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Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson
Ben McCrum
Mike Tyson once revealed the biggest regret of his career was not facing one fighter, despite claims he was too scared to step into the ring with them.
There can be no doubts that former heavyweight boxing great Tyson is one of the most intimidating men in the history of all sports.
With 44 knockouts among his 50 wins, the American is perhaps the most dangerous knockout artist that the sport of boxing has ever seen, and it's no surprise that many other fighters have admitted they were scared of him.
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However, there is one fighter that it has been claimed Tyson himself was scared of, despite him later claiming it was his biggest career regret that the two never fought.
Throughout his an illustrious professional career, Tyson faced off against some of the biggest names in the history of boxing, including the likes of Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes.
However, there is one other massive name that the boxing legend never stood opposite in the ring, and it's his biggest regret.
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“I would have liked to fight George Foreman,” Tyson told The Ring about the fight that got away.
“There have been many fans who wondered who was the bigger puncher.
"I would have liked to put an end to the discussion – one way or the other.”
Any possibility of Foreman and Tyson fighting each other seemed unlikely given the age difference between the two men, but it suddenly became a real possibility in 1990 after boxing legend Foreman put together an impressive 20-fight winning streak.
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Negotiations about a match up were reportedly taking place with Tyson's promoter Don King and Foreman's team but it never happened, a member of King's team appears to partly explained the reason why.
"You'll never believe this but, f***** Tyson is scared sh****** of Foreman and wants no part of him," a 2005 article from Boxing Scene quotes King's former matchmaker Bobby Goodman as saying.
"I was there when Don was trying to make the fight.
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"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***** animal, if you love the m******** so much, you fight him!'"
Ultimately, whatever possibility that may have existed of convincing the two men to fight were destroyed when Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and sent to prison for up for six years, serving three.