Mike Tyson once named the former heavyweight champion that he loved too much to even consider sharing the ring with him.
Tyson dominated the heavyweight division during the late 1980s and proved himself to be arguably the most feared fighter to have ever laced up a pair of gloves.
He entered the boxing history books in November 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round of their Las Vegas showdown to capture the WBC heavyweight title and become the youngest heavyweight champion of all time.
Wins over James Smith and Tony Tucker saw him add the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles to his collection to achieve undisputed status just days after his 21st birthday.
Tyson would go on to share the ring with a number of legendary heavyweights during the later stages of his storied professional career, although he was beaten by both Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.
In a classic interview with CNN, Tyson named Riddick Bowe as the one man that he didn’t consider fighting during his career because he loved his countryman too much.
“I love Riddick Bowe. Yeah. We went to school together. I don’t know. Can I tell you something? That’s one thing that I would take different. I have probably at this stage of my life and being as conscious as I am, I don’t think I would [fight Riddick Bowe].
“That’s what I’m trying to say now. It’s just too disrespectful. The only reason you put your hand on somebody, even in a street fight if your conscious, is because you have no respect for them.”
‘Big Daddy’ Bowe had an exceptional professional career of his own which he capped off with defeating Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed heavyweight champion when they fought for the first time in November 1992.
Whilst he was beaten by Holyfield in their rematch one year later, Bowe put their bitter rivalry to bed when he stopped ‘The Real Deal’ in the eighth round of their third and final encounter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
