Mike Tyson responded humbly to Deontay Wilder claiming he would KO Iron Mike in his prime…
Deontay Wilder is a phenomenal boxer, dominating all opponents he’s ever faced bar one, with The Bronze Bomber saying he would be able to land the knockout blow to legendary figure, Mike Tyson when he was in his prime.
Tyson Fury is the only fighter to get the better of Wilder in the ring, miraculously drawing their first bout before back-to-back victories for the Brit ended a titanic trilogy.
His power in the ring has seen him become an all-time great of boxing, with 42 wins from 45 fights, with all victories bar one coming via knockout, now that is a ridiculously good ratio.
Unsurprisingly, with a knockout record as special as that, Wilder has immense confidence in his ability, and can you blame him?!
So, when he claims he could’ve knocked out Tyson when he was in his prime is no surprise, despite Iron Mike being deemed by many as one of the greatest to ever step foot in the ring.
Despite a brutal competitor in the ring, Tyson’s response was classy when responding to the claims in 2020, with him saying: “I don’t know [whether I’d beat him]. I love the fact that he thinks that, because that’s the way I would say as well. He’s supposed to think that way, he is the heavyweight champion of the world and that’s something very special.”
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Lennox Lewis, who is still the last undisputed heavyweight champion, beating Mike Tyson in 2002, disagreed with The Bronze Bomber, saying: “I just heard Deontay Wilder said he would destroy a young Mike Tyson.
“My thoughts are that it’s easy to talk until you actually get in the ring. I like Wilder but he’s never been in there with someone that ferocious who truly wants to break his ribs with every punch. I don’t see it.
“I love Wilder’s confidence… you need that to sit atop the heavyweight division… he’s hungry and shows up in probably best shape in division… but there’s levels to it… and he’s still adding to his arsenal.
“My best advice to the entire crop of young heavyweight champs is to focus on being the best of YOUR era! Out of respect and reality. It’s unprovable. Of course people asked, but I found no need to speculate or compare myself to my idol Ali or any other of the past greats.”
Whilst we’ll never know who would win in a fight between the pair, it certainly is fun to speculate, with even professional boxers disagreeing on the outcome.
