Mike Tyson swung for Floyd Mayweather with brutal punch – but he didn’t flinch
Mike Tyson once pretended to throw a punch at Floyd Mayweather a decade ago during a brief encounter, but the boxing icon didn’t 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.
It’s 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 didn’t appear to phase Mayweather – a boxing champion in five different weight classes.
At the time, it was common knowledge that the pair weren’t 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 didn’t 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.
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 (KSI’s 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 they’ll 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 American’s 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.
