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Mike Tyson was asked if he would have beaten the Klitschko brothers.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when asked if he would have beaten the Klitschko brothers in his prime.
At the peak of their powers, both Vitali and Wladimir reigned over the heavyweight division from the mid-2000s, possessing all of the major world titles.
Vitali was the WBC world heavyweight champion while his younger brother Wladimir owned the WBA, IBF and WBO belts.
Wladimir was an unstoppable force in his prime after appointing famed trainer Emanuel Steward.
He enjoyed an unbeaten spell from October 2004 to November 2015, unifying the heavyweight division.
Mike Tyson had perfection response to Muhammad Ali question
But Tyson, who’s still the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, reckons he’d beat ‘almost anybody’ on water, vegetables and vitamins.
“I’m not being offensive; I’m not being egotistical. Clean fighting, no drugs, food and water – the basics and I think I could beat almost anybody. I think I’d put my life on it that I could,” he explained.
“I would beat anybody in my prime on water, vegetables and vitamins.”
Speaking before facing Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout back in November 2020, he was then asked if he would return to the sport in the form of a reality show which pits former champions against each other, to which he replied: “Never. I don’t want to be a part of bringing somebody back to the ring. The risk is so high.
“Now we are dealing with guys that have enhancement drugs. You are going to hurt these guys or they’re gonna die, get brain damage or broken bones.”
The Klitschko brothers dominated the heavyweight division during their primes. Image: Getty
‘Iron’ Mike, though, acknowledged the Klitschko brothers’ brilliance.
A fan on social media asked the American great if he reckons Wladimir would have been a ‘formidable heavyweight champion in the Golden Age?’
Tyson replied: “I think he would have done well in any era.”
Wladimir’s reign as unified world heavyweight champion came to a stunning end when Tyson Fury dethroned him of the WBA (super), IBF and WBO titles.
Conor McGregor has been filmed in sparring ahead of UFC 300
He ended his professional career with 64 wins from 69 fights, with 53 victories coming inside the distance.
‘Dr. Steelhammer’ holds three major records of the modern heavyweight era; the most wins in heavyweight title bouts (25), the most wins in unified championship bouts (15) and the most consecutive defences of the unified titles (14).
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Getty
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Wladimir Klitschko
Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when asked if he would have beaten Anthony Joshua in his prime
Mike Tyson was quizzed on whether he would have got the better of Anthony Joshua.
Mike Tyson did not hesitate when asked if he would have beaten Anthony Joshua in his prime years.
After a cancellation due to an ulcer flare-up, Tyson is slated to fight Jake Paul in November this year.
But fans have always wondered how the Baddest Man on the Planet would have fared against some of the most recent generation of heavyweight greats.
In 58 fights from 1985 to 2005, Tyson had 50 wins, six losses and two no contests and was the youngest heavyweight world champion in history.
He was unstoppable in his absolute pomb, destroying opponents with vicious combinations.
Joshua has shown shades of Tyson in his glittering career, where he is a two-time WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO champion heavyweight champion.
Image: Getty
And Iron Mike has previously admitting to being a huge fan of ‘AJ’.
As per The Sun, he said: “Hey, I really like him. You know what he is? He’s really a breath of fresh air.
“He’s really clean, he really looks clean, he’s a clean guy, he’s a clean fighter, he’s a good puncher.
“You just wish the best for him.
“I don’t know. My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful.
“He just looks like a fighter, you know? He looks like he was born to do what he has to do. He needs more experience of course, but that will come in life.”
But Tyson believes when he was at his best in the late 1980’s, no one has it in them to beat him – including Joshua and former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
Image: Getty
Asked if he would beat Joshua and Fury on his Hotboxin’ podcast, Tyson said: “Yes. Listen, if you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt.
“They’re really good fighters and I respect all these skills. It would have been very tough fighting them.”
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Featured Image Credit: Getty & Joe Budden
Topics: Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua
Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when asked if he’d have beaten Tyson Fury in his prime
Mike Tyson knows exactly how he would beat Tyson Fury.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has figured out exactly how he would approach a fight with Tyson Fury if the pair had met in their primes.
At 57-years-old, Mike Tyson is set to make a return to the ring later this year as he faces Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in November.
And despite his age, Tyson is clearly still confident in his boxing ability and has regularly spoken about how we would face up against modern heavyweights.
Despite losing his championship belts to Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury is still widely regarded one of the best heavyweights of this generation, with the loss to Usyk the only on his record.
But Tyson remains confident that if he had faced Fury when both men were at their best, he would know exactly how to win the bout.
Speaking to Ring Magazine in 2020, Tyson said: “Against someone of Tyson Fury’s size, you’ve got to be aggressive, move your head and be elusive because if you stand still against a man that size, you’re an easy target.
“You need to attack, use angles and stay away from his punching distance. You need to be close, but you can’t stay at a distance that allows the bigger fighter to get off.”
At 6ft 9inches, Fury would tower over the 5ft 11 Tyson, who admitted it would be a difficult fight to win.
He added: “A lot of people don’t understand that size and style isn’t the most important thing in the ring; it’s the morale of a fighter that leads to victory.
“His determination, his will to win, his desire is what makes him a champion.
“But at my best, I thought I was the greatest fighter from Achilles, through the Art of War, since the beginning of God, since the beginning of time – I was invincible.
“And if there are other fighters out there that don’t think that way, then they have a problem.”
Tyson Fury was defeated by Oleksandry Usyk by split decision in May. (Image: Getty)
Fury boasts a professional record of 34-1-1 and will look to avenge his solitary loss to Usyk when the pair rematch on December 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tyson on the other hand, has a record of 50 wins and six losses, with two no-contests.
Featured Image Credit: Fox News/ Getty
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Boxing News, Jake Paul
Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when asked if he’d beat Conor McGregor in his prime
The Former champion is confident he could beat the UFC star in the ring.
Mike Tyson has had his say on how he would fare in a potential match up with Conor McGregor.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson isn’t short of confidence 19 years after retiring from boxing in 2005.
The 57-year-old was set to fight Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in July, but the fight was postponed after an ulcer flare up forced Tyson to halt training.
Paul will instead face UFC veteran Mike Perry this summer, with the Tyson fight set to take place on November 15.
But Paul isn’t the only fighter that Tyson has eyed up as a potential opponent, with the boxing legend confident he would beat Mixed Martial Arts superstar Conor McGregor if the two were to meet in the ring.
While appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2020, Tyson was asked about a potential future matchup with the Irishman.
“Yeah, but I’m gonna kick his ass anyway,” Tyson told Fallon, who described McGregor as ‘nuts.’
As Fallon laughed at Tyson’s confidence, he pointed out that McGregor ‘doesn’t play by the rules.’
But Tyson cooly replied: “Hey, we’re going to play by boxing rules”
Months later, Tyson fought fellow former heavyweight boxer Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition match in the Staples Center, Los Angeles.
Controversially, the fight was ruled as a split draw, despite many believing that Tyson had dominated the fight.
McGregor on the other hand, has struggled since Tyson called him out, losing twice to long-term rival Dustin Poirier.
The former UFC champion was set to make his long-awaited return to the octagon on Saturday against Michael Chandler, after breaking his leg in the third fight with Poirier in July 2021.
But a broken pinky toe sustained in the final weeks of training camp forced McGregor to pull out of the fight, which is now expected to take place later in the year.
Conor McGregor was set to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29. (Image: Getty)
While the Irishman is best known for his career in the octagon, he has also fought inside the boxing ring, and has regularly spoken about making a return to the ring, therefore potentially leaving the door open for a fight with Tyson.
Shortly after becoming the first ever two-weight UFC world champion (featherweight and lightweight), McGregor faced five-division boxing champion Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas.
However, the American was able to defeat the UFC superstar, winning via technical knockout in the 10th round.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Boxing, Mike Tyson, Conor McGregor, UFC, Jake Paul, Mike Perry, Michael Chandler, MMA, Roy Jones Jr
Ben McCrum
Mike Tyson didn’t hesitate when revealing the biggest regret in his boxing career
Iron Mike’s career went without facing one fighter in particular
Mike Tyson is one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing – but once admitted there was one regret from his career after not facing one man in particular.
Tyson had a total of 58 professional boxing bouts between 1985 and 2005 in a career which spanned three decades and came to a conclusion as he approached his 39th birthday.
In that time, Tyson chalked up 50 wins and just six losses, with an astounding 44 victories on knockout as he demonstrated his stopping power in the ring.
Evander Holyfield beat Tyson twice in the 1990s in back to back defeats, while Briton Lennox Lewis knocked out Iron Mike at a contest in 2002.
Buster Douglas, Danny Williams and Kevin McBride were the other three fighters to have knocked out Tyson in his professional career.
Since retiring as a professional fighter, Tyson has spent his time promoting various websites and companies, launching the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation, launched a boxing promotions firm, published two books and helped to train UFC star Francis Ngannou’s move into the world of boxing.
Despite having a glittering career which spanned some 20 years, there was one big name fighter that Tyson did not end up taking on in the ring and remains his biggest regret.
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Speaking to The Ring Magazine back in 2014, Tyson admitted not taking on George Foreman was a regret from his boxing career.
He said: “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.”
Foreman’s record stands up alongside Tyson’s, with 81 fights across his career and 76 wins, 68 of which were by knockout and only five losses in a career which spanned from 1969 to 1997, just shy of three decades.
And of course, many will know the retired fighter thanks to the George Foreman Grill, which may well be an appliance in your kitchen.
It certainly would have been an intriguing encounter and one of the great what ifs from boxing history.
