Mike Tyson once pretended to throw a punch at Floyd Mayweather a decade ago during a brief encounter, but the boxing icon didnt even budge.
Iron Mike who retired from the sport back in 2005 after suffering the sixth defeat of his professional career against Kevin McBride is scheduled to make a sensational return to the squared-circle on Friday against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Despite hanging up his gloves nearly two decades ago, Tyson, 58, took part in an exhibition bout with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr four years ago.
Tyson is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport. During the peak of his powers, the American defeated the likes of Marvis Frazier, Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno. With a professional record of 50-6-2, 44 of those wins came by way of knockout.
Its fair to say that the boxing veteran will go down as one of the hardest-hitting punchers in the history of the sport. While many will label him as an intimidating figure, his presence didnt appear to phase Mayweather a boxing champion in five different weight classes.
At the time, it was common knowledge that the pair werent civil with each other which allegedly stemmed back in 2001. Over a decade on, the two stars met on stage at an annual boxing convention. Iron Mike rushed over to Mayweather and pretended to throw a punch, only to pull back last second. Surprisingly, Mayweather didnt flinch at all before they shared an awkward embrace.
With a record of 50-0, Mayweather retired from the sport after defeating MMA star Conor McGregor back in 2017. In his career, the American defeated the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya and is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport.
Mike Tyson will return to the ring on Friday night to fight Jake Paul (
2024 Mike Angel/Netflix, Inc.)
Since retiring from the sport, Mayweather has competed in several exhibition bouts. His most recent outing came against John Gotti III back in August. The 47-year-old is made a bit of a habit of competing in exhibition fights and has already taken on the likes of Logan Paul, Deji Olatunji (KSIs brother) and Aaron Chalmers.
As for Tyson, the 58-year-old will be looking to shock the world against Paul this Friday. Ahead of the bout, many fans have offered their verdict on the clash. In two polls uploaded by Mirror Fighting, fans were asked whether Paul should be taking on Tyson and whether or not theyll be watching the clash on Friday.
Results show that 63 per cent of people believe that The Problem Child should not be facing Iron Mike who is 31 years the Americans senior. That said, in the other poll, 67 per cent have claimed that they will be watching the fight. With the event easily accessible, millions worldwide are expected to tune in on November 15.