Mike Tyson once requested to meet former Manchester United Wayne Rooney to give him advice on how to handle fame.
Boxing legend Tyson rose to the top of the sporting world when he became world champion at 20-years-old, while Rooney left boyhood side Everton for United in a £30 million deal as an 18-year-old.
Tyson's former sparring partner Joe Egan has now revealed the duo were keen to meet each other in the mid 2000's.
Egan explained to SunSport: "Wayne Rooney, in particular, was one of the stars Mike wanted to meet because he had so much admiration for Wayne.
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"So when Mike was over for an after-dinner speech in the UK about more than 15 years ago, in Manchester, I was with him.
"The table that had been reserved for the team was given to the Carrington training ground staff because the team was stuck in traffic after an away match. But on another table there was Wayne's wife, Coleen, and her family.
"Mike had prepared a presentation for Wayne, but he presented it to Coleen's brother - Wayne's brother-in-law - instead."
He then went on to explain that 'Iron Mike' was aware of Rooney's rising star and wanted to help guide him.
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"Mike had a lot of respect and admiration for Wayne because he knew the pressure on his young shoulders at the time.
"Although Wayne and the United team didn't make it to the event, I introduced him to Mike in a restaurant in Manchester called Lounge Ten later that night.
"This place has a high profile clientele and a pedigree of attracting the region's celebrities including A-list sports stars. A friend of Wayne's and Mike's owned this restaurant who hosted a private intimate dinner for Mike - for only 100 people."
A young Rooney heeded Tyson's warnings about the power of fame and Egan says the former England captain took his words to heart.
"Wayne was over the moon to meet Mike and Mike was over the moon to meet Wayne. An ex-boxer himself, Wayne loves and follows the sport of boxing and he's a very good fighter himself.
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"Because they're both superstars, Mike wanted to speak to Wayne about the pitfalls and the problems that the young superstars could encounter.
"So Mike imparted a little bit of advice and gave him some inside knowledge on things to watch out for when you're a rising superstar.
"Wayne really appreciated his advice and concern."
Featured Image Credit: Wayne Rooney/InstagramTopics: Football News, Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Football, Manchester United, Boxing, Wayne Rooney