Heavyweight legend, Mike Tyson, has heaped praise on a fighter who achieved everything in the game and goes down as a ‘great’ – even if they weren’t that pleasing on the eye.
‘Iron’ Mike explained that two-division unified champion, Andre Ward never looked fantastic when he stepped into the ring, but that it was the little things he did that ensures his legacy will stand the test of time.
Ward retired 5 years ago with an undefeated record of 32-0, and is remembered as one of the greatest super-middleweights of all-time for his wins against the like of Mikkel Kessler, Arhur Abraham and Carl Froch, which crowned him as the Super Six champion in 2010.
On his podcast, Tyson compared Andre Ward to the epic Carlos Monzón and clearly felt that Ward hung up the gloves prematurely, suggesting that the “Son of God” could have stuck around and beat the current undisputed 168lb champion, Canelo Alvarez.
“He destroyed everybody. I didn’t think that he could beat some people that he beat, he beat their ass. He didn’t get Canelo, he could have got Canelo.”
“He was one of those fighters that didn’t look good but was great. He don’t look great, but he’s a great. He’s like [Carlos] Monzón and those guys.”
Monzón held the undisputed middleweight title for seven years and made fourteen successful title defences during his reign as champion, the second longest in middleweight history.
Tyson’s love of the Super Six competition format could be reignited, with a similar style four-man tournament being rumoured for the heavyweight division in Saudi Arabia later this year.
