Mike Tyson suggested he would have bested Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury at the peak of his powers.
‘Iron Mike’ is one of the greatest heavyweights of his generation, but fans have always debated how he would have fared against the current crop of big men. At 5 ft 10 in and 220 lbs, Tyson was considerably smaller than the likes of Joshua and Fury, who both exceed 240 lbs and are over seven inches taller.
However, Tyson believes he had the tools in his prime to beat them both.
Speaking to Ring Magazine in 2020, Tyson explained how he would have overcome Fury’s colossal 85-inch reach. “Against someone of Tyson Fury’s size, you’ve got to be aggressive, move your head and be elusive because if you stand still against a man that size, you’re an easy target,” he said. “You need to attack, use angles, and stay away from his punching distance. You need to be close, but you can’t stay at a distance that allows the bigger fighter to get off.”
Asked if he would have won the fight, Tyson added, “A lot of people don’t understand that size and style aren’t the most important things in the ring; it’s the morale of a fighter that leads to victory. His determination, his will to win, his desire is what makes him a champion. But at my best, I thought I was the greatest fighter from Achilles, through the Art of War, since the beginning of God, since the beginning of time – I was invincible. And if there are other fighters out there that don’t think that way, then they have a problem.”
On a fight with Joshua, Tyson told The Sun in 2022, “My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful. He just looks like a fighter, you know? He looks like he was born to do what he has to do. He needs more experience of course, but that will come in life.”
Tyson certainly has a case for beating both men. During his 58-fight (50-6-0-2) career, the aptly nicknamed ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ reigned supreme as undisputed heavyweight champion of the world from 1987 to 1990 and won 44 of his 50 victories via knockout.
In November 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight world champion of all time when he flattened Trevor Berbick inside two rounds at 20 years and 145 days old.
