Muhammad Ali Warned Mike Tyson That One Heavyweight Would ‘Annihilate’ Him With Quick KO

The two heavyweights are synonymous with the sport of boxing and provided some of the most exciting fight nights the sport has seen. Ali retired in 1981, four years before Tyson burst onto the scene.

There is a notable shared opponent in Larry Holmes, who was the only man to stop Ali but was knocked out himself by ‘Iron’ Mike further down the line. George Foreman also had the potential to also be on both men’s ledgers.

‘Big’ George was beaten by Ali in 1974’s iconic Rumble in the Jungle. Foreman would retire three years later but return to the ring in ’87 with the one goal of regaining the heavyweight world title.

At one stage, that could have been against Tyson, however the ferocious puncher from Brooklyn suffered an upset knockout loss to Buster Douglas and lost his belt, leaving Foreman to explore other challenges.

Speaking to the Seattle Times back in 1990, Ali was in no doubt how the match-up would play out if it had been made, backing Foreman to stop Tyson in the first half.

“George Foreman will knock out Mike Tyson. He will annihilate him. Foreman will knock Tyson out in four or five rounds … Foreman is taller, has more reach and Tyson comes right in. Foreman will use his reach and wait for Tyson to come right in. Then, Foreman will tag him. The longer it goes, the more chances Foreman will have to tag him.”

Tyson has said in his retirement that he regrets missing his opportunity to fight Foreman, who sadly passed away recently, as the pair could settle the debate as to who punched harder.