To become a heavyweight champion, fighters need to have great self-belief.
As well as putting in the hard yards in the gym, sparring the best and getting to the peak of physical fitness, boxers must also have their mental game straight before stepping into the ring.
Any lapse in concentration during a contest can prove catastrophic, and those with a tough mind can come through all manner of adversity to get an unlikely win.
Oleksandr Usyk demonstrated that in his fight with Tyson Fury in May. The undisputed title seemed to be slipping away from him but he dug deep, found a way and reversed the tide to eventually come out on top as a points winner.
Later this year in December, former heavyweight king Mike Tyson will make a comeback to the ring, having not fought professionally for 20 years, when he takes on YouTuber turned professional fighter Jake Paul in Texas, and it appears that the 58-year-old isn’t lacking in confidence.
At the press conference, Tyson expressed his readiness for the controversial fight.
“I’m just ready, I’m ready, Im going to talk my talk and do my shit but I’m ready to fight. Is he really a young killer?”
Paul then mocked Tyson for having to postpone the contest after an ulcer flare-up back in summer, but Iron Mike came back with a bold claim about his own skills.
“I feel a lot better now. Who else can do it but me? Who else is he going to fight to make this happen? You got a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter that ever lived.”
