George Foreman challenges Steven Seagal: ‘I use boxing, you can use whatever’

The former world champion boxer is throwing down the gauntlet for a 10-round bout against the notable action movie star.

The pugilist life? Seems like it never really ends. No matter how far removed from their prime, combat sports athletes are always ready to make a comeback. Most recently, fighters like BJ Penn, Chuck Liddell, and Randy Couture have all publicly mulled over the notion of coming back to the ring.

This latest one is a little more of a surprise, however. The man looking for one more fight is none other than Olympic gold medalist and former boxing heavyweight champion George Foreman. The legendary combatant is not a stranger to late career resurgence, having most famously retired in the late 70s to return at age 38 and resume his boxing career.

Foreman eventually regained the heavyweight title from Michael Moorer in 1994, then retiring after a loss to Shannon Briggs in 1997 for what he claimed was the final time. Still, his competitive spirit has never been in doubt, nor his willingness to challenge himself.

This time? He’s calling out none other than former action star Steven Seagal. Foreman took to Twitter to issue what could perhaps be the most random call-out of the year (or possibly ever), looking for a fight with the notable martial artist.

Although he did clarify a little. “Whatever” in this case still means hand-to-hand.

Foreman had planned a comeback around 2004, at the age of 55. That fight never materialized, but this looks like an entirely different proposition. He wants to test his striking skills against the Aikido master known for films such as Under Siege and Above The Law, but is now mostly known for obscure meetings with Eastern European politicians and the occasional seminar.

While Seagal has never competed in professional combat sports, he’s often made claims that he participated in special operations with the intelligence community. Then again, the man apparently trained Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida to crane kick glory. But a fight against an older boxer that hasn’t fought in two decades?

This isn’t the first time Seagal has been called out by a pro fighter either. He had some words for Randy Couture after the ‘Natural’ made an off-hand joke about coming out of retirement to fight him.

"I really have to kind of wonder what his intentions and motivations may have been in saying that,” Seagal said of Couture’s callout. “I always thought that Randy was my friend and a gentleman. I'm kind of confused as to why he would say that. All I can say is, I'm here. Anybody can find me anytime and anyplace. If Randy really wants to fight me, he can fight me anytime he wants. It'll be for free, and it'll be some place where there are no witnesses."

"Oh no, I don't play by rules," he responded. "That's not how I fight.

"I'm a man of honor. I'm a gentleman, but I am a warrior. And if he needs to find me, he knows where to find me."

Will Seagal bite on this challenge as well? Will Foreman and Seagal square off in an abandoned warehouse somewhere, from which only one man will emerge?