Date: November 1990

Cover: Mike Tyson, George Foreman (illustration by Steve Smith)

What’s So Important About This Issue? When it comes to superstars, they don’t get much bigger than Tyson and Foreman, and talk of these two popular punchers clashing would continue off and on throughout the ’90s (although the fight never became any more real than it appeared on this cartoon cover). This cover wasn’t just noteworthy for the fame of the fighters depicted on it, however; it was also aesthetically striking enough to be named by Magazine & Bookseller as one of the “Best Newsstand Covers of 1990.”

Cover Story: Robert Cassidy called them “the two most intimidating heavyweight champions in history” in his piece “Tyson vs. Foreman: Can Iron Mike Stop The Blast From The Past?” In truth, neither fighter was still at his absolute peak of intimidation by this time, but that didn’t change the fact that this would have been a pay-per-view blockbuster for the ages. “What does it take to stop the schoolyard bully from picking on the mild-mannered bookworm? How about a bigger bully,” wrote Cassidy, summing up why this potential battle of the bullies had the world buzzing.

Also In This Issue: “The Best Chins In Boxing” by Steve Farhood … “Where A Fighter Is King: Azumah Nelson In Ghana” by Arlene Schulman … Fighter of the Month: Aaron Davis.

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