Ones That Got Away: The 90s Big Man Battles That Never Happened

Although the 1970s is rightly revered as the Golden Age of heavyweight boxing, most would agree that the 1990s gives it a run for its money. Sure, the holy trinity of Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier trumps Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson, but the latter three were involved in some tremendous dust-ups in their own right. Factor in their supporting cast – Bowe, Moorer, Byrd, Mercer, Foreman 2.0, Morrison, Ruddock, Ibeabuchi, Tua, Golota, McCall, Bruno, Cooper – and the decade of the 90s clearly had plenty going for it.

Of course it cannot be denied that every decade has its big fights that got away. By the end of the current one, it might just be Fury vs Joshua, which should’ve probably happened in the last one, come to think of it. Back in the 90s, there was a surfeit of missed opportunities for exciting showdowns in the blue-riband division. Here are ten of the best match-ups that still have fans of 1990s fisticuffs lamenting how they somehow slipped through our fingers.

Mike Tyson vs George Foreman: Of all the ogres to have struck fear into the heavyweight division, Tyson and Foreman rank among the scariest. And while a fantasy match-up between their best versions (’88 Tyson vs ’73 Foreman) is truly mouthwatering, the very real prospect of them colliding in the 1990s wasn’t half bad either. In fact, there were a few times when Tyson vs Foreman could’ve happened: in the early part of the decade before Iron Mike went to prison; and in the middle when he was released and rampaging once more.

This one would’ve been a barnstormer from first press conference to last bell. Although Foreman was old and jocular rather than young and terrifying, he was still a resilient supertanker who packed serious power – just ask Michael Moorer; Tyson, for his part, was on a steady decline. I’d pick Iron Mike by hard-fought decision if it happened in 1991, but Foreman by late stoppage if it’s between 1995 and ’97.

Mike Tyson vs Riddick Bowe: Mike Tyson vs Riddick Bowe is the great Battle of Brooklyn we never got to witness. Sad, really, to think that Bowe’s prime years – which included an undisputed title reign – were neatly contained within the length of time Tyson spent incarcerated at the Plainfield Correctional Facility.

As with Tyson vs Foreman, this rumble could’ve happened in the early 90s: by the time Tyson fought Ruddock in March of 91, Bowe was a viable contender having beaten Tyrell Biggs, Pinklon Thomas and Bert Cooper. A more likely moment would have been after Tyson’s spell in prison, though: instead of the horror-shows with Andrew Golota, Bowe might’ve followed his rubber-match victory over Holyfield by facing Tyson in early ’96. The problem was, Bowe didn’t have a belt and Mike was on a mission to mop up his old titles.

Regardless, Tyson vs Bowe would have been a ferocious duel between two juggernaut heavyweights with bad intentions. Bowe’s size makes him hard to break down but in common with Tyson, he had plenty of chinks in his armour. Early nineties, I think Tyson does just enough to win on points; mid-90s I lean towards “Big Daddy” by late stoppage, since Tyson had become a six-round blitz machine by then.

Mike Tyson vs Ray Mercer: Let’s be real, we could fill this entire list with nothing but Tyson fights: between jail and ring bans, we got to see very little of “Iron Mike” during that decade, his total bouts numbering only 13. Personally, I’d have loved to see him face Ray Mercer, who’d won Olympic gold the same year that Tyson became the undisputed king when he blew away Michael Spinks in 91 seconds. Interestingly, Mercer is five years older than Tyson yet turned pro much later, at 27.

As with the aforementioned near-misses, this one would’ve been superb in either 1991 or sometime in the mid 90s. Ex-Army Sergeant Mercer was a come-forward type known for his grit and durability, and his exciting rumbles with common opponents Lewis and Holyfield suggest he had what it took to give Tyson one helluva night. Could he win, though? I don’t think so; Tyson’s bone-crunching power and explosiveness would be the difference, and though Mercer would have his moments, he’d simply be outgunned. Iron Mike on points.

Mike Tyson vs David Tua: “The Tuaman” was often compared to Tyson when coming through the ranks but it was a facile comparison: he lacked the blinding speed and defensive smarts Tyson was known for. What the Samoan did have, though, was brute strength, a low centre of gravity, and a killer punch. Tyson vs Tua would have been a barroom brawl for the ages.

The ideal time for it to take place would have been around 1996, though it could have also occurred in the late 90s or even the early 2000s – by which time both guys were largely trading on their old glories. Weirdly, despite all evidence to the contrary, I don’t see Tyson attempting to run through Tua like he did other foes: he’d be wary of walking onto a megaton punch or emptying the tank and failing to take Tua out. To me, this is a fight of two halves: Tyson wins the early rounds with his usual crisp assault, fades in the middle, and Tua sweeps most of the second half.

Tua had questionable stamina at times but at his best – like in the Ibeabuchi fight in ’97 – he could throw leather for twelve rounds. Here, Tyson does enough early damage to slow him down and it goes to the scorecards whereupon… a draw is declared! A copout, I know.

Lennox Lewis vs Riddick Bowe: We know the story: Lewis defeated Bowe to win gold in the Olympic super heavyweight final in 1988, and the pair were on course to meet for the undisputed heavyweight title in the pros four years later. That is, until Bowe dumped his WBC belt in the bin and refused to face the Brit.

To this day, it’s hard to believe the bout never materialised. If it had gone down when it was supposed to – after Bowe beat Holyfield and Lewis poleaxed Ruddock – it would’ve been a spectacular Anglo-American collision for all the marbles. Instead, Lewis had to wait six years to become undisputed.

So, who would’ve taken the other’s ‘0’? While I get the argument that Bowe must have feared Lewis, I believe it would have been highly competitive, particularly in 1993 when “Big Daddy” was at his best. In fact, I see that version of Bowe edging out Lewis, who was still rough around the edges, over the distance. A few years later, having hooked up with Manny Steward, the more polished and assertive Brit earns the verdict. Damn, this would have made a great trilogy!

George Foreman vs Riddick Bowe: I’d be curious to hear Evander Holyfield’s opinion on who would have won a face-off between George Foreman and Riddick Bowe sometime in the early-to-mid 90s. As heavyweight champion, “The Real Deal” scored a clear but competitive decision over Big George in his first title defence in 1991 before going 1-2 with Big Daddy in their trilogy.

Foreman had a good ten to fifteen pounds on Bowe, making him one of very few men to outsize the Brooklynite. How telling might that be? Honestly, I think the bigger factor would be youth and dynamism. A focused Bowe was a handful, and with his volume, vigour and punch authority, he’d mark Foreman up the same way Holyfield did. Of course, George would soak up the damage and keep rolling forward, unloading his own heavy ordnance, but I’ll take Bowe by unanimous decision.

Lennox Lewis vs George Foreman: At least 500 pounds of heavyweight greatness would have tipped the scales ahead of a Lewis vs Foreman clash, which could have occurred any time between 1993 and 1997. Despite Lewis being much younger (he was just seven when Foreman demolished Frazier for the title in 1973), the match-up is intriguing: Lewis’ pumping jab and ring-craft against Foreman’s juddering power and sturdiness. It’s fascinating to imagine how Foreman might have dealt with Lewis’ size and vice versa.

Despite retaining scary power, I think the American would have struggled against Lewis due to the latter’s youth, piston-like left lead, ring generalship, distance control and underrated in-fighting. “Big George” lands some meaty shots, maybe rocks Lewis along the way, but gets out-worked and busted up as the Brit cruises to a lopsided decision.

Lennox Lewis vs Ike Ibeabuchi: Ike Ibeabuchi was a seriously scary dude. For a minute in the late 90s the Nigerian looked like the division’s heir apparent, a blockbuster puncher who combined raw aggression with seriously good fundamentals and the engine of a middleweight. (If you’ve never seen his ripsnorter with David Tua, go to YouTube right now.) But Ike went off the rails, landed himself in jail, and (until very recently) never fought again. As such, there was only a brief window during which he could have met Lennox, around 1998 perhaps.

A clash that year would have been ridiculously compelling: Lewis, who had just destroyed Andrew Golota before taking out Shannon Briggs, was coming into a full awareness of his greatness. Ibeabuchi, meanwhile, had just made his name in a twelve round war with Tua. Guaranteed fireworks.

Ibeabuchi was never really tested against someone of equal stature at the top of their game. But as an intelligent boxer-puncher with a high work-rate and respectable power, he would’ve definitely given Lewis some problems. Ultimately, though, I think the Brit’s greater experience and tactical acumen would have been telling factors. Lewis was also a little bigger and a heavy hitter in his own right, making him the favourite to take a hard-fought majority decision.

George Foreman vs Ike Ibeabuchi: While we’re contemplating match-ups we wish Foreman had contested during his comeback, we might as well put him up against the intimidating and dangerous Ike Ibeabuchi. The potential for bloody violence is somewhat extraordinary here: Foreman scored 68 KOs in 76 wins while “The Nightmare” racked up 15 from 20. Can it last the distance? Given their chins, it probably would. As the younger man, Ibeabuchi uses his athleticism and energy to punch out an entertaining decision in a bruising, back-and-forth battle with the old warhorse.

Ike Ibeabuchi vs Riddick Bowe: While Bowe realised his dreams by becoming undisputed, his reign was short and he failed to build a great legacy. Ibeabuchi – whose flame burned brightly but briefly – never scaled the same heights but had all the tools to be a champion. So, what would have happened if these guys had locked up in the 90s?

In truth, they were ships passing in the night. As mentioned, Ike made his name with the Tua fight in June 97; Bowe gradually lost interest in the sport and drifted away from it after his second DQ win over Andrew Golota in December 96. If he hadn’t, who knows? If a clash had transpired sometime in 97, I’m confident Ibeabuchi would have completely overwhelmed Bowe, but prime-for-prime it’s a different story and Bowe wins an exhilarating brawl punctuated by countless fierce exchanges.

Honourable Mentions: Tua vs Mercer, Bowe vs Mercer, Bowe vs Tua, Bowe vs McCall, Bowe vs Moorer, McCall vs Briggs, McCall vs Mercer, Lewis vs Moorer, Bruno vs Hide.                       — Ronnie McCluskey