Boxing fans have often wondered how a fantasy match-up between Mike Tyson and George Foreman may have gone, but perhaps no opinion is more intriguing on the matter than that of the legendary Muhammad Ali.
Ali knows what it is like to share the ring with Foreman, beating ‘Big George’ in their historic ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ meeting in October 1974.
Foreman went on to have a 10-year hiatus from the sport between 1977 and 1987, but after returning, he would eventually become the oldest world heavyweight champion in history when he knocked out Michael Moorer in round 10 of their November 1994 clash.
Another heavyweight that was world champion during the 1990s was Tyson, who had burst onto the scene the decade prior as his success came at the opposite end of the scale, as he was crowned the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time.
During the early 1990s, a fight between Tyson and Foreman was speculated but never come to fruition, but boxing icon Ali once revealed who he believes would have come out on top between the two legends.
In a 1990 interview with The Seattle Times, Ali predicted it would have been a dominant victory for ‘Big George.’
“George Foreman will knock out Mike Tyson. He will annihilate him. Foreman will knock him 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.
“Back in the ’70s. we had fighters like Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, just like we had guys like Sonny Liston in the ’60s. Now the fighters aren’t as good. Foreman would knock out Douglas with one punch.”
Before sadly passing away in March 2025, Foreman once named his top five heavyweights of all time, with another big name keeping Ali off the top spot.
