Deontay Wilder and Mike Tyson are regarded as two of the most fearsome punchers the sport of boxing has ever seen.
Tyson ended his first 19 contests inside six rounds on his way to becoming the youngest ever heavyweight world champion – a record he holds to this day. His notorious peek-a-boo style saw him dip in close to bigger men and unleash fast and ferocious shots.
Wilder, an Olympic Bronze Medalist, has made a name for himself through freakish power delivered by a lethal right hand. It was 32 fights before he was taken past the fourth round. As such, a fantasy fight with both men in their primes could be nothing short of explosive.
Speaking to TMZ back in 2018, Wilder – who was deep into his run as WBC Heavyweight World Champion and set to face Tyson Fury for the first time – confidently said he would beat ‘Iron’ Mike.
“Me vs Tyson in ’86, I’d kick the hell outta that guy. Listen, I’ve got to keep it real. I know people always go back to the old school or look at the new school and there’s no school where I’m not No 1 on Earth.”
Whilst Tyson gave a humble response and praised ‘The Bronze Bomber’ for having the confidence of a champion, hie one-time opponent Lennox Lewis had a different take entirely.
Speaking on social media, Lewis – who beat Tyson in 2003 via knockout – said he couldn’t see that result against the ‘ferocious’ veteran.
“I just heard Wilder said he would destroy a young Mike Tyson. My thoughts are that it’s easy to talk until you actually get in the ring. I like Wilder but he’s never been in there with someone that ferocious who truly wants to break his ribs with every punch. I don’t see it!”
A lot of things have changed since the round of predictions. Wilder lost his title to Fury in their second meeting and was stopped again in the third. Since then he has had one win against Robert Helenius but two losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, the latter another knockout. His trainer, Malik Scott, has confirmed that he will not retire as a result.
Tyson meanwhile is set to lace up once more in a controversial bout against Jake Paul next month.
