Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson thinks it is ‘b******t’ that two top-level fighters won’t face off with each other because they share the same trainer.
Loyalties in boxing can be fickle when it comes to the crunch, but it seems two fighters won’t budge on their decision to fight each other because they are both trained by the same man in the same gym.
Errol Spence Jr is coming off the back of a loss to undisputed welterweight king Terrence Crawford back in July. Crawford won via ninth-round technical knockout which made him the first man to lift undisputed crowns in two weight classes in the four-belt era.
Tyson believes that even though Spence has already triggered the rematch, he should fight Jermell Charlo, who is fighting Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in Las Vegas this weekend for the undisputed super middleweight crown.
Spence and Charlo both train in Texas with Derrick James, who also counts former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua amongst his charges.
Speaking to ESNEWS, Tyson thinks that relationships like that should be put aside in the name of making money.
“Him and Charlo won’t fight ’cause they’ve got the same trainer? That’s bulls**t. You wanna be my friend? You gotta fight me and help me feed my family.”
He then made the point once more.
“You my friend? You fight me, I’ve gotta feed my family. That’s disrespect, not respect. Fight me let me help my family. That’s what fighting’s all about, helping the other guy, not putting them down.”
