Hang on a minute. Let me get this correct. Mike Tyson is 54. The last time I checked, no combat athlete has ever been able to do anything significant into their 50s.
George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins were freaks of nature. But one thing they both had in common was activity.
Once they were in it, they were in it. Tyson hasn’t been “in it” since before he went to prison in the early 1990s.
Mike Tyson
When he was released, Tyson went on a charade of a second career, avoiding most of the top fighters until there was a significant paycheck for him to take another loss.
Mike knew he’d lost his ability due to hard partying and a crazy lifestyle. Therefore, he did what any of us would; he used his name to make as much cash as possible before retiring.
Taking this fact into account, how does staying out of the ring for 15 years and ballooning in weight help Tyson now become a world title contender?
I mean, the man is in his mid-fifties. It’s just an illogical thought process. But one of his trainer Rafael Cordero, the man seen taking vicious blows to his body belt and mitts in videos posted on social media.
One thing we do know about those clips is that Tyson is making millions from just 30 seconds of work. Paychecks that losing weight, getting in shape, and touting an exhibition match are worth it.
But stating anything other than Tyson is fighting Roy Jones Jr. for the money is sheer fantasy. It didn’t stop Cordero from predicting a possible world title fight to TMZ, though.
Title bid
“I believe Mike can do it. If he put his mind, he wants to fight for the belt one day, why not? Who says it’s impossible to do?” Rafael told the news source.
“He’s fighting every single day in the gym. I believe the best is still to come. Why not? If one day he wants to prove he put his techniques to the test, why not for the belt?”
Those titles Cordero speaks of are currently in the hands of a 6ft 9ins Tyson Fury, who weighed in at 273 pounds for his victory. The other is 6ft 6ins Anthony Joshua, who scales regularly close to 250 pounds.
Mike Tyson is 5ft 10ins. At his best, he was 220 pounds of pure muscle. Both of which don’t bode well for facing Fury or Joshua in his prime.
The Heavyweight division has moved on. Those who compete are considerably taller and heavier than in Mike’s day.
Too old
Furthermore, Cordero’s words are harder to swallow if you add Tyson’s age into the equation. The coach is definitively making a play from the Pay Per View selling handbook.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ will be back in the ring, and it will be extraordinary to witness. But stating it’s anything more than a gimmick is just plain wrong.
We’ll be lucky if Mike can get through a full three minutes without slowing to a crawl once the first bell goes on November 28.
Bonkers.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
