Foreman entering a ten-year retirement in 1977 and Tyson not making his pro debut until ’85. Foreman then returned two years later with a clear goal of becoming champion again.

Had he challenged for the belts straightaway it would have been against Tyson, but a huge upset loss to Buster Douglas in 1990 led ‘Big’ George down a different path, ultimately ending with a belt-win against Michael Moorer in ’94 to become the division’s oldest champion in the history of the sport.