George Foreman Names Hardest Punchers In History, Includes Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis

Boxing legend George Foreman has put Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis in his list of the hardest punchers in history but did not include himself.

Foreman is one of the few boxers who have found success outside the sport. Aside from being a boxing Hall of Famer, Foreman is also globally recognized as a shrewd businessman.

During his prime, he famously battled Muhammad Ali, and in his return, faced a new breed of heavyweights including Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs. But despite suffering devastating losses to these fighters, “Big George” recently revealed that he does not consider Ali, Holyfield and Briggs the hardest punchers of all time.

On Twitter, Foreman was asked by a fan, “Who were all you think the three hardest punchers in boxing history? And where do you put yourself in the list?”

In response, the 71-year-old mentioned four heavyweights that he thinks fit the bill. But he excluded himself from the ranks, insisting that there’s “nothing special” about his punching power.

“Joe Louis was the hardest puncher ever; [Sonny] Liston make the cut as well as Lennox Lewis. Mike Tyson. Nothing special about me,” Foreman wrote.

Surprisingly, Foreman never shared the ring with any of the heavyweight legends he mentioned. But among the four of them, Foreman apparently came close to fighting Mike Tyson.

He previously claimed that Foreman vs. Tyson was already being discussed, but he felt “Iron Mike” didn’t want to fight him. The Texas native also claimed that Tyson’s late trainer, Cus D’Amato, may have warned his fighter about his frightening power.

“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,” Foreman told "On The Ropes Boxing" host Jenna Jay in January.

“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,” he continued.

Despite his statement, Tyson still has thoughts of fighting Foreman. In an exclusive feature on “The Ring Magazine’s Best I Faced: Mike Tyson” published in April, Tyson revealed that Foreman was the only fighter he had always wanted but had never been able to face.

As per Tyson, he had always wanted to put an end to the debate and determine who the bigger puncher really is between him and the boxing icon.

“I would have liked to fight George Foreman. 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,” he said.

Tyson is expected to make his epic boxing return soon. But given Foreman’s age of 71, it is unlikely that the two legendary heavyweights will ever meet inside the ring.