Hall of Fame great Mike Tyson believes one active fighter in particular reminds him of himself during his formidable prime.
At the height of his storied professional career, ‘Iron Mike’ proved himself to be the most feared and ferocious fighter to walk the planet.
The New York-native made his debut back in 1985 and would go on to rack up 19 consecutive stoppage victories before he was taken the distance for the first time, with 12 of these coming inside the opening round.
Tyson wrote his name into the boxing history books in November of 1986 when he defeated Trevor Berbick to capture the WBC heavyweight title and become the youngest world heavyweight champion ever.
He added the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles to his collection shortly after, achieving undisputed status at heavyweight just days after he turned 21-years-old.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Tyson was asked if there are any current fighters that have a fighting style similar to his own.
“If I had to say someone, I would say Isaac Cruz. He’s short and stubby for his weight like I was, and he comes at you. Cruz reminds me the most of who I was. He comes at you with bad intentions.”
Known for his come-forward fighting style, Cruz has proved himself to be one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division over the last couple of years.
‘Pitbull’ made his return to the ring back in July when he defeated countryman Omar Salcido via unanimous decision to capture the vacant WBC interim super-lightweight title on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s showdown with Mario Barrios.
Cruz is now set to return to action in December, when he takes on Lamont Roach at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
