Mike Tyson has revealed who the greatest fighter he ever shared the ring with was.
One of the most iconic names in the history of boxing himself, Tyson has shared the ring with some of the greatest heavyweights of all time such as Larry Holmes and Lennox Lewis.
However in a recent feature with RingTV, Tyson actually named old foe Evander Holyfield as his most formidable ever opponent.
“Holyfield; He was a great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanor.”
Tyson also gave the accolade of best puncher to Holyfield:
“He threw terrific shots with both hands and with bad intentions.”
Holyfield and Tyson locked horns twice in the mid 1990s, with ‘The Real Deal’ emerging with the victory on both occasions.
So formidable a foe was Holyfield that “Iron Mike” was disqualified from his 1997 rematch against him, after taking a chunk out of the WBA heavyweight world champion’s right ear in what became known as ‘The Bite Fight.’
The incident negatively impacted Tyson’s already tarnished reputation and he had his boxing license revoked. He was also issued with a hefty fine of three million dollars for his troubles.
However, Tyson cuts a much different figure these days and is unrecognisable to the volatile character he was back then.
Time has soothed the once bitter rivalry that existed between he and Holyfield and the two all time great heavyweights and they are now, remarkably, good friends.
The pair actually released a brand of cannabis infused candies recently which are – you guessed it – shaped like ears.