George Foreman‘s thudding power was a scary prospect for any heavyweight, however the man himself was not immune to fearing his rivals.
‘Big’ George famously went into retirement for ten years in 1977 off the back of a loss to Jimmy Young and three years on from losing his heavyweight titles to Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle.
Reinvigorated, Foreman returned to the ring a decade later with one goal – winning the championship once more. After failed attempts against Evander Holyfield and Tommy Morrison, Foreman became the division’s oldest ever titleholder when he knocked out Michael Moorer.
Speaking at the Oxford Union, a candid Foreman admitted that winning the belt at age 45 was enough, and that he then refused a defence against hard-hitting Tony Tucker because he was ‘too tough.’
Tucker beat Buster Douglas for the IBF World Heavyweight Title in 1987, but would promptly lose it to Mike Tyson – who was then beaten by Douglas years later – in his first defence via unanimous decision.
The former champion took two years out after that first defeat, building himself back up to a ’93 challenge for Lennox Lewis’ WBC belt which he lost again on points. Two more title tilts against Bruce Seldon and Herbie Hide were again unsuccessful, and Tucker hung up the gloves in ’98 with 57 wins from 65 fights.