On This Day: Foreman Vs. Cooney

Would The “Big George” That Chopped Down Cooney Have Laid Out Tyson? 

Two pure punchers collided on this day back in 1990. Both on the comeback trail, former heavyweight champ George Foreman, and former NO1 contender Gerry Cooney met in Atlantic City in a fight dubbed “The Preacher Vs. The Puncher.” It was the first real test for 41 year old Foreman since coming back, this in 1987 after a full decade out. Cooney, who had actually promoted some of Foreman’s comeback bouts, was now clean and sober, the 1980s star having won his battle with drink. Gerry was 33, and he was looking to halt George in his tracks and maybe, just maybe, get in there with current heavyweight king Mike Tyson.

Foreman had been calling for a shot at Tyson since coming back and, amazingly in the opinion of his critics, some experts felt he might just have the style to be able to upset Tyson. With an impressive KO win, might the Foreman-Cooney winner fully win over the public and become the most attractive next foe for “Iron Mike?”

Of all the fights that could have happened and were pretty close to happening, the one that serves to be absolutely the most tantalising to this day, and causes the most regret that it did not happen, is, for me – and maybe for you – George Foreman Vs. Mike Tyson. This fight seemed destined to happen some time in 1990. Foreman, who had come back, “not for the Cadillac in the window, but to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world,” had a whole lot of us (Emanuel Steward included) convinced that he was all wrong for Tyson, and that Tyson would be all right for him. Style wise.

And, as it turned out, there were even more Foreman believers after “Big George” did a number on Cooney. Foreman’s quite exquisite second-round KO over Cooney took place all those years ago, and now, all of a sudden, the rallying cry was heard pretty much everywhere: Foreman wanted Tyson.

Foreman might have been 41 years old, he might have been a good deal heftier than he had been in his fearsome 1970s prime. But George could bang. Like a drum. No, he could hit like a mule could kick. And styles make fights, it’s one of the truest adages in the sport. Foreman, slower but calmer, heavier but deadly accurate, against an advancing, perhaps intimidated Tyson: what would have happened? Might we have seen something similar to what the world saw when Foreman made mincemeat out of another attacking, swarming fighter in Joe Frazier? Would the Foreman who put together a neat and tidy, accurate and deadly series of punches to chop down Cooney have also laid out Tyson had they met at some point in 1990? We will never know. Tyson, as we do know, was upset in gargantuan proportions by someone hardly anyone wanted to see him fight, this being Buster Douglas, who duly shocked the planet in February of 1990.

To this day, millions of us fight fans think about it. It really is a shame this fight, a guaranteed money-spinner of the highest order, a fight that had captured the attention of almost everyone, didn’t happen. Tyson was sensationally KO’d by massive underdog Douglas, and that put the brakes on Tyson fighting Foreman next, or next after a fight with Evander Holyfield, which was, if memory serves, the plan for Tyson should he come through okay against Buster, as 99.9-percent of the world’s population felt sure he would do.

But when Tyson came back in June of 1990, on a double-header that featured Foreman in action, well, we were sure the super-fight of super-fights, the Dream Fight of Dream Fights, would now happen. But again, though a December date was talked about, Foreman and Tyson never did tango.

But rewind to January of 1990, and Foreman’s “I want Tyson” rallying cry had gone into overdrive.

Foreman Vs. Tyson, December of 1990: who wins?