George Foreman believes that he never crossed paths with a prime Mike Tyson due to legendary trainer Cus D'Amato warning 'Iron' Mike about his power.
The 71-year-old boxing legend made a sensational return to the sport in the late 1980s after a decade away from the squared circle.
But Foreman, who would beat Michael Moorer to become world champion at the age of 45, didn't step into the ring with Tyson when he was sending shockwaves throughout the heavyweight division.
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Speaking to On The Ropes Boxing host Jenna Jay, Foreman was asked if at any point there were any 'serious negotiations' surrounding a showdown with Tyson.
'Big George' admitted that negotiations did take place for a dream fight, but he believes that Tyson's former trainer "must have told him" about his feared punching power.
"There were a couple of times, serious negotiations were going on with the Mike Tyson fight," he explained.
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"Mike Tyson just didn't want to fight me. Not to say he couldn't have beaten me. I mean, this guy could punch.
"The bigger they are, the harder they'd fall as far as Mike Tyson was concerned.
"I guess that I have a feeling, his first original trainer and manager, Cus D'Amato, must have told him about George Foreman's punching power as though I would never come back.
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"So sometimes when you come back and a guy remembers those stories, he says to himself, 'Look, leave that guy alone.'
"But I don't think I would have been that much problem to him. I had a good left jab and I'd always do better when guys come to me, but Tyson was pretty smart with his footwork and hand speed.
"That would have been a tough fight for me."
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One boxing fan has previously asked Foreman who would have won in a fight between him in his prime and Tyson in his heyday.
'Big George' also revealed that he didn't regret facing the 'Baddest Man on the Planet' by suggesting that he would have been a "nightmare in the ring."
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